I'm not sure if this is the correct board, but here goes. I'm looking at taking brewing classes through Siebel Institute in Chicago. I was wondering if anyone has any experience/comments about it. It looks to be a bit pricey. Is it a good price for the class? Was it helpful. I would like to find and get some experience as a brewmaster after and in the long run open a small brewery. Any comments and/or help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you.
Siebel Institute
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Suthrncomfrt1884
Well-Known Member
I'm currently attending Siebel. It's a TON of info, and you need to be really prepared to cram it all into a short period of time. I highly suggest doing a lot of reading prior to taking any classes there. There's a lot of indepth information that will go right over your head if you're inexperienced with brewing. Water chemistry and yeast biology are two sections of the classes that have taken me a little longer to absorb. Even though I already knew a good deal about homebrewing...commercial brewing is completely different.
As everyone in the brewing industry will tell you...hard work and dedication will get you in the door at most breweries. An education isn't necissary, but it helps. You're going to start at the bottom anyway, so you might as well try to do it without spending the extra money. It's a lot of great info, and I've learned a lot more than I thought I would, but it's nothing you couldn't find online with a little research.
That being said...if you're not very educated in brewing, you may want to take the class to get a good base. Either way...you'll never walk right into a brewery as a head brewer. You have to pay your dues just like any other job.
I got lucky. My boss has been wanting to open a brewery for years. A friend of his has been the head brewer at a few breweries and he's planning on having me come on as an assistant when it opens in January. I'll be coming up with new recipes and brewing them on his pilot system since I know more about smaller systems than his brewmaster does.
As everyone in the brewing industry will tell you...hard work and dedication will get you in the door at most breweries. An education isn't necissary, but it helps. You're going to start at the bottom anyway, so you might as well try to do it without spending the extra money. It's a lot of great info, and I've learned a lot more than I thought I would, but it's nothing you couldn't find online with a little research.
That being said...if you're not very educated in brewing, you may want to take the class to get a good base. Either way...you'll never walk right into a brewery as a head brewer. You have to pay your dues just like any other job.
I got lucky. My boss has been wanting to open a brewery for years. A friend of his has been the head brewer at a few breweries and he's planning on having me come on as an assistant when it opens in January. I'll be coming up with new recipes and brewing them on his pilot system since I know more about smaller systems than his brewmaster does.
Thanks for the information. I've been reading A LOT about opening a brewery (what systems and equipment, business stuff,...) and have been researching actual brewing a lot in the past year so I have a soft base. I was looking at the courses and I think I would definitely need to start out with some research/easier courses to get the fundamentals down. I live 30 min south of Chicago, so I was thinking about taking the in class course. That way I can talk to people face to face with any questions and problems. Thanks again!
Suthrncomfrt1884
Well-Known Member
What class are you looking to take? Also, are you planning on brewing, or just owning? I can tell you that, according to the few people I've talked to, it's very hard to brew and manage/own a brewery at the same time. Brewing will take up a lot of time depending on the size of your brewery.
I'd concider taking the brewery ownership course that Siebel offers. My boss took it, and it helped him a lot as far as rules/regulations goes. Overall, he said it was money well spent. He doesn't know how to brew, but he asks a lot of questions, and I think he's getting the general idea...which is a must.
I'd concider taking the brewery ownership course that Siebel offers. My boss took it, and it helped him a lot as far as rules/regulations goes. Overall, he said it was money well spent. He doesn't know how to brew, but he asks a lot of questions, and I think he's getting the general idea...which is a must.
Suthrncomfrt1884
Well-Known Member
It depends on what course you're taking. Some are as little as a few days, some are 4-6 months. The master brewing program takes the most time, and you'll end up in Germany if you take the entire International Diploma course. I have a friend who took it. He decided not to go into the brewing field after spending 20k+, but instead opened a craft beer bar. He said the experience was well worth it.
You may want to look into their online courses. As far as I know, they offer most of the serious programs online now.
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