PRESS RELEASE
April 26, 2018 – Providence, R.I. – America's preference for craft beers accounted for more than 23 percent of the nation's $111.4 billion beer market in 2017, according to the latest research by the Brewer's Association. In keeping with the trend, two frontrunners in Rhode Island's food economy have joined forces. Johnson & Wales University's College of Culinary Arts (JWU) and Isle Brewers Guild (IBG), a craft beer cooperative based in Pawtucket, R.I., have teamed up to enhance the Professional Craft Brewing Certificate program which the university launched recently.
The four-course, 22.5 credit curriculum is for professionals and home brewers, and doubles as a minor for full-time undergraduates enrolled at the university. IBG will serve as an experiential education site for "Applied American Craft Brewing," one of the program's capstone course. This 11-week course combines classroom and online education, enabling students to enhance their knowledge of brewing theory and develop their skills in practical brewing, recipe formulation, sensory analysis, marketing, and brewery design.
"IBG offers our students the opportunity to gain experience with a powerhouse national craft brewing operation right here in Rhode Island," Edward Korry, JWU department chair, Beverage & Dining Services, notes. "This collaboration places our students side-by-side with IBG expert brewers and business minds, a signature of JWU's experiential education."
Two weeks of the program’s coursework will take place at IBG’s 131,000-square-foot brewing campus in downtown Pawtucket. Students will have the opportunity to use IBG’s 10-barrel pilot system and 100-barrel brewhouse – the same state-of-the-art equipment used by IBG’s brewing partners Narragansett Brewing Company, Farmer Willie’s Craft Ginger Beer, Newburyport Brewing Company, Devil’s Purse Brewing Company, Great North Aleworks, Night Shift Brewing and Wash Ashore Beer Company – while learning the craft beer trade from IBG’s experienced brewing staff.
Devin Kelly, co-founder and managing partner of IBG, is looking forward to working with the first cohort of students in early August. "The Isle Brewers Guild venture, from the very beginning, has always been focused on collaboration. Each of our brewing partners shares our overarching mission of strengthening the craft beer industry on a local, regional and national level. We thank Johnson & Wales University for giving us an opportunity to share our mission and our passion with the craft beer industry’s future leaders," he says.
About the program
The Professional Craft Brewing Certificate curriculum, developed by JWU Associate Professor Jennifer D. Pereira, an award-winning brewer, BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) national beer judge, and Certified Cicerone®, is comprised of four courses. They are: Brewing Arts; Advanced Brewing Theory and Analysis; The Business of Alcohol Distribution, Retail and Sales; and, one of two capstone courses, British Practical Brewing, or the newly added, Applied American Craft Brewing.
Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be equipped for several internationally recognized certifications, including Certified Beer Server, Recognized Beer Judge, and the prestigious Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD) General Certificate in Brewing. The program is offered at JWU's Providence, R.I.; Denver, Colo., and Charlotte, N.C. campuses. For information on JWU's Professional Craft Brewing Certificate program and to register for the next term, call 401-598-2300.
About Isle Brewers Guild
Isle Brewers Guild (IBG) is a craft beer cooperative that provides production support for craft brewers facing manufacturing, packaging and distribution restraints. IBG gives partner brewers the facility and equipment to maintain control of their brewing and packaging processes in a cooperative, highly efficient enterprise. IBG’s brewing partners currently include Narragansett Brewing Company, Farmer Willie’s Craft Ginger Beer, Newburyport Brewing Company, Devil’s Purse Brewing Company, Great North Aleworks, Night Shift Brewing and Wash Ashore Beer Company. IBG’s brewing, packaging and distribution operations is located at 461 Main Street in Pawtucket, R.I., and includes a 100 BBL brewhouse, a canning and kegging facility, a taproom, indoor and outdoor event space, and corporate offices. Learn more at www.islebrewers.com.
About Johnson & Wales University
Founded in 1914, Johnson & Wales University is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution with more than 14,000 graduate, undergraduate and online students at its four campuses in Providence, Rhode Island; North Miami, Florida; Denver, Colorado; and Charlotte, North Carolina. An innovative educational leader, the university offers degree programs in arts and sciences, business, culinary arts, design and engineering, education, health and wellness, hospitality, nutrition and physician assistant studies. Its unique model integrates arts and sciences and industry-focused education with work experience and leadership opportunities, inspiring students to achieve professional success and lifelong personal and intellectual growth. The university’s impact is global, with alumni from 124 countries pursuing careers worldwide.
Media contact: Miriam Weinstein, director, communications & media relations, 401-598-1157, miriam.weinstein@jwu.edu.