LANGLEY, BC – Kwantlen Polytechnic University, an undergraduate university with four campuses in the Metro Vancouver region, has announced that it will be launching a two-year diploma program in Brewing & Brewery Operations this September.
The first program of its kind in British Columbia – and only the third in Canada following similar programs at Niagara College (Ontario) in 2010 and Olds College (Alberta) in 2013 – the KPU program is described as follows:
Starting in September, 35 students will begin learning to brew from scratch at KPU Langley’s specially designed brew laboratory. The program’s interdisciplinary course load will also train students in the psychology of sensory evaluation, finishing and packaging, business ethics and communication strategies. Students will get additional practical experience at local breweries during a summer work experience placement, and learn from experts with the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild and the Master Brewers Association of Canada in guest lectures. Options to bridge the diploma in brewing into a degree in business, science or trades and technology are also on the table.
More details on the program can be found on the KPU Brewing program website, and the companion Facebook page and Twitter feed.
I think it’s a GREAT idea to have such courses. There are far too many small brewery start-ups here on the east coast by people with no credentials, little knowledge and even less experience – and it shows up via defects, infections and inconsistency. I’m sorry, but brewing in a plastic pail in your basement doesn’t qualify as a brew master.