If you want to further your appreciation of craft beer by completing more serious studies, here are some of the classes and schools that will help you achieve the level of craft beer education you desire.
Online Courses I Schools and Trainings
Online Courses
Beer knowledge sessions for those looking to pass industry exams such as the Cicerone®, BJCP, and Beer Steward Exams. Online, DVD and customized training for distributor sales reps, brewery employees, retailers and individuals.
Beer Judge Certification Program
The purpose of this program is “to promote beer literacy and the appreciation of real beer, and to recognize beer tasting and evaluation skills.” This program covers 23 different beer styles and has been around since 1985. There are currently 3,660 active judges in the program.
Better Beer Scores™ is the proven leader in beer webinars – offering a dozen craft beer webinar (online seminar) programs. The Better Beer Scores™ webinar platform is a new and interactive way to learn more about craft beer styles, homebrewing, and to prepare for each of the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) Exams in three distinct and affordable series: the World of Beer Series, the Homebrewing Series, and our flagship offerings, the BJCP Exam Prep Series. Visit our website today for more information and to sign up for one of our twelve craft beer webinars. Prices start at just $24.99 per webinar!
Craft Beer University offers comprehensive BJCP Entrance Exam and BJCP Judging (tasting) Exam prep courses. These two online courses provide aspiring beer judges an 8-week series of live, interactive, two-hour weekly webinars designed to assist in effectively studying to pass and achieve high marks on the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Examinations. These courses are also designed to assist in learning about craft beer styles, improve homebrewing skills, and to learn how to effectively evaluate craft beer. All instructors are experienced BJCP certified judges and professional educators—culling experiences from public/private educational and professional coaching institutions.
CraftBeer.com’s Beer 101 Course
This narrated online course for the beer beginner takes approximately one-hour to complete and is $15. Upon successful completion, you will receive a printable certificate from the Brewers Association.
Cicerone® Certified Beer Server
To begin your Cicerone® certification, you must start with this exam. This course requires, “competent knowledge of beer storage and service issues, as well as modest knowledge of currently popular beer styles and culture, and basic familiarity with beer tasting and flavors as well as brewing process and ingredients.” Run by Ray Daniels, author of Designing Great Beers, this certification program has three stages; Certified Beer Server, Cicerone, and Master Cicerone. The word Cicerone (pronounced sis-uh-rohn) has been chosen to designate those with proven expertise in selecting, acquiring and serving today’s wide range of beers. For more information see CraftBeer.com post on: “Cicerone’s are Experts at What?”
This website has tons of resources for the new craft beer lover. Learn about the history of beer, brewing process and gain tips on how to taste. Once you think you’re ready, take the 20-question Great Beer Test or step up to the GBT-100. The site also provides a beer glossary, explanations of funky beer, and profit calculator for those who are running their own better beer establishments.
Master Brewers Association of the Americas
Associate Beer Steward Program
Designed for bar and wait staff, retail clerks and sommeliers, this online, affordable program will increase knowledge of beer, giving you information you can use in your job right away. With this program you will learn more about the importance of beer freshness, how to present different beer styles most effectively to customers, beer’s relationship to human history, how beer is made, and the various flavors and styles worldwide.
This free online course features several 10-15 minute presentations on topics such as the history of beer, beer-off flavors and pairing basics. The user-friendly interface and the topics presented makes this course is perfect for the beer beginner.
Schools and Trainings
American Brewers Guild
1001 Maple Street
Salisbury, VT 05769
Phone: 802.352.4200
The ABG offers two courses; the Craft Brewers Apprenticeship (CBA) and the Intensive Brewing Science and Engineering Course. These courses are taught though a mix of web-based classes, text books, videos and at home lab experiments. Completion of these courses requires one week onsite at a working brewpub and, for the CBA participants, a five-week apprenticeship at a brewery.
Brewlab
18/19 Bridge House
Bridge Street
Sunderland
, Tyne & Wear
SR 1 1TE
United Kingdom
Brewlab teaches five courses that range in length from one day to 3-month courses. Students receive a diploma in British Brewing Technology. Class sizes are kept small so that students may get the help and attention they need.
Central Washington University: Craft Beer Trade Certificate
400 E. University Way
Barge 204
Ellensburg, WA 98926
Phone: 509.963.1504
This 16-credit certificate course is designed to prepare graduates for many different areas of the beer industry. Courses include Brewing Microbiology, Principles of Merchandising Management for Micro Brewing, and Brew Process Technology. Students will be taught using a variety of approaches such as lab work, field trips, and guest lecturers from industry professionals.
The Centre for Malting and Brewing Science
Kasteelpark Arenberg 22
3001
Heverlee (Leuven)
Belgium
The objective of this course is to provide a theory basis, update your knowledge of malting and brewing technology, provide you with up to date information about the state of the important processing steps, and improve your skills in designing and trouble-shooting malting and brewing processes.
Civilization of Beer
99 North Road
Tivoli, NY 12583
Phone: 917-952-6211
Specializing in live, on site workshops, one on one tutoring and mentoring, industry veteran and Certified Cicerone ® Samuel Merritt has been helping people sell beer with confidence and preserve the brewer’s intent since 2006 with his beer education consulting company, Civilization of Beer. The goal of Civ. of Beer is closing the gap between wine studies and beer studies in the professional culinary community and returning beer to its proper place at the American Table. Samuel has prepared over 1500 people to successfully complete the Certified Beer Server® and Certified Cicerone® exams. “An educated beer seller is a better beer seller.”
Colorado State University: Beverage Business Institute
1201 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523
Phone: 970.491.6265
This institute offers workshops, certificates, and specialized MBAs in Brewing Operations Management or Wholesale Distribution Management through a ‘hybrid program’ offering a combination of live classes and online “distance” courses.
Colorado State University: Zymurgy Institute
Colorado State University-Pueblo Continuing Education
Attn: Holly Nordholm
730 Citadel Dr. East, Suite 300
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Phone: 719.442.2264
CSUs Continuing Education Program, in partnership with Bristol Brewing Co., gives students the chance to learn about the art and business of beer through a series of lectures over a 5-month period. Presentations include Biotechnology of Beer, Medical Physiology of Beer and Beer Economics.
CSU also offers an advanced course that allows attendees to gain refreshing hands-on experience in advanced brewing techniques. Brew with some of the area’s most successful production craft brewers on the Brew-Magic brewing system. The course is held every other Saturday in the Colorado State University-Pueblo Chemistry Building. Tuition is $299 for each 2-month, 3-batch and 5-lab series.
Doemens Academy
PO Box 1325 / Stefanusstrasse 8
Grafelfing / Munich
D 82166 Germany
Phone: +49 89.858.050
Doemans offers classes at the Academy for Brewing and Beverage Technology, which includes a school for brewmasters. They also have pilot facilities including a brewery, malt house, and packaging facility for student to learn on and practice their skills.
The Institute of Brewing & Distilling
London, U.K.
W1J 7EE
Phone: +44 (0) 20.7499.8144
Fax: +44 (0) 20.7499.1156
Email: exams@ibd.org.uk
The IBD is the global leader in the provision of professional certification through its internationally recognized examinations. Qualifications are offered in a tiered structure from the introductory Fundamentals of Brewing and Packaging Beer up to Master Brewer. Examination centers are offered across the USA and Canada. Successful candidates receive IBD Certification.
International Center for Brewing and Distilling
Heriot-Watt University
Edinburgh EH14 4AS, Scotland, U.K.
Phone: 44(0) 131.451.318
This is a unique research and learning facility that is the only place in the UK where you can receive your Honors and Masters in Brewing and Distilling.
Olds College
Mike Starkes
Enrolment Advisor
Phone:1(403)-556-8281
Toll Free: 1 (800)-661-6537 ext 8281
Fax: 1(403)-556-4711
mstarkes@oldscollege.ca
Brewmaster & Brewery Operations Management Diploma
Do you want to develop the skills which will allow you to work in the brewing and microbrewery industry?
In September 2013, Olds College will launch the first brewing training program in Western Canada. Offered in collaboration with Niagara College, the Olds College Brewmaster program will equip graduates for a variety of careers within the brewing industry. The program will provide a mix of theory and hands-on practice, a long-standing strength with Olds College programs. The brewing facility will include a teaching brewery with state-of-the-art equipment and will be attached to a new hotel located on our campus. This will also serve as a retail outlet for students and our own brews will be served in the hotel restaurant and lounge.
Application for the Fall 2013 program is now closed.
Application for the Fall 2014 program opens on October 1, 2013.
Oregon State University
4943 Valley Library
Corvallis, OR 97331-2132
Phone: (541) 737-4197
Email: learn@oregonstate.edu
Continuing Education for Brewing Professionals: Brewing Science courses
With one of the top fermentation science research programs in the world, Oregon State University is proud to offer a new series of world-class beer brewing science courses for professional and hobbyist brewers. These high-quality, accelerated courses, taught by Oregon State’s world-renowned fermentation science professor, Tom Shellhammer, build your practical brewing knowledge through lessons in sensory testing, microbiology and beer analysis.
We offer our courses throughout Oregon: Portland, the craft brewing capital of the world; Bend, home of the most breweries per capita in the state; and Corvallis, a true college town at the heart of the verdant Willamette Valley.
While learning how to master the brewing process through our onsite and online/onsite courses, you’ll explore the craft brewing culture of Oregon. We’ll show you how local breweries incorporate innovative, sustainable practices, and teach them how Oregon State’s long-running research in beer’s raw ingredients—including the Cascade hop, a type developed by the university’s researchers that’s become the most often-used hop variety by craft brewers—continues to influence the brewing industry today. You’ll learn why Oregon is the home to so many beer enthusiasts.
Portland State University
Portland State University
School of Business
Market Square Building, Suite 1050
Portland, OR 97201
Phone: (503) 725-4183
Email:kpeders@pdx.edu
In this comprehensive online program you will learn from local brewers and distillers, PSU School of Business faculty, and finance and accounting experts who specialize in the craft beverage business. The non-credit curriculum provides a thorough overview of the processes that go into making and selling craft beverages, including basic business principles, how to develop your brand, marketing and distribution strategies, and all of the financing, legal, and accounting issues faced by craft beverage businesses everyday. By the end of the program you will have an investor-ready business plan for your own craft beverage business.
The four certificate courses are: Basic Business for Craft Beverages, Craft Beverage Business Management, Strategic Craft Beverage Marketing, and Finance and Accounting for the Craft Brewery. See the 2013-14 Course Schedule for more information and to register.
In addition to the four online courses, we are offering an optional Craft Beverage Immersion Weekend in Portland, Oregon (aka Beervana, Beer City USA, Beertopia, you get the point).
Local breweries/distilleries/suppliers participating in this program include Rogue, Widmer, Migration Brewing, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Captured by Porches, Bull Run Distilling, Great Western Malting, JV Northwest, and many others!
The Business of Craft Brewing program is designed for anyone with an interest in the business side of craft beverages, from grower to glass. Our focus is primarily on craft brewing, but we include business models for distilleries and alcoholic cider facilities as well.
SDSU College of Extended Studies
Giana Rodriguez
5250 Campanile Dr.
San Diego, Ca 92182-1920
619-594-5821
This new certificate program will prepare adults for the craft beer industry and its career pathways. Enjoy an educational experience while exploring the past and present history of craft brewing, beer tasting, and what the future holds.
What to Expect
- Learn from instructors who are professionals in the industry
- Classes held onsite at local breweries and at SDSU
- Interactive, hands-on learning
- Opportunity to network with local industry experts
Brewery Business Statistics
Craft beer is the fastest growing segment of alcoholic beverages in the U.S. Today craft beer culture in San Diego is thriving and more robust than ever thanks to dozens of dedicated, passionate craft brewers.
San Diego will be adding local jobs as the craft beer industry grows, based on data from the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, and an SDSU survey.
Career Opportunities
Brewing, packaging, engineering, maintenance, information technology, supply chain logistics, management, finance, sales, marketing.
For additional information email Melissa Abeyta at mabeyta@mail.sdsu.edu or call (619) 594-1138.
Siebel Institute
1777 North Clybourn Avenue
Chicago, Illinois, 60614-5520
Phone: 312-255-0705
The Siebel Institute is located in Chicago, IL, and offers a myriad of courses ranging from a few days to a few weeks. Their large programs are the International Diploma in Brewing Technology (IDBT) – a 12-week program that includes time at their Chicago campus and the Doemens Academy in Germany and the Master Brewer Program, which adds 8 weeks of Advance Brewing Techniques to the IDBT program. Siebel has the distinction of being an entirely brewing focused school. The faculty is excellent and includes many extremely knowledgeable industry professionals.
UC Davis Extension
1333 Research Park Drive
Davis, CA 95618
Phone: (800) 752-0881
The UC Davis Extension is located in Davis, CA, and offers a few short and mid-length courses. Their main course is the Master Brewing Program. This is an 8 or 18 week intensive brewing science, engineering and sensory course taught by some of the most respected brewing scientists in the world. In addition to an un-rivaled staff, this is the only program that prepares you for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling diploma in brewing science exam, an internationally recognized brewing distinction. The course also offers opportunities for 2-week internships in students’ brewery of choice.
9600 N. Torrey Pines Rd.
La Jolla, CA 92037
Phone: (858)-534-6648
Brewers bring expertise from a diverse array of fields including engineering, chemistry, microbiology, physics and business, and must be able to apply that knowledge on a daily basis. The UC San Diego Extension Brewing program curriculum provides students with the technical skill and knowledge to select raw materials, operate the brewhouse for wort production, manage yeast and fermentation processes, and finish and package the product, all to the highest industry standards. The business curriculum provides graduates with the skills and knowledge necessary to administer all financial and other operations of a brewery.
Taught by leading professional brewers and other industry experts, the UC San Diego Extension Brewing program is unique because it’s a part-time, evening/weekend program that offers an authentic career path for entry-level brewing professionals at a reasonable cost and rate of completion.
The program can be completed in 18-24 months, depending on the number of courses a student chooses to take each quarter.
Know of a beer school that is not on this list? Please email: cbp_asst@brewersassociation.org