Brewing & Distillation Program
Englishman Charlie Bamforth, author of “Grape vs. Grain” and Chairman of University of California Davis Department of Food Science and Technology is also the Anheuser-Busch Professor of Malting and Brewing Science and leads an 18-week “Master Brewer Program” (MBP); the program is a university-approved qualification in both brewing and distillation. Students graduate with an in-depth knowledge of brewing science and engineering that includes technical and biochemical aspects of brewing, raw materials, malting, fermentation and finishing. Graduates are ready for the industry’s Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD) exam and are prepared for, and are typically offered, high level employment in the brewing industry.
Enrollees in the program range from chemical engineers to oenologists or “makers of wine” and Bamford’s background as a postdoctoral biochemist and hands-on industry experience allow him to relate to all his students. His first brewing related position was working for the Brewing Research Foundation, an organization funded by the British beer industry. Next he was hired by Bass Brewing Company to head up its research division. After decades in the industry Bamford was offered the job at UC Davis after the position was endowed by Anheuser-Busch; he immediately set about modernizing the rudimentary 1950’s style technology he found when he arrived.
A Highly Trained Elite
Justin Burnsed, a graduate of MBP, provides an insider’s look at the program and the brewing industry through a blog he writes for “Brew Your Own” (www.byo.com) magazine. One of the industry’s main career opportunity sites can be found that www.brewingwork.com where candidates find opportunities in the brewing industry.
The following video shows Professor Bamforth in the programs facility explaining the equipment and processes that are taught to students and that go into making a good product. It’s well worth the time to watch!
Banforth’s US Davis Facebook site can be found here.
