Beer Brewer Professional Certificate

Overview

The University of Richmond School of Professional & Continuing Studies, in collaboration with community partners in Central Virginia and the Tidewater region, offers the state’s premier professional beer brewing training for those interested in entering and advancing in the craft beer industry.

Our Beer Brewer Professional Certificate program guides students through the entire craft brewing business, from procuring high quality ingredients and raw materials through the proper handling, processing, packaging and distribution of the final product.

The program highlights local, sustainable practices by partnering with regional suppliers, breweries and distributors. Students who complete the certificate program will be well prepared to enter the craft brewing industry in a variety of roles.

Expansion

We launched the Beer Brewer Professional Certificate in Central Virginia centered on Richmond, where it continues to thrive. The certificate program’s success among brewing partners, students and graduates in Richmond attracted the attention of brewing professionals across the state.

As a result, we’ve partnered with local breweries, organizations and higher education institutions to launch the program in Tidewater. We seek to continue providing the best brewing education programs in Virginia, and to provide a model for advancement and ongoing innovation in the brewing industry.

Regional Cohorts

Although our curriculum is common across our regional cohorts, individual programs partner with local organizations, institutions and breweries to provide each regional cohort its unique experience. If you live or work in an area overlapped by our regions, feel free to apply to the program most convenient to you. You’ll receive the same education and resources, with local flavor, regardless of your cohort.

Curriculum Updates

In response to feedback from students and graduates of the program, we’re rolling out curriculum improvements starting in 2023. These include the following:

Reducing time to completion from 9 to 6 months and required class time from 90 to 75 hours.
Reinforcing intentionally reflective learning opportunities using program notebooks.
Replacing the internship requirement with 4 small-group, intensive field experiences.
Increasing hands-on experiences, eliminating repetitive coursework and incorporating meaningful hybrid learning opportunities.

These updates, which go into effect for new Richmond cohorts starting in April 2023 and for new Tidewater cohorts starting in October 2023, respond to feedback and provide a continuous improvement approach for ongoing program development and expansion.

Local Brewing Partners

We’re proud to work with local brewing partners. Our partners help us develop a strong, relevant course of study that meets their needs for skilled labor. Our partners also offer their facilities for hands-on brewing experiences. We are grateful to our partners for the role they play in providing a successful professional learning experience for our students.

Interested in learning about partnership opportunities? Contact Brewing Education Program Specialist Dan Jablow.

Collaborative Brews

Our staff, students and program graduates collaborate with local breweries to brew one-of-a-kind brews. To date, we’ve collaborated with breweries in Richmond, Roanoke and NoVA to brew the following collaborative brews.

Bee Student Honey Bourbon-Barrel Milt Stout label — In 2018, we collaborated with Three Notch’d RVA to brew the program’s first beer. **Bee Student** is a honey bourbon-barrel Imperial milk stout, 10.5% ABV.

Pumpkin Spiced Latte label - pumpkin spiced amber ale conditioned with cold brewed coffee — Later in 2018, we collaborated with Three Notch’d RVA to brew **Pumpkin Spiced Latte**, a pumpkin spiced amber ale conditioned with locally cold-brewed Rostov’s Mocha Java coffee, 7.5% ABV.

"Cherries are For Lovers" Virginia cherry gose label — In 2019, we collaborated with Three Notch’d RVA to brew a beer to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Virginia Is For Lovers tourism campaign. **Cherries Are For Lovers** is a Virginia cherry gose, 4.3% ABV.

Summer School label, New England IPA — Also in 2019, we collaborated with Three Notch’d RVA to brew **Summer School**, a New England IPA, 7.2% ABV.

"Apple Brandy Hot Toddy" label - Amber ale with honey and lemon aged in apple brandy barrels — In 2020, we collaborated with Three Notch’d RVA to brew **Apple Brandy Hot Toddy**, an amber ale with honey and lemon aged in apple brandy barrels, 8% ABV.

Peach on the Barbie label - peach kolsch — In 2022, we collaborated with A Few Old Goats Brewing to brew our first collaborative beer in the Roanoke area. **Peach on the Barbie** is a peach kolsch.

Operation Cohort NOVA label - hibiscus mango blond ale with Zamba hops — Also in 2022, we collaborated with Tucked Away Brewing Company to brew our first collaborative beer in Northern Virginia. **Operation Cohort NOVA** is a hibiscus mango blonde ale with Zamba hops, 4.7% ABV.

Otter Lost Colony beer label — In 2023, we collaborated with Twin Creeks Brewing Company to brew our second collaborative beer in Roanoke. The Otter Lost Colony is an English Mild with Marris Otter Malt that plays on confusion between the city and lost colony of Roanoke.

Additional Community Partnerships

The Beer Brewer Professional Certificate program started in Richmond and is offered through the School of Professional & Continuing Studies at the University of Richmond. We’ve entered into partnerships with breweries, communities and colleges around the state to offer the program outside Central Virginia.

In Central Virginia (RVA), we offer the program in partnership with local breweries.
In Coastal Virginia (Tidewater), we offer the program in partnership with ODU’s School of Continuing Education and the Coastal Virginia Brewery Alliance.

We’re proud to partner with these local organizations and breweries.

Education Provider, Virginia Registered Apprenticeships

The curriculum for the Beer Brewer Professional Certificate is approved for Related Technical Instruction (RTI) in a Virginia Registered Apprenticeship (RA). Ours is the first program in the U.S. approved as a provider of RTI in support of the craft beer brewing industry. Contact a Virginia Department of Labor & Industry (DOLI) local RA Consultant for details.

Member, Brewing Education Roundtable

The UR Brewer Education program is a member of the Brewers Association Brewing Education Roundtable, which held a summit in May 2019. The Roundtable Summit gathered the top names in brewing education to discuss the future of brewing education and possible collaborative efforts. Ours was the only professional noncredit brewing education program invited to participate.

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