San Diego State sticks to business of brewing

Craft beer school at San Diego State

SAN DIEGO — In recent years San Diego has fortified its position atop the list of best craft beer cities. To date, the city features 100 craft breweries and doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

Since the explosion of craft beer in the early 2000s most people wanting to learn how to create their own brew have had to teach themselves.

That is all changing. Launching in January 2014, San Diego State University’s College of Extended Studies began offering students the opportunity to learn about business and beer with their Professional Certificate in the Business of Craft Beer.

Some of the courses in this program focus on:

-Craft beer and food pairing

-Different beer styles

-How to open a brewery

-How to operate the business side of a brewery

-And much more…

Currently, 11 courses are offered with the option to graduate with one of two different certificates. In addition, students can take a test to become a Cicerone - a certificate that confirms the holder has adequate beer knowledge and is able to satisfactorily share that knowledge.

No classes to become a brewer

Despite the partnership SDSU shares with beer industry professionals, it has decided to only focus on the business side of craft beer. Program Director Giana Rodriguez says the certificate program now offers a course that explains how beer is brewed, and even includes a field trip to a local brewery, but the students only observe and never receive hands-on brewery training.

Rodriguez says that her program is very clear on what it offers students, and that if students wants to learn the brewing process they should look to UCSD, which offers a brewing certificate.

SDSU comfortable not having a brewing program

According to Rodriguez, SDSU offers its program though the hospitality branch of the College of Extended Studies. Prior to the beer certificate program, the College of Extended Studies’ hospitality program offered a wine business certificate for 10 years, which became the model for the craft beer business certificate.

Rodriguez said that there has been no talk to create a brewing sciences program at SDSU, and if SDSU looked to expand the current program it would only focus on the business of craft beer, but the program would change from a non-credit program to a program worth college credits.

“We saw what UCSD was doing with their brewing sciences program, and we found a place where we fit in,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez says that there has been overwhelming response by those who are looking to get into the craft beer business. Since inception, 471 people have started the program with 53 finishing the first-level certificate and 8 completing the second-level certificate.

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