A. Specific Learning Outcomes. At the end of this course students will be able to:
- differentiate the principles of Quality Assurance from those of Quality Control and outline the essential components of a quality system in the malting and brewing industries
- explain the basic statistics relevant to making, reporting and interpreting analytical measurements in a brewing context
- describe the concept of Standard Methods of Analysis, explain how the methods emerge and evolve and summarize how they are employed
- summarize and practice key analytical tests on barley, malt, hops, yeast, wort and beer
- interpret the key analytical parameters applied to water for brewing
- interpret data sheets for barley, malt, adjuncts, water, hops, yeast, wort and beer
- plan and calculate all relevant process parameters in the production of beers in the experimental breweries
- formulate brewing recipes and produce beers in the experimental breweries
How this course addresses IFT Core Competencies:
Senior-level course:
Taught in the Winter Quarter of the student’s senior year. FST 102B is a 4 unit laboratory-based course addressing the practical application of the science of malting and brewing. FST 102B builds on principles taught in FST102A and addresses Applied Food Science.
B. Tools used to assess program outcomes.
Bloom’s levels I-VI.
This is a laboratory-based class that is a final key stage in the university careers of students entering into food-based industries, including but not restricted to brewing. Students are assessed using weekly quizzes, a final comprehensive examination addressing interpretative skills, calculations and short answers. Students are also assessed on their participation in and contribution to the discussion and hands-on elements of the class.
C. Brief summary of assessment results to date.
Practical Malting and Brewing Science (FST102B) had been taught by Charles Bamforth (Professor Emeritus) for 15 years before Glen Fox took over, and draws substantially on Dr. Bamforth’s long-standing presence within the brewing industry. The course features extensively “real world” interpretation of the science and how it is applied and relevant to practical scenarios. Each year students are asked to complete a course evaluation form for the course. The numerical scores using a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) for specific questions and verbal comments are also compiled. The course and the instructor are evaluated separately. The mean scores for the course and instructor evaluation have continually remained in the high 4’s.