BREW 150 - Brewhouse Processes

Credit(s): 4

Prerequisite(s): A grade of ‘C’ or better in BREW 101; admission to the Brewing Science and Brewery Operations program, and instructor’s consent.
This course provides an overview of brewhouse operations as they apply to wort production. This includes the principles and practices of milling, mashing, wort separation, kettle boil, hop separation, and wort cooling. With each process, a quantitative and qualitative approach to methods of analysis will be discussed and practiced. Students will become familiar with the calculations and chemical reactions associated with the individual steps of wort production. (Spring Semester)

Course Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the course, students will be able to

Describe the role of major brewhouse processes as they pertain to wort production, and relevant technologies for: milling, mashing, lautering, kettle boiling, hop additions, and wort separtion.
Understand conversion factors as they pertain to dimensional analysis of weights, volumes and efficiencies in the brewhouse.
Understand source water treatment options for brewing liquor, applying principles of hardness, alkalinity, and pH.
Apply the concept of brewhouse efficiency to grist bill calculation; understand the causes of deviations from theoretical efficiencies.
Consider influences of the malting and mashing processes on the quantity and quality of extract products.
Evaluate extract as a ratio of its components pertaining to fermentable and non-fermentable fractions and how this will influence percent apparent attenuation values.
Apply hop utilization charts and alpha acid composition to IBU calculations.
Identify potential causes of deviations from calculated/target values in the brewhouse, and communicate mathematical approaches to design feedback-driven models.
Understand and apply quantitative concepts and reasoning using numerical data.
Apply theoretical concepts to safely and consistently produce wort of acceptable standards.