Academic Units
4
Section Number
253BRD801
Instruction Method
Online class
Raw Materials and Wort Production
Online
Beer, at its most basic, is only a handful of ingredients: water, barley, hops and yeast. With these simple elements and a bit of instruction, anyone can brew beer. But when someone has been trained in the art and science behind brewing, that’s when something truly special can be created.
In this course, you’ll explore some of these raw materials, their properties and how they affect one of the first phases of brewing beer: wort production. Through online lecture and group discussion, you’ll explore a variety of topics, including the composition of malts and how to analyze them; the role that adjuncts play; the science of sweet wort and how to optimize its production; hop handling, processing and analysis; and the nature, properties and relevance of the principle chemical species important in brewing (notably polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and polyphenols). By the end of this course, you will possess a fundamental understanding of the chemistry and composition behind beer’s most basic ingredients, and the ability to control those materials in order to achieve desired results during wort production.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyze the essential compositional features of barley and other grains, water, hops and yeast as they pertain to brewing process performance and product quality
- Understand and control the chemistry, biochemistry and physics underpinning the processing treatments that are used to render barley, water, hops and yeast in a state suitable for brewing
- Detect key microbial threats to brewing and beer and address them
- Apply the basic principles of plant cleaning and sanitation
- Differentiate between Quality Control and Quality Assurance and describe the major analytical procedures that are employed from barley to beer
- Understand and control the chemistry, biochemistry and physics of beer quality attributes, including foam, color, haze and physical stability
- Test grain to be suitable for malting and brewing
Skills You Will Gain
- Raw brewing material analysis, selection and handling
- Wort production
Section Notes
Access to your course in Canvas will be available 7 days before the course start date. Please note that course start and end dates, as well as live sessions (if applicable), are subject to change.
Enrollment Policies
Drop requests (withdraw with a refund) will be approved, less a $100 processing fee, if the request is received before the refund deadline. Clickhere to view complete enrollment policy information including details on withdrawals and transfers.
Refund Deadline: 1/26/2026. Refunds and/or enrollment transfers will not be approved after this date.
Students enrolling after the first day of class are expected to reach out to their instructor to make sure they receive all content and are on track with the course.
Technical Requirements
To ensure your success in this course, please review our technical requirements page atonline learning.
Section Course Materials
Scientific Principles of Malting and Brewing, 2nd Edition
Mandatory
Use discount code UCDE10 at checkout to receive 10% off when purchasing through the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) at https://my.asbcnet.org/asbcstore. The discount is not valid on items already discounted.
Edition
2nd
Standards of Brewing
Mandatory
Use discount code UCDE10 at checkout to receive 10% off when purchasing through the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) at https://my.asbcnet.org/asbcstore. The discount is not valid on items already discounted.
Technology: Brewing and Malting, 6th Edition
Mandatory
Use discount code UCDE10 at checkout to receive 10% off when purchasing through the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) at https://my.asbcnet.org/asbcstore. The discount is not valid on items already discounted.
Edition
6th
Brewing Yeast and Fermentation
Mandatory
Use discount code UCDE10 at checkout to receive 10% off when purchasing through the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) at https://my.asbcnet.org/asbcstore. The discount is not valid on items already discounted.
Brewing Materials and Processes: A Practical Approach to Beer Excellence
Mandatory
Use discount code UCDE10 at checkout to receive 10% off when purchasing through the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) at https://my.asbcnet.org/asbcstore. The discount is not valid on items already discounted.
A Handbook of Basic Brewing Calculations
Mandatory
Use discount code UCDE10 at checkout to receive 10% off when purchasing through the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) at https://my.asbcnet.org/asbcstore. The discount is not valid on items already discounted.
The Craft Brewer’s Guide to Best Practices, Volume 2: Raw Materials, Wort Production, and Fermentation
Mandatory
Use discount code UCDE10 at checkout to receive 10% off when purchasing through the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) at https://my.asbcnet.org/asbcstore. The discount is not valid on items already discounted.
Discounts
CAAA Member Discount
CAAA Member Discount
Current members of the Cal Aggie Alumni Association (CAAA) and other UC alumni associations receive 10% off the course fee of one course per quarter, not to exceed $100. If you don't have your discount code, contact CAAA at alumni@ucdavis.edu to request it.