For any student with a passion for beer wondering how best to dedicate their studies during their postgraduate years – we have exciting news for you. Earlier this month, we announced the investment in a new chair at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven) for a postgraduate program in malting and brewing starting in September 2020 in the vibrant historical city of Leuven, a true beer city with more than 200 breweries in a 100 km radius. This exciting program will last one year and consist of 10 courses, taught by experts from both the university and the industry.
KU Leuven has a long tradition in brewing education and research in Belgium, beginning in 1887 with the establishment of a brewing school in 1887. Additionally, we have been collaborating with the university for more than 10 years on research into yeast and fermentation technology, and most recently, cereals and membrane technology.
The program combines courses that belong to three different skill sets that are both important and required in the present-day malting and brewing industry. By combining these different skills, the program prepares students for a successful career in the international malting and brewing. After completing the course, graduates will be able to:
· Explain the importance of the 4 basic ingredients of beer in shaping beer taste and aroma
· Understand the different processing steps in malting and beer brewing
· Understand the key biochemical reactions occurring during each of these steps
· Recognize and describe the main beer styles, and understand how the brewing process contributes to the different beers
· Identify key factors affecting beer identity, quality, and stability
· Carry out basic sensory analyses of beers and identify key flavors and off-flavors and their molecular origin
The postgraduate course is open to students with a relevant master's degree. Registration begins in February. For more information, check out the KU Leuven website here.