Online Master Brewers Certificate Program

Beer, at its most basic, is only a handful of ingredients: water, barley, hops and yeast. With these simple elements and a bit of instruction, anyone can brew beer. But when someone has been trained in the art and science behind brewing, that’s when something truly special can be created.

In this course, you’ll explore some of these raw materials, their properties and how they affect one of the first phases of brewing beer: wort production. Through online lecture and group discussion, you’ll explore a variety of topics, including the composition of malts and how to analyze them; the role that adjuncts play; the science of sweet wort and how to optimize its production; hop handling, processing and analysis; and the nature, properties and relevance of the principle chemical species important in brewing (notably polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and polyphenols). By the end of this course, you will possess a fundamental understanding of the chemistry and composition behind beer’s most basic ingredients, and the ability to control those materials in order to achieve desired results during wort production.

Learning Outcomes

• Analyze the essential compositional features of barley and other grains, water, hops and yeast as they pertain to brewing process performance and product quality
• Understand and control the chemistry, biochemistry and physics underpinning the processing treatments that are used to render barley, water, hops and yeast in a state suitable for brewing
• Detect key microbial threats to brewing and beer and address them
• Apply the basic principles of plant cleaning and sanitation
• Differentiate between Quality Control and Quality Assurance and describe the major analytical procedures that are employed from barley to beer
• Understand and control the chemistry, biochemistry and physics of beer quality attributes, including foam, color, haze and physical stability
• Test grain to be suitable for malting and brewing

Skills You Will Gain

• Raw brewing material analysis, selection and handling
• Wort production

Required Textbooks

• Scientific Principles of Malting and Brewing
• Standards of Brewing
• Technology: Brewing and Malting
• Brewing Yeast and Fermentation
• Brewing Materials and Processes: A Practical Approach to Brewing Excellence
• Practical Handbook for the Specialty Brewer: Raw Materials and Brewhouse Operations (Vol. 1)

Fermentation, or the process by which yeast converts sugars into ethyl alcohol, is a quintessential step in beer brewing. Understanding the chemistry behind this process and learning the practical skills to control it is a requirement for any advanced or professional brewer.

In this course, you will study the chemical and microbial sides of beer production from both a theoretical and practical perspective. Through online lecture and hands-on group exercises, you will gain an understanding of the biological principles behind the fermentation and maturation of beer. Topics covered will include yeast morphology, physiology and metabolism; methods in yeast harvesting, handling, and pitching; as well as techniques for detection and prevention of microbial beer spoilage. By the end of this course, you will possess the skills and knowledge necessary for establishing better process and production control in a commercial brewery.

Learning Outcomes

• Explain the process of yeast enumeration and quality control
• Describe the microbiology of spoilage organisms
• Compare and contrast the physiology and metabolism of different brewing yeasts
• Deliver consistent hop aroma through the introduction of hops in post-fermentation
• Produce beer with desired clarity, stabilization and carbonation
• Measure and control the color of your beer
• Identify and control the chemical species that impact the flavor of beer over time
• Achieve a stable foam on your beer while avoiding over-foaming (gushing)

Skills You Will Gain

• Yeast harvesting, storage and pitching
• Fermentation
• Beer production

Required Textbooks

• Scientific Principles of Malting and Brewing
• Brewing Yeast and Fermentation
• Technology: Brewing and Malting
• Brewing Materials and Processes: A Practical Approach to Brewing Excellence
• Practical Handbook for the Specialty Brewer: Raw Materials and Brewhouse Operations (Vol. 2)

Sanitation and quality control are not the most glamorous aspects of beer brewing, but they’re arguably the most important. Without rigorous cleaning standards and a rigid adherence to proven quality control processes, even the best beers and breweries will fail.

In this course, you will learn both practical and theoretical concepts in sanitation and quality control/quality assurance (QA/QC) methods necessary for production of the highest quality beer. Through lecture and a review of case studies, you will explore a variety of topics, including cleaning and sanitizing of brewery equipment, such as brewhouse vessels, hoses and fermentation vessels; the basics of quality analysis, laboratory design and common beer quality testing procedures; and the science and technology of quality assurance from nano-scale breweries to multinational corporate production facilities. At the end of this course, you will have a practical understanding of how beer is moved throughout the brewery, the points at which impurities can be introduced and an understanding of how to prepare for and avoid contamination of your beer. You’ll also be able to build your own QA/QC plan, including sampling and testing schedules, establishing thresholds, and developing standard procedures in the event of process failures.

Learning Outcomes

• Evaluate and apply the science and technology of cleaning and sanitizing agents
• Evaluate and apply the science and technology of beer quality testing
• Conduct and interpret beer quality tests
• Develop and employ a QA/QC plan
• Apply best practices in cleaning and preparation of brewing equipment
• Apply best practices in beer dosing and dry hopping
• Apply best practices in the movement of beer throughout a brewery
• Apply best practices in the filtration and clarification of beer
• Apply best practices in the preparation of beer for packaging and distribution

Skills You Will Gain

• Basic brewery design
• Beer processing
• Cellar operations

Required Textbooks

• Brewing Yeast and Fermentation
• Practical Handbook for the Specialty Brewer: Raw Materials and Brewhouse Operations (Vol. 2)

Running an efficient brewing operation means knowing how to properly use and maintain the equipment that keeps your business productive. In this course, you’ll gain an intuitive understanding of the equipment and engineering principles relevant to a brewery. Through online lecture and equipment demonstrations, you’ll learn the math, science and engineering behind brewing equipment. Topics covered in the course include addressing basic physical and engineering problems, physical dimensionality and common units, and the use of common brewery fluid, thermal- and controls-related equipment and instrumentation. By the end of this course, you will understand the working principles of common brewery equipment, and will have the quantitative skills to apply that knowledge in any brewery.

Learning Outcomes

• Apply a general understanding of physical and engineering concepts applicable to the brewing environmentL
• Understand and apply relevant conservation laws in your brewing operation
• Solve basic brewery-related physical and engineering problems
• Assess factors affecting physical conditions within the brewing process

Skills You Will Gain

• Brewing equipment operation and maintenance
• Brewery engineering

Required Textbooks

• Introduction to Food Engineering
• Technology: Brewing and Malting
• Practical Handbook for the Specialty Brewer: Raw Materials and Brewhouse Operations (Vol. 3)

Ensuring that your beer is just as good when it reaches the customer as when it left your brewery is one of the most essential elements of running a successful brewing operation. In Beer Packaging, you’ll explore every facet of the packaging process, from the bright beer tank, where brewing is completed, to the warehouse where containers of beer are ready for beer drinkers to enjoy.

Through online lectures and group discussions with your fellow classmates, you’ll study a variety of packaging topics, including pasteurization theory and common industry practices; the sequence and process for cleaning, filling and sealing containers; how to create a conceptual line design and layout; packaging types and quality standards; and post-filling handling and movement of finished inventory. The business aspects of packaging operations will also be addressed, as you learn how efficiencies can improve the brewery’s bottom line. By the end of this course, you will have a thorough understanding of the methods and reasoning behind beer packaging operations, as well as the practical skills necessary to step into the daily operations of a brewery packaging line under the supervision of a packaging manager.

Learning Outcomes

• Analyze beer packaging types and the appropriateness of containers for different needs
• Inspect packaging materials for defects
• Understand packaging line layouts, including machines, conveyors, control and access points
• Apply industry best practices for cleaning, filling and sealing different beer containers
• Test critical beer filling and post-filling quality factors and control processes
• Prepare for the risk factors involved in the movement of finished inventory

Skills You Will Gain

• Packaging line layout and design
• Beer packaging and storage
• Quality control of packaged beer
• Sanitation practices

Required Textbooks

• Beer Packaging

From the sound the beer makes when it’s poured into a glass, to the taste someone perceives when the beer reaches their mouth, the act of drinking a beer is a complete sensory experience. And the degree to which someone enjoys the sensation of drinking your beer is almost entirely—though not completely—up to you, the brewer.

In this course, you’ll learn the basic fundamentals of sensory science as it applies to beer, and how to apply those sensory techniques to inform everyday product and process decisions. Through online lecture and an evaluation of real-world case studies, you will learn about flavor perception and sensory bias, which will inform how you apply various sensory methods and statistical analysis techniques. You’ll gain an understanding of how sensory can be used for raw materials evaluations, test verification, consumer research and quality control. Along with these topics, nuances of panelist feedback and data communication within complex production dynamics will also be discussed. By the end of this course, you will possess a deeper understanding of how to influence and adjust the sensory of your beer through methods you can use in any brewery.

Learning Outcomes

• Apply sensory methods and techniques in regular quality control testing
• Analyze sensory QC data to make business decisions
• Train a sensory panel to evaluate for product quality and consistency
• Set brand targets and evaluate for inconsistencies
• Communicate sensory QC data
• Evaluate adjunct flavor
• Execute sensory methods and techniques to make quick in-process decisions
• Apply consumer research techniques and methods of analysis
• Identify common beer aging characteristics
• Leverage sensory data to make every day brewery decisions

Skills You Will Gain

• Sensory analysis
• Quality control
• Consumer research

Required Textbooks

• Brewing Materials and Processes: A Practical Approach to Brewing Excellence
• Building a Sensory Program: A Brewer's Guide to Beer Evaluation

The practice of producing, packaging, distributing, marketing and selling beer has been a viable venture for hundreds of years. And while techniques, equipment and business models have improved over time, the fundamental processes by which beer is made remains the same. But what does it mean to operate a brewery in the 21st century? In light of the modern consumer’s preferences toward quality, safety and a sustainable approach to doing business, how does today’s brewer meet these expectations while also running a successful brewing operation?

In this course, we will explore these vital questions through a real-world lens, diving into both theory and practical approaches for achieving quality, brewery safety and sustainable business practices. Through online lecture and interactive group discussions, you will gain an in-depth understanding on a variety of topics, including how to setup a quality assurance program for any size brewery; how a brewing operation is audited and assessed for value and efficacy; how to establish a safety program and a workplace culture that prioritizes safe practices; and the environmental, climate and socio-economic factors that affect every brewing enterprise, including measures that can be taken to not only mitigate, but improve those conditions for the community your business serves. By the end of this course, you will possess a firm understanding of the safety and sustainability challenges every brewery faces, and will be armed with practical approaches that will help your brewing operation not only address these issues, but actually thrive.

Learning Outcomes

• Create and implement quality assurance programs for breweries of any size
• Evaluate tests and screening systems for raw materials, processes and products
• Apply safety regulations and compliance requirements
• Develop a workplace safety program and promote a safety-first workplace culture
• Evaluate and employ sustainable approaches to typical brewery activities and functions, including sourcing ingredients, out-bound shipments, effluents, emissions and more

Skills You Will Gain

• Brewery QA/QC implementation
• Workplace safety protocols and implementation
• Sustainable brewing practices

Required Textbooks

• Quality Systems: Practical Guides for Beer Quality
• Brewing Materials and Processes: A Practical Approach to Brewing Excellence
• Brewing Yeast and Fermentation
• Scientific Principles of Malting and Brewing
• Standards of Brewing