Penn State ‘eye-opener’ beer course will be offered to the public this fall

This fall, the Penn State School of Hospitality Management is opening its Introduction to Brewed Alcoholic Beverages (Beer, Cider, and Mead) course to the public. In the past, the school has offered a popular and similar, non-credit Wines of the World course, and Introduction to Brewed Alcoholic Beverages furthers the aim of introducing students and community members alike to the vast variety, history and business of your favorite libations.

Assistant Teaching Professor Mitchell Lawson is overseeing the course. He noticed the School of Hospitality Management’s prior exclusive focus on wine somewhat overlooked a big part of hospitality and other aspects of alcohol.

“[It’s] something that I’ve been really interested in over the past 20 years — learning and trying different styles [of beer],” Lawson said. “When you generalize beer, there are so many different styles to it, that you don’t really get a true understanding. Just like when you say red wine and white wine, there are so many varieties.”

As such, a new beer course felt like an ideal extension of the School of Hospitality Management’s existing curriculum.

While the course does cover beer, cider and mead, the focus is primarily on beer, as there are simply more varieties and, according to Lawson, a richer history. The course currently spends about 10-15% of its time focused on cider and mead, with the remaining time dedicated to all things beer.

“I want [students] to open their eyes and have the opportunity to learn about the history behind some of the [beer] styles, as well as taste some of the styles and see the differences in the varieties,” Lawson said.

The course is organized so that students work their way through six to eight styles of beer per week.

“Typically, we’ll try four to five of those styles and we’ll take some short breaks throughout. It’ll be a mixture with some lecture, some conversation, some tasting, some opinions,” Lawson described. “As far as assignments, I do have the students … utilize the Untappd app, which allows them to track their consumption and what they like. I also have them fill out an evaluation form … so they can get an idea throughout the semester [of] which styles they prefer over which styles they don’t like.”

Outside of class, Lawson said there are some potential field trips in the works.

“I have a few assignments related to visiting potentially a brewery,” he said. “I’m hoping in the future to set up a brewery tour with one of the local State College breweries, as well as go to the grocery store and look at the marketing aspects [of beer].”

Ultimately, Lawson noted, the class will be an “eye-opener” for the novice. His main goal is for students who complete the course to feel comfortable talking about beer when they walk into a restaurant or brewery, for them to understand the varieties available without needing to ask questions.

Additionally, for those who take the course and work or plan to work in the hospitality industry, they’ll walk away with a greater confidence as they interact with patrons and recommend or describe beers offered by their employer.

The publicly available course will kick off this August, meeting on Tuesdays, Aug. 14-Dec. 8, 4:40-6:35 p.m. in the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation Building. The course is limited to participants aged 21 and older, and general public registration is $429 plus Cvent fees. The course will be limited to approximately 50-60 people. Learn more at cafelaura.psu.edu/wine-appreciation-course-non-credit.

Holly Riddle is a freelance food, travel and lifestyle writer. She can be reached at holly.ridd@gmail.com.