WYOMISSING, Pa. — The craft brewing industry?is big business in?Pennsylvania, and a recent grant?will allow Penn State Berks to develop a program of craft brewing?courses, with an emphasis on the use of?Pennsylvania-grown?specialty grains.
The Penn State Berks?Office of?Continuing Education was awarded a grant?from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture?to?develop a?craft brewing?program,?with the goal of?increasing?the use of Pennsylvania-grown specialty grains, including hops, barley, wheat, and others, in the brewing process.?The timeframe of the grant is July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2023.?
According to Elaine?Berish,?principal investigator on the grant and a continuing education area representative at Penn State Berks, the college will partner with Penn State Cooperative Extension?to?develop a?series of noncredit courses?that will help home?brewers to hone their skills, while?incorporating the use of?the state’s?specialty?grains in?their?recipes.?Courses are?slated?to be offered in the fall semester of 2022.? ?
As the craft/micro-brewing industry in?Pennsylvania?continues to grow annually, so does its economic impact. According to the Brewers Association?website, the economic impact in Pennsylvania was about $5.6 billion in 2019, with more than 3.1 million barrels produced, ranking second highest in the United States. Pennsylvania also ranks third in the country in terms of craft breweries with 444.
Berish states that additional brewing courses and workshops?will include?topics such as?local sourcing, brewing?fundamentals, bottling, branding, market distribution and business?requirements?for opening a brewery.
For more information, contact the?Berish?at emb[email?protected]?or?610-396-6230.?
