Now on tap: microbrewing certificate

BY KELSEE DODSON-CARTER | Staff Reporter

In Washington State there are 100 craft breweries, ranking it third nationally, just behind Colorado and California. The craft brewing industry is growing at a steady rate, not only here in Washington, but also nationally. More and more, this is an industry that needs formally educated people to employ with the knowledge of brewing, selling and distribution processes.

To help give students these tools, Central Washington University is offering the first ever Craft Brewing Certificate program this spring quarter.

“Its not drinking 101, it’s the business of craft brewing,” said Dwayne Douglas, professor of recreational management and tourism. “This is a program that will educate students all about the brewing industry - from the science aspect to the business aspect.”

The program organizers, Jim Johnson, Steve Wagner, Dwayne Douglas, Roger Beardsley, Robert Lupton, Doug Lonowski and Kevin Nemeth, hope the certificate program will gain interest and follow the path of Central’s highly successful World Wine Program.

“This is one of the programs that will do very well - a feather in the cap for the campus. It fills a very important need,” said Robert Lupton, department of information technology and administrative management professor.

The ten-week, 16 credit program covers every aspect of the brewing industry. There are four courses being offered that are required to complete the certificate.

The Brewing Microbiology course will cover the basic chemistry of brewing, along with yeast biology and sanitation concerns. Brewing Process Technology will touch on the pumping, packaging, and heating and cooling processes. Principles and Biochemistry of Brewing will focus on barley and malt structures, hop chemistry and evaluation of differing beer styles. Lastly, the Principles of Merchandising Management for Microbrewing course will give students insights into the selling, distributing and operations management processes.

Organizers are hoping that students will come away from the program with a well-balanced knowledge of the microbrew industry and will be able to perform a wide variety of jobs within it.

“You can’t sell the product without talking the talk,” said Doug Lonowski, associate director for continuing education.

Organizers developed the curriculum with the help of Greg Parker, owner and brewer of Iron Horse Brewery. They also sent the outline of the program to multiple breweries in the Northwest for feedback.

In the United States, there are few educational opportunities available for students who want to learn about the trade. University of California - Davis, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Oregon State University are the only other colleges that offer a similar program.

“There are not a lot of places you can formally learn how to brew beer,” Lonowski said.

This program hopes to educate students in a variety of different ways. In addition to lectures and labs, field trips and guest speakers will be utilized to provide a holistic experience.

“Hands on with the people in the industry. [You will hear] a lot of rags to riches stories,” Douglas said.

The idea for the program was generated last fall, and on Feb. 11 it was officially approved by the Faculty Senate.

“It was easy to do, there was passion involved at all levels,” Lupton said.
Organizers say that within a week of being approved flyers were out. Word of mouth also helped generate a lot of interest. The first information meeting had 55 students in attendance.

Despite interest in the program, organizers say they’ve only received a few applications. Each class is required to have eight students enrolled or the program won’t get off the ground.

“[This program] fills a need that the region has,” said Jim Johnson, associate biology professor.


For more information on the microbrewing certificate contact:
Steve Wagner - WagnerS@cwu.edu
Jim Johnson- jjohnson@cwu.edu
Doug Lonowski - lonowskd@cwu.edu