Taking the Institute of Brewing and Distilling Diploma Exam

This year I took the first module for the IBD Distilling Diploma. And no, in this case IBD does not stand for irritable bowel syndrome, although you’d be forgiven for thinking that. IBD stands for the Institute of Brewing & Distilling. It is an international organization that offers a variety of professional qualifications in brewing, distilling, cider-making, malting, and packaging.

To do this distilling diploma program, potential candidates should have first completed the IBD’s General Certificate in Distilling, which is the qualification just below this diploma program. Otherwise, candidates should have a solid understanding of the science and technology of distilling. Candidates should also ideally be working at or towards a senior/head distiller level.

I didn’t do the General Certificate in Distilling qualification, but I completed a diploma in “Brewing and Brewery Operations”. I felt that this gave me a good understanding of the science and technology of brewing beer. Brewing and Distilling are closely related, so I felt like I was okay to do the diploma program instead of doing the general certificate first.

While you can complete the modules in any order you wish, I chose to start with module 1. My friend who took the exam the previous year advised me to start with module 1 since it is mainly about brewing, which is my strength (supposedly). This module goes into great detail about the biochemistry of raw ingredients, their processing, and how their special properties enable the wash production process through fermentation with yeast and bacteria.

 Studying for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling Diploma

Distilling Diploma Exam Module 1 (Unit 1-3)

Module 1, the module that deals with brewing and fermentation, focuses on eight subject areas. The first subject area is “Cereals”, mainly barley. You need to know the basic parts of a barley kernel, and what distillers look for in barley that is meant to be malted. Malting, which is the process used to convert barley into malt, is also discussed in the syllabus. Malting is important not only to distillers, but to brewers and food makers who make malted products. Ideal barley and malt specifications is usually a very popular topic on the essay section of the exam.

The second unit is “Other Sources of Extract”. This includes molasses, grapes, and agave, and how these other sources of extracts are grown and processed. If you are strapped for time when studying, it is best to focus on barley and malted barley, as questions related to agave and grape usually only appear in the short answer section and not in the essay section.

The essay section makes up the bulk of the marks, so it is better to focus your time on predicting essay questions and coming up with essay answers. While there is usually one question about molasses in the essay section, you have a choice of which essay topics to write on, so you can avoid writing about “Other Sources of Extract” altogether.

The third unit is “Water”. In the distillery, water has four different uses: production, product, process, and service water. This section goes over how distilleries source their water and how water is used. It is probably the easiest section. There is usually an essay question about water on the exam, specifically on the different specification requirements of water in different uses in the distillery.

Distilling Diploma Exam Module 1 (Unit 4-6)

The fourth unit deals with the intake of malt and how it is milled. It also goes over how molasses is processed in distilleries. There are a lot of machinery and diagrams in this section, which makes it incredibly boring to go through. Sometimes an essay question will appear on this topic where you have to draw a diagram of the milling equipment, or of all the equipment from malt intake to mashing in.

The fifth section is “Cereal Wort Production”. This details the mashing process and how wort is prepared. This section is mainly about malted barley. This section is popular in the essay portion of the exam.

The sixth section is “Non-Cereal Wort Production”. It is related to the second unit as we revisit molasses, grape, and agave, and how they are used to distil spirits such as rum, brandy and tequila. Again if you are strapped for time when studying, I would focus all my energy on barley and malt.

Distilling Diploma Exam Module 1 (Unit 7-8)

The seventh unit deals with yeast biochemistry, which is the heart of alcohol production; without yeast there is no alcohol. Yeast is the single most important element in the production of beer, wine, cider, and spirits, so it is no wonder there is so much to learn about it. There is always an essay question on yeast since it is so important. You can’t get away from memorizing the Kreb’s cycle and other biochemical pathways for this section.

Unit eight is an extension of unit seven. It continues to deal with yeast, specifically how it is handled in the distillery and how it ferments. You also learn about spoilage yeast and other spoilage organisms which can ruin your fermentation. Essay topics from this unit are commonly about spoilage organisms, how to clean fermenters, and how to monitor fermentations to prevent spoilage.

How I Studied for the Distilling Exam

I studied for this exam by going through each unit and writing down the learning objectives for each unit. Then I made notes by arranging the information under their associated learning objectives. I spent a week making notes on each unit. This took 10 weeks. Then I went back and answered all the unit questions and tests to see what I needed to work on. This took another 10 weeks. Afterwards, I tried to memorize important tables, diagrams, and pictures that I might need to reproduce during exam day. Leading up to exam day, I continued to review my notes and completed some past exams.

On the online educational portal, you can find the three most recent exams papers, minus the short answer sections. It shows you the essay questions and what they are looking for. You can also find statistics on the number of people who took the exam each year, and each year’s exam pass rate. I think this very useful information to go over.

My Experience Taking the IBD Module 1 Distilling Exam

My distilling exam was held in Cardiff on September 8 2020. I was studying for it up to the night before. There were 20 short answer questions on this exam, and then I had to write four essays to write but there were six essay topics to choose from. The exam was three hours long.

I was pretty nervous about writing it since it had been a while since I last sat down for an exam. I also wasn’t sure how the essay questions would be marked since I had never taken an Institute of Brewing and Distilling Diploma exam before. Going into the exam I didn’t even know what mark was needed to pass. It turns out that 45% is a pass and 75% or above is an A grade.

I thought I could have done a lot better, but I calculated my anticipated mark and came to the conclusion that even in the worst case scenario I should still have earned enough marks to pass the exam. Then I waited 3 months to get my results back.

Results & Reflection

I got my results on December 10^th 2020. Here you can see the grading system for the diploma and master modules in distilling.

I passed with a C grade, which means I scored somewhere between 55-64%. While I should have done better and hopefully I will get a better mark next time around, but for now I’m happy that I can go back to Canada and see my brewing friends with my head held high

I definitely should have spent a lot more time memorizing the different calculations, and practicing how to calculate germination energy, water sensitivity etc. I was pretty mad at myself for not being able to do the calculation questions as my friend specifically mentioned that they would be on there. However, when I was writing the exam I sort of panicked and couldn’t remember the equations. I left a lot of marks on the table, which was my biggest blunder. Next time, I will prioritise learning the calculations first, so that during the exam I can automatically do the calculations and not draw a blank.

This first module exam was sponsored by the Borders Distillery. Since I passed it, I felt like I should continue and try to pass the other two modules. I feel like it really doesn’t mean anything to pass one IBD module, since you won’t receive the diploma in distilling qualification. I’ve already signed up for module 2 which deals more with the actual distillation of spirits. Here’s hoping for a better mark next time.

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