How to Become a Certified Brewer, Step-by-step Guide

How to Become a Certified Brewer, Step-by-step Guide

Are you interested in becoming a brewer? If so, this post will guide you on how to achieve the goal.

It shows you the educational and training programs, including the certification exams you need to complete to become a certified brewer.

Please read on:

What is Brewing?

Brewing is the process of making beer by steeping cereal grains such as barley in water, ferment with yeast, and then flavor with hops.

Types of brewers: There are home and commercial brewers. A home-brewer makes beer at home while a commercial brewer produces beer in a brewery. Whichever way it is done, beer is beer and must give the real taste of quality.

The process of becoming a certified brewer entails enrolling in a brewing certification program and meeting their certification criteria.

After you have successfully completed the program, the certifying authority will issue you certification to become a certified brewer.

Educational Requirements and Career Pathway

While some employers prefer to hire candidates with college diploma in brewing or brewing operations management, others prefer hiring only candidates with a university degree in management or business administration.

Another group of employers may not consider any qualification – the qualification is substituted with years of brewing experience.

These particular employers usually get brewers who are experts in the field, but have no opportunity of attending a formal education.

They work with vigor and skill to impress their employers and prove their competence. Most times they succeed in winning the heart of their employers.

Brewer Certification and Training

There are many certification and training programs designed for brewers who want to gain recognition in their career.

Some of the programs can be taken on part-time which you can take at your convenience. Whichever program you decide to take, you will need to pass the final exams before getting certified.

Some of the Brewing Certification and Training programs include:

Auburn University

Auburn University offers a Graduate Certificate in Brewing Science and Operations to interested brewers who want to get prepared for enrolling in the brewing and distilling industries.

Some of the courses you will need to complete include biology, microbiology, brewing science, chemistry, operations, facilities, agronomy, and business planning.

Auburn University has a partnership with Oskar Blues Brewery company and the Alabama Brewing Industry to emphasize the most influential practices in all areas of the brewing industry.

Oskar is an award-winning craft brewery company with high brewing reputation in the United States.

Auburn Alumnus Dale Katechis was founded by Oskar Blues. It provides opportunity for students to attend at least one residency on a weekend over the course of the program in Brevard, North Carolina or Longmont, Colorado.

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to sit for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD) General Certificate/Diploma of Brewing examinations.

IBD is a U.K. based world’s leading organization structured for the education and training needs of brewers and distillers. IBD reviewed Auburn University Certification Program and made provision of a memorandum of understanding where their graduates will be eligible to sit for the IBD General Certificate in Brewing.

UC San Diego Extension Professional Certificate

The UC San Diego Extension Brewing Certificate curriculum equips students with knowledge and skills to make selection of raw materials, produce and manage yeast and fermentation processes.

Students also learn the techniques of finishing and packaging of the product to the highest industry standards. The curriculum for those interested in business equips graduates with the skills and knowledge of financial and managerial operations of a brewery.

The different fields of showing expertise in brewery include chemistry, physics, microbiology, business, and engineering.

The UC San Diego Extension Brewing Certificate programs are offered on part-time in the evenings and weekends, providing academic and practical training for entry-level brewing professionals.

The duration for the program is 18 to 24 months, and there is a choice of selecting as many classes as can suit the candidate’s schedule.

Tuition fee is paid online, and it is paid per course. The application fee is $25. After being accepted into the program, there will be an additional payment of $60 certificate fee.

Students can take courses at their own convenient time, and courses are offered in the evenings and weekends. The program consists of both analytical and practical training in classroom and local breweries throughout San Diego.

Licensing for Brewers

Obtaining a brewing license varies according to the state where the brewer is functioning. When applying for license, brewers might be required to choose a name or form an entity, and/or be asked to provide a brewer’s bond.

Brewer Duties and Responsibilities

Brewers must take note of their various roles in their specific career fields. The roles include different ways of aiding the processes of making and selling beer. They must utilize modern ways of successful brewing and apply various brewing techniques.

The duties and responsibilities of brewers include:

• Set objectives and meet them
• Use different methods of brewing to beat competitors
• Make necessary corrections to problems discovered during testing
• Direct, motivate, lead, and discipline staff
• Use sight, smell, and taste to evaluate quality of beer.

Employment for Brewers

Certified brewers can look for jobs at microbreweries, large brewing corporations, brewpubs, colleges, trade schools, and universities.

They may decide to own their brewery. However, the financial requirement for this venture is very high.

They will need equipment, legal back-up, and meet some other necessary requirements before they can own and run a brewery.

Salary for Brewers

The salary range for brewers can vary according to some factors such as their job field and experience, the company they work for, and quantity of production of beer they oversee. That means that there is no specific salary range for brewers.

According to the 2011 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey, the average salary of Albertans working in the Manufacturing Manager occupational group ranges between $35.20 and $50.64 per hour.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the mean annual salary of workers in the General and Operations Manager occupational group is $114,850.