VIEN 4310

The Science and Technology of Beer Laboratory

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2024-2025.

An introduction to the practical application of brewing. Students will make several different styles of beer in a laboratory setting to understand how raw materials and processing technologies influence the production of recognizable beer styles. Emphasis will be placed on sanitation, raw material selection, yeast selection, and the manipulation of process variables to control product outcomes. Students will also learn the alternatives in current practice for finishing, carbonation, and packaging.

When Offered Fall.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: VIEN 2204 and VIEN 2205/FDSC 2205.

• Summarize the key steps in the brewing process, and contrast these steps to other fermentations.
• Describe and differentiate beer processing, fermentation, and aging parameters used in different styles of traditional beer production.
• Explain the role of the raw materials (grains, fruits, and other agricultural products, barrels, etc.) and the choices that distillers have in their use and source.
• Explain the role of the major components of beer (water, malt, hops, yeast), and the choices that brewers have in their use and source.
• Explain how different microorganisms can positively or negatively affect the quality of beer.
• Describe ongoing and emerging technological challenges to the brewing industry.

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