DCTC offering new 16-credit Brewing Science & Production certificate starting fall semester 2024
The Brewing Science & Production program at Dakota County Technical College is offering a new Brewing Science & Production certificate starting fall semester 2024. The online asynchronous 16-credit certificate was featured in the WCCO News Talk Newsletter in mid-August.
Check out the full story by Mark Freie:
Dakota County Technical College taps into craft beer industry with Brewing Science and Production program
The beer is brewing at Dakota County Technical College.
By Mark Freie
August 16, 2024 • 6 a.m.From home brewers, to those hoping to one day own and operate their own brewery, DCTC’s Brewing Science and Production certificate program continues to generate all kinds of interest.
“There are typically three types of students who really feel drawn to this program,” said Andrew Burns, the instructor and department head for DCTC’s Brewing Science and Production program. “There’s the type of student who just wants to go and work in the industry and a passion for beer, likes going to breweries, and sees themselves working in a brewery one day. They view it as a career path, which it is, and don’t know how to get started.”
The second group of students, according to Burns, is full of students wanting to own or run a brewery in the future.
“Maybe as a retirement plan, maybe as a career change, or maybe it’s just fulfilling a dream. These students often have a day job and then they’re attending these classes in addition to that,” Burns said.
And then, there are home brewers who have taken interest in the program.
“They just love beer and brewing. They’re probably a home brewer and want to make better beer. They want to learn more about beer and beer brewing. Yeah, maybe they’ll work in a brewery, but in the short term they just want to learn more.”
WCCO News Talk story continued below…
Brewing Science & Production
16-credit Certificate Program
Online asynchronousAll classes are taught online except for BREW 2960 and BREW 2970.
REQUIRED COURSES
First Year: Fall Semester
BREW 1000: Introduction to Brewing and Beer Steward: 2 credits
BREW 1101: Science of Brewing and Fermentation: 2 credits
BREW 2960: Fall Brewing Internship: 2 credits
Total semester credits: 6First Year: Spring Semester
BREW 1201: Raw Materials and Brewing Process: 3 credits
BREW 1350: Beer Production, Packaging, and Quality Control: 3 credits
BREW 2970: Internship: 4 creditsTotal semester credits: 10
Total Credits: 16
WCCO News Talk story continued from above…
Robby Cecil completed the program in May 2023, but has been home brewing for 14 years.
“I think it’s a classic story,” Cecil said. “I had a former partner get me a home brewing kit and that sat in my parents’ basement in Bloomington for three or four years.”
His beer making adventure finally began inside one of his friend’s kitchens.
“It’s sort of snowballed from there,” added Cecil. “I went from just boiling pre-made ingredients on the stove to doing all-grain in the garage on kettles and stuff that were converted from kegs. It was just all of the real stereotypical home brewing standing in the garage kind of stuff.”
After about 13 years as a graphic designer and web developer, Cecil went through a career change which inspired him to enroll in DCTC’s year-long brewing production certificate program.
“I just thought that if I wanted to be doing the hobby professionally, I should probably get some qualifications and credentials to do that to the best of my ability.”
The year-long Brewing Science and Production Program begins in the fall semester and consists of two components. The program includes the Brewing Science and Production which is offered online.
There’s also the Applied Brewing Science and Production portion, which meets on Saturdays and gives students the chance to actually make beer on-campus.
“We have brewing equipment on campus, so we’ve essentially replicated the commercial brewing process from start to finish at a small scale in what we call the ‘Brewing Lab,'” Burns said. “In-person students actually spend time every week in the lab. If they’re not making beer that day, they are doing some tasks related to beer that’s in progress or has been made or is about to be made.”
The knowledge learned inside the brewing lab is applied by students through a required internship component of the program.
Cecil worked as a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ worker at the now-closed East Lake Craft Brewery in Minneapolis.
“There I definitely got to get my hands on pretty much anything you can think of,” Cecil said. “I drove the delivery van, I moved large pieces of equipment that I’ve never moved before, I brewed beer, and I served beer. I did everything.”
WCCO News Talk story continued below…
Brewing Science & Production
Program description
Brewing Science & Production at DCTC is an interdisciplinary program that prepares you for brewing beer, handling cellar operations, and performing duties in other professional positions in the commercial brewery or brewpub industry.
The program gives you the knowledge you need to become a beer steward. You will receive an overview of all aspects of brewing while acquiring the technical skills and knowledge required in the following areas:
- Selecting raw materials
- Production
- Process management
- Beer care
- Beer service
- Beer styles using food pairings
- Operations management
- Marketing and distribution
- Financial management for breweries
Overall, the program will provide you with a solid understanding of brewing science, engineering, management, and service.
Awards
Applied Brewing Science & Production certificate: 21 credits
Delivery: Daytime Saturdays on DCTC campus
Start: Fall semesterBrewing Science & Production certificate: 16 credits
Delivery: Online
Start: Fall semesterProgram Datasheet
WCCO News Talk story continued from above…
The real-life brewery experience, according to Burns, is making a difference for students when it comes to getting hired once they finish the brewing program.
“The breweries that are out there are still growing, they’re expanding, and they’re hiring. I just looked the other day and there’s five or six brewing jobs open and unfulfilled right now in the Twin Cities. Essentially every student that wants a job in the industry who’s graduated from the program in the past couple years I think is currently working in the industry.”
And breweries looking to fill job openings are benefitting from the program as well.
“These brands are trusting their core product to the production of a few individuals, so they want to make sure those individuals know what they’re doing,” added Burns. “They’ve got some science background, they’ve got some knowledge of Industry standards, and so students graduating from this program are having a relatively easy time getting those brewing jobs and putting their skills to work.”
One of the biggest hurdles, Cecil said, was getting back into the college mindset.
“I enjoyed the way it was set up. The one day a week full day of classroom and lab/brewery work fit my schedule, I have two little kids five and three or thereabouts, we were able to take care of them and stuff during the week. Then just focusing on the classroom stuff one day really worked out well for me. I went to a four year college for the graphic design stuff so it was just more getting back into the swing of it all. It’s a legitimate college class, so it’s just getting back in the swing of doing your tests and doing all that kind of stuff.”
The beer isn’t too bad, most of the time.
“We’ve essentially replicated the commercial brewing process from start to finish in what we call the brewing lab,” Burns said. “In-person students spend time every week in the lab if not making beer that day, or doing some tasks related to beer that’s in-progress that has been made or is about to be made. They can try on a small-scale where they’re allowed to fail. It’s fine if one beer tastes terrible. The goal is to learn from it so the next one doesn’t.”
Whether the course is online, or in person, Burns sees an opportunity to share his love for the beer industry.
“That’s why we do what we do as brewers. It’s the tangible product that is the reward that makes this job a little different than an office job, or something where the results are less tangible. At the end of the day you can hold a can, or drink a pint of the product and be proud of what you made.”
Audio Segment
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More about the Brewing Science & Production certificate…
Online asynchronous 16-credit certificate program designed for new brewers as well as for working brewers seeking advanced knowledge
Dakota County Technical College is offering a new 16-credit Brewing Science & Production certificate starting in fall semester 2024. Andrew Burns, the instructor for the college’s Brewing Science & Production program, reported that the new certificate is an online asynchronous program.
“The new online certificate is aimed at anyone who wants to work in the brewing industry or is already working at a brewery and wants to improve their knowledge of brewing science and industry best practices,” Andrew said. “The certificate uses the same curriculum as the in-person, 21-credit Applied Brewing Science & Production certificate program and covers every stage of the production process—from hot side to packaging. Students will pair the theoretical knowledge they acquire with internship hours for hands-on learning.”
Andrew added that students will complete the new online certificate program over the course of two semesters, fall and then spring. All classes are taught online except for BREW 2960 and BREW 2970, which are in-person internships.
More about Andrew Burns…
Andrew Burns has nearly a decade of experience in the business of brewing beer, having started in the homebrewing industry. Andrew moved up to commercial brewing at the small scale at Chapel Brewing before advancing to large-scale brewing at Pryes Brewing Company.
Andrew began teaching at DCTC in 2022. He brings a wealth of brewing industry experience, knowledge, and best practices to his students as the college’s brewing science and production instructor.
Learn more about the new online asynchronous Brewing Science & Production certificate at DCTC by contacting:
Andrew Burns
Brewing Science & Production Faculty
Dakota County Technical College
andrew.burns@dctc.edu
651-423-8507
BIO
Admissions
admissions@dctc.edu
Dakota County Technical College
651-423-8266
Room 2-110
