Nov 22, 2024
OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2024-25

CHEM 4500 - Fundamentals of Brewing Science


The overall goal of this course is to integrate basic scientific principles across multiple disciplines with small business ownership and entrepreneurship through the practice of craft beer brewing. Through a series of lectures, students learn the science behind craft beer brewing. Hands-on lab activities, special guest lecturers, and field trips help reinforce and supplement the concepts invoked in lecture. This course exploits a general public interest in craft beer and its production to demonstrate fundamental scientific concepts using a hands-on approach. As such, this course outfits students with a wide range of key scientific concepts, coupled with basic business and entrepreneurial skills that can be broadly applied to one’s career.

Requisites: 21 years of age at the time of enrollment, permission required, senior status and WARNING: No credit if taken after CHEM 4501
Credit Hours: 3
OHIO BRICKS: Bridge: Learning and Doing, Capstone: Capstone or Culminating Experience
Repeat/Retake Information: May be retaken two times excluding withdrawals, but only last course taken counts.
Lecture/Lab Hours: 2.0 lecture, 4.0 laboratory
Grades: Eligible Grades: A-F,WP,WF,WN,FN,AU,I
Learning Outcomes:
  • Students will be able to identify and consider issues/problems using the process of brewing as a model.
  • Students will be able to adapt fundamentals and methodologies used in brewing to other situations.
  • Students will be able to isolate variables and systematically troubleshoot process errors in the context of beer brewing.
  • Students will be able to use the fundamentals and methodologies used in beer brewing to form hypotheses more broadly about fermentation.
  • Students will be able to use the scientific background associated with beer brewing to reach conclusions about recipe design and technical execution.
  • Students will be able to connect their academic knowledge with the process of beer brewing.
  • Students will be able to connect multiple disciplines through the brewing process, including but not limited to biochemistry, biology, engineering, business, and health and physiology.
  • Students will be able to transfer and apply knowledge from this course more broadly to other areas in food science and fermentation technology.
  • Students will be able to communicate about issues associated with beer brewing and fermentation.
  • Students will be able to self-assess their brewing knowledge through execution and evaluation of self-designed recipes.


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