STANDARD COMPETENCIES:

 

 1. Discuss methods of sweet wort production in the brew house.

 2. Examine the objectives and outcomes of wort boiling.

 3. Describe the process of wort clarification, cooling and oxygenation (aeration).

 4. Explain the basic principles of yeast fermentation and fermentation practice.

 5. Describe beer types; their raw material (malted grains) and sweet wort production.

 6. Discuss the management of yeast used for fermentation.

 7. Explain the process of beer maturation and cold storage for chilled and

 filtered beer.

 8. Explain bright beer preparation for chilled and filtered beer.

 9. Explain how beer quality is influenced by flavor chemicals, dissolved oxygen and microbiological contamination.

 10. Discuss key features of quality management in the brewery.

 11. Describe the process, detergents and sterilizing agents used in Clean-in-Place (CIP) in the brewery.

 12. Relate the importance of engineering maintenance, both preventative and breakdown maintenance and familiarity of key maintenance tasks in a brewery.

 13. Describe sources and composition of water for brewing, composition, proper disposal of brewing effluent and safe use of process gases.

 14. Examine the environmental impact of brewing and potential conservation methods for mitigation of impact

 TOPICAL OUTLINE:

 

 I. Beer types and malting

 A. Definition of beer, types of beer

 B. Barley malt

 C. Selection of malt

 D. Adjuncts and colored malts

 E. Mash conversion and environment

 F. Grist composition, extract performance

 II. Sweet wort production

 A. Brewing process overview

 B. Brew house plant operation: grain handling, milling, mashing, conversion, wort separation

 III. Wort boiling.

 A. Wort boiling- purposes, factors affecting effectiveness

 B. Wort boiling systems

 C. Nature of hop bitterness

 D. Hop calculations

 IV.  Wort clarification, cooling and oxygenation

 A.  Wort clarification, cooling

 B. Wort oxygenation/ aeration

 

 V. The basic principles of yeast fermentation.

 A.  Brewing yeast

 B.  Fermentation theory

 

 VI.   Fermentation practice.

 A. Fermentation vessels

 B. Health, safety around fermentation vessels

 VII. Yeast management.

 A. Yeast propagation, storage, cropping

 B. Yeast selection, treatment, pitching

 VIII. Beer maturation and cold storage

 A.  Warm maturation

 B.  Cold storage, stabilization

 C. Maturation, cooling

 

 IX. Bright beer preparation

 A. Chilling, carbonation

 B. Filtration

 C. High gravity dilution

 X.  Beer quality and process control.

 A.  Key parameters: Original gravity, present gravity, alcohol content, pH, color, haze, bitterness, foam stability, dissolved O2 and CO2.

 B. Process specifications and control to maintain beer quality

 

 XI. Beer quality – Flavor.

 A. Industry standard flavor descriptors

 B. The flavor wheel

 C. Commonly used flavor components.

 D. Taste training procedures.

 E. Evaluate taste

 XII. Beer quality – Dissolved oxygen.

 A. Spoilage of beer by O2

 B. Monitoring and control of dissolved oxygen levels

 XIII. Beer quality – Microbiological contamination.

 A.  Beer spoilage anaerobic growth and products formed effects on beer quality

 B.  Identify the principal categories of spoilage organisms

 C.  Detection, monitoring for spoilage organisms

 D. Control practices against infection

 XIV. Quality management.

 A. Quality system features

 B. Roles, responsibilities, benefits of quality control

 C. Product safety Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point

 D. Importance of traceability for product recall.

 XV. Plant Cleaning - Detergents and sterilizing agents.

 A. Types of detergent constituents, functions, criteria for choice of detergent.

 B. Types of sterilants, criteria for choice of sterilants

 C. Steam/ hot water as a sterilant and the effect of time, temperature on sterilization.

 D. Using chemical disinfectants, storylands safely, use of personal protection equipment

 XVI. Plant cleaning - Cleaning in-place (CIP) and general cleaning.

 A. Types of CIP systems, operating principles

 B. Single use versus recovery systems

 C. CIP cleaning cycles:  times, stages and quality assurance.

 D. CIP plant design:  minimize soil accumulation, facilitate CIP

 E. General plant cleaning of surfaces

 XVII. Engineering maintenance.

 A. Reasons for an effective maintenance system.

 B. Applications of no maintenance, breakdown maintenance, preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance

 C. Maintenance tasks in plant safety, reliability, quality, economics, environmental impact.

 D. Key maintenance tasks and record keeping

 E. Systems for continuous improvement:  Reliability Centered Maintenance, Total Productive Maintenance, Workplace Organization

 XVIII. Utilities – Water and effluent in brewing.

 A. Characteristics, quality of ideal brewery water

 B. Diagrammatic representation of water: filtration, sterilization, softening / deionization and de-aeration.

 C. Water contamination with Legionella, health risks associated with Legionella.

 D. Sources and nature of effluent quality: volume, suspended solids, chemical/biological oxygen demand, pH, temperature

 XVIIII. Utilities – Process gases.

 A. Properties of compressed air, O2, CO2 and N2 as process gases

 B. Practice, benefits of CO2 collection

 C. Uses, safe handling, storage of compressed gas cylinders.

 XX. Brewing and the environment.

 A. Concept of sustainable industry.

 B. Role of CO2 and carbon cycle.

 C. Sources of carbon dioxide emissions.

 D. Conservation of energy, water

 E. Principle waste generating activities, strategies to minimize waste, encourage recycling.