Co-ordinator: Associate Professor Graham Eyres
Teaching staff: Associate Professor Graham Eyres, Professor Phil Bremer, Ian Ross, lab demonstrator TBC
Eligibility: Food Science (FOSC) and Consumer Food Science (CFSC)
Prerequisites: Fermented Foods and Beverages module
Module description
This course will build on theoretical material taught in the Fermented Foods and Beverages module on brewing and fermentation science for the production of beer. This module will have an emphasis on the practical application of theoretical knowledge to the production of beer and the factors that influence beer quality.
Students will work in teams (2–4 students) to design a beer recipe and process plan to obtain a set of target characteristics (e.g. alcohol percentage, colour, bitterness, flavour, etc.). Students will brew this recipe and then follow the fermentation through to finished beer, measuring various analytical and quality measures during the process.
Topics
- Beer styles and their origins
- Designing a beer recipe and process plan
- Analytical methods to monitor quality parameters during brewing and fermentation
Format
The Brewing module will be run over an 8 week period during Semester 2. The module will have an emphasis on practical activity, teamwork and self-directed learning. Students will work in groups (2–4 students) to formulate and brew a beer recipe, then monitor various analytical parameters during the process and in the finished product.
The course will consist of 4 hours of lectures and tutorials to support the practical activities. There will be approximately 12 hours of supervised and independent practical activities to learn appropriate methodologies, including a practical brewing session (12L batches) for groups to conduct their own planned brew (~5 hours). Further independent practical work will need to be conducted to monitor the progress of the fermentation and to conduct analytical measurements throughout the process. Experimental work will be organized on a group basis during timeslots to be determined during the course.
Assessment
This module is worth 50% of a 20 credit paper, as follows;
- Proposal assignment – 15%
- Final report/group presentation – 25%
- Individual performance – 10%