ECHE 330/430: Design and Production of Fermented Beverages

Fermented and distilled beverages (including beer, wine, and whiskey) have recently gained new interest as craft products, with significant growth in the craft brewing, wine, and distilling industry. This course provides a technical overview of the design and manufacture of these products, with a particular emphasis on brewing. Specific topics detailed below will include the molecular basis of fermentation, the chemistry of various flavors and styles (alt, kolsch, porter, bock, mead, ale, etc.), the biochemistry of yeast fermentation and hops, as well as mashing, lautering, boiling, conditioning, filtering, and packaging. In addition, the manufacturing process, including the technical features of quality control, statistical analysis, water quality, and hardware choice in the brewing industry will be covered. There is no lab component, but there will be several tours of manufacturing and lab facilities. The course will feature invited speakers from the local brewing and wine making industry. Each student will be expected to have basic background knowledge of chemistry, physics, and biology, but there are no prerequisites for this class. Offered as CHEM 348, CHEM 448, ECHE 330, and ECHE 430.