Professional beer brewing course on tap at STCC
Michael Bernier will teach a professional brewing course at STCC that will appeal to beer enthusiasts throughout New England. He's pictured at Iron Duke Brewing in Ludlow.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – To meet the demands of the rapidly growing craft beer industry in New England, Springfield Technical Community College for the first time will offer a professional development training course that will prepare students to work at breweries.
The 108-hour Professional Brewing Certificate Program blends online course work with hands-on lab work at local breweries. The course will run May 20-Aug. 26. Anyone interested can enroll online or in person at STCC, Building 16, Room 146.
Seventy-five percent of the course work is completed online, which means the program offers flexibility for students who might live far from the STCC campus. Students must participate in field work in or around Springfield every fourth Saturday.
“Because most of the program is taught online, we believe this brewing course will appeal not only to local students, but to people who live out of state,” said Dr. Jeremiah Riordon, Interim Vice President of Workforce Training. “Students who might live in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont or New York will only need to commute to the Springfield area about once a month.”
Instructor Michael Bernier, owner of DIY Brewing Supply in Ludlow, said the course will focus on the science and technology of becoming a professional brewer. He said he was unaware of any other programs like it in Massachusetts.
"It will be helpful to anyone who has an interest in beer,” Bernier said. “But this course is not about being better at brewing at home. The focus of the course is the science and technology of becoming a professional brewer."
Because most of the program is taught online, we believe this brewing course will appeal not only to local students, but to people who live out of state.Dr. Jeremiah Riordon, Interim Vice President of Workforce Training
Students who pass the oral and written exams at the end of the course in August will then be matched with a local brewery for a 28-hour externship. People completing the entire course will earn their Professional Brewer Certificate.
"The professional development courses we offer are focused on getting students a job or doing better at their current job," said Paul Sheehan, Director of Workforce Training at STCC. "For this class, with the help of the instructor, we've been in contact with local breweries, and they've told us that they need skilled employees. They told us what they want us to teach. We are confident that this course will help students to gain skills, learn the science and the techniques. At the same time, they will meet people in the brewing industry that are looking for people with skills and certifications."
Sheehan added: “We’d like people to come to STCC for the brewing and other noncredit classes, but keep coming back for the technology, science, business and other important credit classes, too. Career development courses like this will show a student that continuing to learn and take classes is important, attainable and enjoyable.”
Massachusetts has at least 143 brewers, up from about 80 five years ago, according to a March 29 WBUR news report.
Monson-based craft brewery Tree House Brewing Co. has attracted a passionate following of beer lovers who wait in line for hours to purchase cans and growlers.
Tree House co-owner Dean Rohan welcomed the STCC plan to provide a professional development course for brewers.
"To be able to pull from a pool of applicants that have some training and experience with the tasks of brewing could change the game for breweries and beer in the Northeast," Rohan said.
Course topics include the brewing process, quality control, beer styles, ingredients, recipe creation, safety, sanitation, bottling and business success. The class will focus on brewing beer in smaller quantities.
With more than 14 years’ brewing experience, course instructor Bernier has owned a home brew shop for the past 10 years. He has consulted with breweries on lab work, recipe formulation and trouble-shooting equipment and process problems.
Bernier has more than 17 years of chemical and microbiological laboratory experience and has taught beginner and advanced brewing classes.
"The goal is to gain enough craft-brewing knowledge to make the student eligible for employment within a working brewery or to begin independent operations as a craft-brewing entrepreneur," Bernier said.
For more information about STCC’s Workforce Training programs, visit www.stcc.edu/wt. To learn more about the Professional Brewing Certificate program, visit www.stcc.edu/brewcourse.
About Springfield Technical Community College
Founded in 1967 and located on 35 acres of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, STCC is a major resource for the economic vitality of Western Massachusetts. As the only technical community college in Massachusetts, STCC, an Achieving the Dream Leader College, offers a variety of career programs unequalled in the state. STCC’s highly regarded transfer programs in business, engineering, liberal arts, science and technology continue to provide the most economical options for students pursuing a four-year degree. With an annual enrollment of more than 8,500 day, evening, weekend and online students, STCC is a vibrant campus rich in diversity.
For more information about STCC, visit www.stcc.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@S_T_C_C).