CBI Apprentice study guide
CBI Apprentice · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The CBI Apprentice credential is an entry-level qualification for people starting out in brewing and brewery operations, whether you are aiming for a cellar, packaging or brewhouse role or simply want a structured grounding before applying. It is designed to test practical, everyday knowledge rather than advanced brewing science, so it suits new hires, career changers and enthusiastic homebrewers moving toward professional work. The CBI Apprentice study guide has 6 sections and about 2,062 words.
01Beer Styles and Beer Characteristics
This domain tests whether you can identify a beer's style from measurable and sensory evidence, then explain which brewing decisions produced that profile. Expect questions that pair a short sensory description with gravity, bitterness, and color numbers.
369 words, about 2 min02Brewing Ingredients: Malt, Water, Hops, and Yeast
This domain tests how malt, water, hops, and yeast each drive flavor, fermentability, and process decisions - and how they interact. Questions often present a target beer and ask what you would change.
355 words, about 2 min03Brewing Process and Cellar Operations
This domain tests your command of the hot side and cold side as a sequence of controlled steps, plus the cellar judgment calls that protect flavor and yield. Hot side: mill, mash (conversion rest ~150–156°F), lauter and sparge, boil 60–90 minutes, whirlpool, knockout cooling.
324 words, about 2 min04Packaging, Storage, and Beer Quality
This domain tests how packages are filled and closed, and how oxygen, temperature, light, and time degrade beer after packaging. Dissolved oxygen targets: as low as possible; many breweries target under 50 ppb total package oxygen for hop-forward beer and under 100–150 ppb for other styles.
328 words, about 2 min05Draught Systems and Dispense
This domain tests whether you can balance a draught system, pour correctly, and diagnose foam and flatness instead of guessing. Push pressure must equal resistance: line length and diameter, lift, and faucet resistance.
358 words, about 2 min06Safety, Sanitation, and Regulatory Compliance
This domain tests whether you can work safely around tanks and chemicals, sanitize effectively, and keep the brewery inside the rules. CO2 is odorless and heavier than air; it pools in cellars and fermenter bottoms.
328 words, about 2 min