Students who complete the craft brewing minor will be provided with an introduction to several key areas of the growing craft brewing industry. In addition, students will gain important skills which will complement their major program of study, including basic knowledge of processes, analytical laboratory skills, and vital hands-on brewing experience.
Admission Requirements
Craft brewing minors are only available to students with declared majors, and they must apply for acceptance into the program. Applications are accepted throughout the academic year. Students are required to consult with an advisor before submitting their application to the program. Students must either be admitted to, or have completed, a science based major. That is a major with a precalculus/calculus requirement. Students from other majors are encouraged to apply to the craft brewing certificate instead. However, students who have independently completed a course in the precalculus/calculus series may be considered on an individual basis. In addition, the following requirements should be met for admission into the minor program:
- Good academic standing the quarter prior to admission
- CWU/Transfer Combined cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.25 or above at the time of application
- Students must agree to sign a written statement regarding professional conduct and responsibility.
For details about the application procedures, contact the craft brewing program director through the program office: CraftBrewing@cwu.edu
Program Requirements
Students must be 18 years of age to apply for the minor. It should be understood that all classroom courses involving tasting will require students to taste and spit (Washington State legislation RCW 66.20.010 (12) a-f). Student must be at least 21 years old before enrolling in the following courses: CRBW 450, Sensory Analysis for Brewing; CRBW 490, Cooperative Education.
Students are highly encouraged to be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology, chemistry, food science and nutrition, or other major that shares the science prerequisites of this minor.
Special Requirements
Students will be expected to spend significant time outside the classroom working on assignments and projects. Some sessions may meet on Saturdays.
Additional Information
The requirement for CHEM 111, 111LAB, 112, 112LAB, and 113, 113LAB, Introduction to Chemistry and Laboratory, may be met by satisfactorily completing CHEM 181, 181LAB, 182, 182LAB, and 183, 183LAB, General Chemistry and Laboratory, and BIOL 182, General Biology II, or BIOL 220, Introductory Cell Biology, or CHEM 361, 361LAB, Organic Chemistry I and Laboratory, and CHEM 431, 431LAB, Biochemistry I and Laboratory.
Program Learner Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Explain the compositional features and biochemistry of the four essential brewing raw materials: malt, hops, water, and yeast and how they are transformed through the brewing process and how they contribute to beer styles.
- Demonstrate the brewing process and use of equipment.
- Demonstrate an understanding of branding and marketing in the brewing industry.
- Explain beer’s quality attributes, such as foam, stability, color, aroma, attenuation and be able to interpret the reasons why a product deviates from expected performance.