When most people hear the words “college” and “beer,” their thoughts likely turn to wild keggers. But CBC News reports that students at Colorado State University are getting the opportunity to engage with beer in a more academic manner through the school’s new major: Craft Brewing.
The program isn’t a boozy breeze, however. Jeff Callaway, a former member of the biotech industry who now teaches at CSU, notes that before students get the chance to start brewing, they must learn biochemistry, microbiology, physics and organic chemistry.
Many beer majors at Colorado State supplement their coursework by working at craft breweries like New Belgium, which is located down the street from the CSU campus. The brewery donated one million dollars to the CSU program.
Colorado State’s offering could be considered a natural response to the recent boom in the craft beer industry. Today, the industry’s annual sales are at about $200 million, with a 22 percent jump in sales from last year. Kim Jordan, owner of New Belgium, observes that “America is the best place in the world to drink beer right now. This is where the innovation is happening in beer.” [CBS News] [Photo: Flickr.com/skynoir]