Central offers first four-year beer brewing degree in Washington state

Starting this fall, a new major will be offered at Central: craft brewing. The four-year program was approved by the Board of Trustees last week and is now accepting applications.

Biology professor Steve Wagner, who will be taking the reins as program director, has plenty of experience as an educator within the field of brewing.

Wagner helped create the craft beer certification program that has been offered at Central since fall 2010. The one-year program consists of four classes that teach students the basic skills necessary for a job in the brewing industry.

As the certification program grew, Wagner saw an opportunity to provide students who were serious about brewing a more diversified skill set.

“There are some students who want to start their own brewery, so they want to take more classes in business to round out their education,” Wagner said.

The program will be tailored to fit the unique education profile required in an industry like craft brewing. Since craft breweries are independently owned and operated, skills such as marketing and management are invaluable to students hoping to open their own businesses.

Science plays an integral role in the production of craft beer, so courses in this interdisciplinary program will focus primarily on chemistry and biology. Students also can expect to take classes in fields related to the brewing industry such as business, health and safety and industrial engineering and technology.

With the program’s approval, Central became the only school in the state to offer a brewing degree to its students. One of the only other nearby universities in the nation with a similar program is Oregon State University.

Wagner says it’s no coincidence that these are two of the first schools to offer brewing degrees.

“The Northwest has always been leading the charge in the world of craft brewing,” Wagner said.

Part of the reason for this can be traced to the region’s geography.

“Hops only grow at certain latitudes and Yakima happens to be the perfect place for growing them,” Wagner said.

Even though the legal drinking age is 21, students of all ages will be able to join the program. Wagner said that traditional freshmen can apply for the major, take all of their basic and breadth classes while completing the first chemistry series and turn 21 in time to begin taking the classes that utilize taste analysis.

“Analyzing beer by it’s taste is better than any chemical analysis,” Wagner said.

As more schools start offering brewing programs, a formal education could become necessary for brewers to stay competitive. While Wagner believes that the days of home brewers making a living off of their own creations might be limited, the demand for brewers in expanding craft beer markets will only increase as time goes on.

“Brewing is a growing field,” Wagner said. “There are a lot of jobs available.”