Beer

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Looking to develop a side gig, add skills to advance in your current job, or explore a new career? Schoolcraft College’s continuing education department, Personal and Professional Learning (PPL), can help.

Registration is now open for the Fall 2022 schedule. Over 400 courses in a variety of areas, including beer tasting, remote (drone) piloting, and dementia care, are offered.

“A key focus for PPL has been to increase class offerings for professional development,” said Dr. Jodie Beckley, Director, Personal and Professional Learning. “Many classes are starting in October or November, so there is still time to register.”

Here’s a closer look at some of the courses starting later this fall:

glasses of beer
The Craft Beer 101 course begins Monday, October 17.

Craft Beer 101: Ingredients, Brewing and Tasting Basics

Join Advanced Cicerone® Annette May on a fun and informational sensory journey as you learn how beer is made. Taste raw ingredients and learn how to correlate them with beer flavors. Learn the basics of great beer service, then sample, taste and evaluate 10 popular Michigan craft beers as part of your experience. You must be at least 21 years old to attend, and bring a driver’s license or Michigan ID.

Begins: Monday, October 17

class viewing drown flying
You can learn to fly a drone on Saturday, November 12.

Recreational Drone Fundamentals

Learn to fly a drone and have fun by reviewing basic terminology, various types of drones, laws and regulations, and how to safely use and store your equipment. Learn where and when you can fly, with an emphasis on pre-flight inspection and safety protocols. The class includes practice with flying Schoolcraft College’s quadcopters.

Begins: This is a one-day course from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, November 12.

three people conversing
Fundamentals of Dementia Care is offered Saturday, October 1.

Fundamentals of Dementia Care

This course will help you understand the basics of dementia by distinguishing the common forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. You’ll be able to develop strategies to improve communication and understand the root cause of challenging behavior. The class includes a question-and-answer opportunity with a person living with dementia and/or his/her care partner.

Starts: This is a one-day course from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 1. You can attend in person or via Zoom.

Note: Several other courses related to dementia care are available as well.

For more information and to download a PDF of PPL’s Fall 2022 schedule, visit their website.

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Schoolcraft has won 37 medals overall since 2017

The medal count for Schoolcraft College’s acclaimed Brewing and Distillation Technology program keeps rising and now stands at 37 following another excellent performance in the 2022 U.S. Open College Beer Championship and the 2022 U.S Open Beer Championship. 

Schoolcraft brought home two gold medals (Haggerty IPA and Grand Cru) and one silver medal (College Pale Ale) in the college competition, which is in its sixth year and is for colleges and universities that teach brewing courses. Schoolcraft College also tied for second overall.

Here’s a brief description of those award-winning beers:

Haggerty IPA

  • Classic American India Pale Ale has a touch of rye malt to enhance the malt character, and a high bitterness from the use of Simcoe hops. Piney and fruity notes.

Grand Cru

  • Golden in color, this strong Belgian-style ale has notes of bready malt alongside a touch of fruitiness and spice from both the Belgian yeast strain, and the addition of coriander and orange peel.

College Pale Ale

  • Brewed with pale malts and Australian Galaxy hops, this American Pale Ale has aromas of crackery malt and tropical fruit. Moderate bitterness.
Group of people in brewing distillery
Students in the Brewing and Distillation Technology program learn in a working brewery.

“We are always honored to have our beer win medals against our peers and fellow brewers,” said Thomas Block, Director of the Brewing and Distillation Technology program. “Our faculty is top-notch and our brewery on campus is second to none compared with other brewing schools. We focus on process in the brewery and the program. If the process is solid, the beer will be as well.”

All beers were submitted by one of each school’s brewing professors/instructors, and each school could enter up to four beers of their own choosing. Those four entries were judged according to the U.S. Open Style Standards.

In addition, each school was invited to submit a beer from a specific category to be judged head-to-head according to the U.S. Open Style Standards. This year’s category was German Kölsch, with Schoolcraft College earning a bronze medal. Here’s a description of that beer:

275 Kolsch-Style

  • A golden beer based on a German classic, soft maltiness, low bitterness and a crisp finish with just a touch of spice aroma from German hops.

In the U.S. Open Beer Championship, Schoolcraft won a silver medal in the Altbier category for its German Alt.

The U.S. Open Beer Championship judges more beer styles than any other competition in the world, with more than 9,000 brews representing over 150 styles of beer to be judged, along with home brews that have medaled at the 2021 American Homebrew Association’s national competition.

About Schoolcraft’s program

Students learn the brewing science to craft award-winning beer in a state-of-the-art brewery that’s the largest of any brewing program in Michigan. State-of-the-art analytical equipment measures alcohol percentage, bitterness, CO2 volume, dissolved oxygen, color and more to craft a superior beer.

The 360-degree approach helps students learn the real-world aspects of the beer and distilled spirits industry, including:

  • Business and operations
  • Product finishing and packaging
  • Draught systems management
  • Beer history and customer service

Schoolcraft’s six faculty members have experience as head brewers, brewmasters, owners, buyers, sales managers and more, with over 100 years of combined experience in the craft beer industry. Students learn their skills in an actual brewery that features:

  • A 7-barrel brewhouse
  • Six 7-barrel fermenters
  • Two 3.5-barrel fermenters
  • Three 7-barrel “Brite” tanks for conditioning
  • One 2-head bottling line
  • One 2-head canning line
  • One crowler machine

To learn more about Schoolcraft College’s Brewing and Distillation Technology program, please go to schoolcraft.edu/beer

Registration for the Fall 2022 semester is now open. Classes start Monday, August 29.

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Dorian Hall and James Ellison are on a mission to change the perception of craft beer, and more important, craft beer brewers in Metro Detroit.

Each is a recent graduate of Schoolcraft College’s well-respected Brewing and Distillation Technology (BDT) program. Already close (they are brothers-in-law – James is married to Dorian’s sister), they have a passion to make their mark through their own label, The Black Hop Brewing Company, and to raise awareness for a new path for budding entrepreneurs.

“There aren’t a lot of minorities in Detroit doing this,” Dorian said. “James and I are trying to bridge that gap, diversifying what craft brewery owners look like in Metro Detroit.”

Finding Schoolcraft College

Dorian found out about Schoolcraft College’s program by accident while he and his wife were enjoying a happy hour in Royal Oak. Dorian’s wife wanted to try a beer with a fruity taste and asked the server for a recommendation. The recommendation was a hit; after more conversation, the server revealed he was a student at Schoolcraft College “majoring in beer.”

“I thought, no way there’s a school that teaches that,” Dorian said. Intrigued, he called James about his discovery. After learning more about Schoolcraft College’s program, they enrolled in the spring of 2018. Both earned the Cicerone®* Certification Program’s Beer Server Certificate and TIPS® (“Training for Intervention Procedures”) alcohol server certification and were top of their class.

Passionate Instructors Focused on Your Success

James and Dorian appreciated the personal attention they received in the BDT program at Schoolcraft College.

“You can tell the instructors are incredibly passionate about what they do,” James said. “They are proactive about reaching out to make sure you’re succeeding.” 

Dorian said most people don’t realize craft brewing combines elements of art and science – especially chemistry.

Schoolcraft College’s six faculty members have more than 100 years’ experience combined in positions across the spectrum of the craft brewing industry.

“Every instructor is in the industry,” James said. “They’re not just telling you something out of a book – they’re living it. They challenge you, but they also will be with you every step of the way.”

Before beginning their formal education, Dorian and James had experimented with a home beer kit. Although dissatisfied with the results, they were on the right track, but just needed a bit more of the expertise Schoolcraft College provides.

“We’re still home brewers,” James said. “Once you’re a home brewer, you don’t stop – you just buy bigger equipment!”

Focused on a Bright Future

Dorian and James wanted to learn even more about distillation of spirits, so they contacted businesses around Michigan for opportunities. They said Schoolcraft College’s excellent reputation helped open doors as they learned how to make award-winning vodka.

“Schoolcraft College has won 27 awards for their beer,” Dorian said. “That means they’re doing something right.”

And now Dorian and James are eager to put the knowledge they gained at Schoolcraft College to work with their own establishment and perhaps serve as inspiration for others to follow that path.

“People don’t know a program like Schoolcraft is out there, and yet it’s right here in their local county,” Dorian said. “Schoolcraft College broadened my horizons and will open your eyes to realize craft beer doesn’t have a ‘look.’” 

James is ready for what promises to be an exciting next chapter.

“Our biggest mission is to open a new avenue for everybody whowants to step up and do something different,” he said. “Follow your passion. Schoolcraft allowed us to do that.” 

*A Cicerone is an expert in pairing beer and food, among other abilities.