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The newly-launched Beer Academy aims to educate the pub trade on all there is to know about brews and brewing. Ben McFarland reports.As hordes of...

The newly-launched Beer Academy aims to educate the pub trade on all there is to know about brews and brewing. Ben McFarland reports.

As hordes of underachieving graduates can no doubt testify, beer is normally a hindrance rather than a help when it comes to intellectual pursuit.

But that goes little way to explain why drinkers and those in the trade know so little about the wonderful national drink.

Beer lags way behind wine in terms of education. While it is deemed highly aspirational to be in the know with wine, the same cannot be said for beer. Making friends and influencing people is easy if you're a cork-sniffing, glass-swirling wine connoisseur with an exhaustive knowledge of the grape.

Those who have a passion and knowledge of beer, however, are seen as clichéd big-bellied sandal-wearers and would certainly not be as welcome at well-to-do dinner parties.

The trade is no better. There are few pubs and bars that don't have a wine list complete with convoluted tasting notes, but there are hardly any that do anything similar for beer.

The wine business has been quick to establish a standard education programme in the shape of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. This offers those within the trade the opportunity to gain a fundamental understanding of wine and is the first rung on a ladder that reaches the highly respected and notoriously exclusive title of Master of Wine - the ultimate grandiose grape guru.

Perhaps borne out of complacency, or even a hangover from the heady days of the Beer Orders, there has been no equivalent in the beer business but, with beer in decline and wines and spirits turning the screw, brewers need to stop the rot.

While brewers provide brands-led initiatives and trade organisations offer a range of business building beer courses, there hasn't been a generic, all encompassing, agenda-free educational campaign.

But the Beer Academy, a newly-launched initiative, hopes to be just that.

"It's a generic campaign without the politics," said co-founder Rupert Thompson, chief executive of Refresh UK. "We felt that there was a real need for something to happen as, despite a lot of talking among the trade, no-one was actually doing anything."

Designed to cover all the technical bases as well as to inform people about the huge diversity of beer, the course doesn't just look at British beer, but an array of international styles ranging from pilsner to porter.

The course, currently being trialled at the White Horse and Young's Brewery in Wandsworth, involves six two-hour sessions and culminates in an examination in the final session, for which certification is currently being sought.

The initiative has received the financial backing of Refresh UK, home to Brakspear, Löwenbräu, Mann's and Wychwood beers.

"When I first entered the industry with Bass, I wasn't given any training about beer but was told extensively about wine and spirits," said Rupert.

While happy to receive plaudits for being the first brewer to get behind the Beer Academy at such an early stage, Rupert was keen to stress that in order to spread the word, a broader church is needed.

"We've put the wheels in motion and I think deserve some credit but we want to make this an industry-wide initiative. We will continue to support it but it won't be badged as a Refresh initiative," he said.

He added that trade reaction has been hugely positive and Rupert has already received letters of support from Greene King, Interbrew, Coors and a number of smaller brewers.

To accompany this goodwill, however, money is needed if the Beer Academy is to get off the ground. Rupert is hoping that the academy will lead to the formation of some kind of beer education trust co-ordinated by a trade body and funded by brewers and retailers.

The first Beer Academy has been over-subscribed but, disappointingly, it has been the off-trade that has shown the most interest.

"I think this is symptomatic because the off-trade retailers are more consumer focused," said Rupert. "They realise that by improving the knowledge of beer and passing it on to the consumer it enhances the image of their outlet.

"If the people behind the bar are trained and talk about beer with knowledge, passion and enthusiasm then this will filter through to the consumer."

The organisers intend to roll out the course nationwide and, in time, make it available to consumers. Rupert also hopes that in future there will be further courses up to diploma standard and beyond.

A suggested cost of around £100 to £150 for the two-day course may seem a lot, but for a trade that relies so heavily on beer, it is money well spent.

Any initiative that rises above the petty beer-style rivalry, dispels unhelpful myths that so often damage the image of beer and educates people at all levels about the joys of beer, should not only be applauded but actively supported by both retailers and pub companies alike.

How much do you know about beer?

1) The biggest threat to beer quality during bottling is the pick up of which ONE of the following:​a) oxygenb) nitrogenc) carbon monoxided) sulphure) smoky baconf) chlorine

2) The earliest records of brewing in the British Museum are thought to date back how many years?​a) 90b) 900c) 9,000d) 90,000

3) In 3,500 BC the Sumerians fermented a pulp which had an intoxicating effect which they called a "divine drink". Was it made from:​a) breadb) butterc) camel meatd) chocolatee) dandelionsf) daisies

4) Which ONE of these is never used as an ingredient in brewing?​a) maizeb) ricec) wheatd) grapes

5) The German Purity Law of 1516 (the Rheinheitsgebot) said that beer should only be brewed from which three ingredients?​a) water, hops, malt, or...b) sauerkraut, pumpernickel bread, wurst.

6) The word "lager" is German for which one of the following?​a) to storeb) to turn blonde overnightc) to endure penal servituded) to get much biggere) to turn long and cool

7) The UK Department of Health recommends the following maximum daily consumption of 3.8 per cent abv beer for men?​a) half a pint to one pint b) two pints c) four pints d) eight pints

8) Name the four main ingredients in beer.

Answers at the bottom of the page

Course ingredients:

  • Beer's history and lifestyle - definition, origins, evolution and association with food and health
  • Raw materials of brewing and their effect on flavour
  • Technology of brewing - including the brewing process, fermentation, conditioning, filtration, pasteurisation and packaging
  • Technology of packaging and cellar management
  • Beer styles - the beers of Europe, including those from Belgium, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark and Germany
  • Beer styles - the rest of the world, including Africa, Americas and Asia Pacific.

Answers: 1.a; 2.c; 3.a; 4.d; 5.a; 6a; 7.b; 8. Hops, barley, water and yeast.

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