THE SIEBEL INSTITUTE
Since 2003 I have both developed and presented courses for this famous professional brewing school located in Chicago. My areas of specialization revolve around beer styles and recipe formulation, as well as beer and food pairings.
The first class was developed by me along with Ray Daniels, founder of the Cicerone Certification Program, and is a three-day presentation covering beer styles and recipe formulation for brewers. Although specifically designed for brewers, the class is mostly non-technical, so plenty of non-brewing beer professionals from around the world take the class and benefit greatly from the material presented.
This course is run in conjunction with a one-day beer sensory class covering more than 20 specific flavors that may be encountered in beer. While most people choose to take both sections, the sensory class is optional.
Master of Beer Styles Outline
Day 1
Session 1.1 & 1.2: Beer Styles Yin and Yang, - Ray followed by Randy
Introduction
Overview of Beer Styles
- Anatomy of a Style
- The Context of Pre-Industrial Styles
- The Politics & Economics of Beer
- Technological Influences on Style Development
- A Matter of Balance
Session 1.3: Fundamental Concepts & Qualitative Factors: Ray
OG, FG, AE, ABV, IBUs, SRM
Sensory Assessment of Ingredients
Hops
- Bitterness
- National Origin & Breeds: US, Eng, German, etc.
Malt
- Base & Specialty Malts
- Maillard Chemistry and its Importance in Beer
Yeast Overview
Basics of Water Chemistry
- Process and Beer Styles
Session 1.4: The Art of Beer Formulation - Randy
What is Art and Why Should We Care?
Conceptual Tools for the Brewer
The Human Interface: Hardware & Software (psychology)
Techniques & Approaches
Session 1.5: Brewing Lagers – Ray
NOTE: all of the styles sections for the rest of the class revolve around tasting classic examples of the styles and pointing out distinctive features and characteristics.
Brewing Techniques, Ingredients, Fermentation and Yeast
Issues Related to Making High Gravity Lagers
Shortcuts & Shortened Lagering Times
Special Issues in Making Pilsner Beers
Day 2 - Ray Daniels all day
German Specialty Beers
Wheat Beers
- American Wheat beers
- German-Style Weizen beers (yeast and fermentation)
- Using Rye
Rhine Valley Ales
- History and Characterization
- Altbier Formulation & Brewing
- Kolsch Formulation & Brewing
Smoked Beers
BREAK FOR LUNCH
The Beers of Britain
Scottish Ales
Pale Ale, Bitter and IPA: Past, Present and Future
Dark Ales of British Isles
Mild & Brown Ales
Porter & Stout
Old Ales/Strong Ales (English and American)
- Ingredient Choices for Strong Beers
- Special Considerations for Fermenting
American Brewing and Beer Styles
Classic American Historical Styles
- Steam Beer (California Common)
- Cream Ale
- American Premium and Light Lager and Their Variants
New American Classics of Craft Brewing
- American Pale Ale
- American IPA & Double IPA
- Amber, Red & Brown Ales
Day 3 - Randy All Day
Belgian & French Ales
- The Belgian Approach
- A Few Notes on History
Abbey beers
The Belgian Pale Ale Style
Saison & "Farmhouse" Beers
Bière de Garde
Historical Curiosities Worth Reviving
Turbid Mashing: Witbier & Lambic
Witbier & Related Styles
The Family of Lambics
Sour Brown & Red Ales
BREAK FOR LUNCH
The Historic Traditions of Beer
Ancient Inspirations
- The Beginnings of Beer
- The Chilly North
- Middle-Age Beer
The Outlaw Ales of Germany
- German White Beer Relatives: Gose, Grodziskie & Beyond
- Steinbier
Jolly Old England
- The Legacy of Country Bouse Brewing
- October Beer, Burton & Other Strong Ales
- Early Forms of Porter & Pale
Wood and Barrel Aging
- English Old Ale from the Wood
- Whiskey-Barrel Beers
- Wine-Barrel Lambics & Sour Browns
- Wood Without Barrels
Non-Standard Ingredients
Extract Sources & Their Use
- Mashing and Lautering Adjunct Grains
- Using Adjuncts in Recipes
- Ethnic and Varietal Sugars: A Tasting
- Sugar in Beer: The Right Way
- A Dab of Honey
Herbs & Spices in Beer
- Concepts, Quantities, & Usage
- Spiced Beer Styles
- A Catalog & Tasting of Useful Spices
Brewing with Fruits & Vegetables
- Fruit, Concentrate, Extracts and Flavorings
- A Different Balance: Sweet & Sour in Fruit Beers
- A Smattering of Fruits for Brewing
Brewing Outside the Lines
The New Product Development process
Techniques & Directions for New Products
Hot Trends in Creative Brewing
Approaching Beer and Food
Why & How
3-Part Pairing Approach
Specific Dishes & Meal Parts
Other Concepts
Beer & Food Hands-On Tasting
4 Cheese & Beer Pairs
4 Dessert & Beer Pairs
This two-day class that serves as a basic introduction to the world of beer. Developed at the request of beer distributors, this class covers a wide range of beer context and characteristics including history, the tasting process and parameters of beer, de-emphasizing technical and recipe formulation details. As with the Master of Beer Styles course, we discuss and taste dozens of traditional and evolving beer styles, all aiming to give attendees solid footing for their beer career and further study.
Professional Beer Styles and Tasting Outline
Section 1 Introduction
What is Beer?
- Beer in Context
-A widespread product
-Lifestyle & Diet
-Culture
-Seasons
A Little Beer History
-Beginnings in the Ancient World
-Medieval to Modern, Gruit to Hops
-The Industrial Revolution
-Meanwhile, in the Caves of Bavaria
-The American Beer Story
-Craft Beer Revolution
Section 2 - Sensory
Physiology and Psychology
-Taste
-Smell
-Flavor, Memory and the Brain
Techniques for Sensory Evaluation
Practical Tips for Evaluating Beer
Sources of Flavor & Aroma
-The Taste of Beer
-Beer Aroma & the Flavor Wheel
Tastings & Judging
-Types of Tastings
-Competition Judging
-Evaluation Forms
-Informal Tastings
-Settings & Methods
-Tasting Glasses
Section 3 - Beer by the Numbers
Gravity (Strength of “wort” or unfermented beer)
Alcohol
Color
Bitterness
A Question of Balance
Section 4 - Brewing and the Vocabulary of Beer Flavor
Beer Ingredients (including smelling/tasting samples)
-Malt
-Other Grains & Fermentables
-Hops
-Water
-Yeast
-Other Ingredients
Raw Materials Problems
Hands On: The next section involves spiked commercial beers with specific off-flasvors added as appropriate for the issue being discussed
The Brewing Process
-Malting
-Mashing
-Brewhouse Problems
-Boiling
-Chilling
-Fermenting
Fermentation/Maturation Problems
-Yeast
-Infection
-Maturation
Post-production Problems
-Filtration & Pasteurization
-Packaging Problems
-Storage & Shipping
Mishandling in the Trade
-It’s old!
-It might be the draft line
-Light & That Skunky Thing
Section 5 - What Is a style?
The styles sections below feature a combination of lecture, slides and tasting, giving a thorough overview of the character of the styles.
Section 6 - Ales of the United Kingdom
The Pale Ale Family: Bitter, ESB, Pale, IPA
Brown & Mild Ale
Scottish and Scotch Ales
Porter
Stout
Old & Strong Ales
Barley Wine
New British Styles
Section 7 - Lager
The classic styles of Europe: Germany & Czech Republic
-Pilsner
-Helles
-Märzen/Vienna/Oktoberfest
-Alt & Kölsch
-Munich Dunkel
-Maibock & Bock
-Weisse & Weizen
American Lagers & Related Styles
-American Adjunct Pilsner
-International Pilsener
-Classic Preprohibition Pilsner
-Cream Ale
-Steam Beer
Section 8 - European Ales
Düsseldorfer Altbier
Kölsch
Section 9 - Belgium & France
Trappist & Abbey Ales
Strong Ale
Saisons
French Bière de Garde
Witbier
Artistic Beers
Lambic
Sour Brown & Red Beers
Belgian Fruit Beers
Section 10 - New American Classics
Amber & Red Ales
American Pale/IPA
Hyper-Hoppy Imperials
Barrel-Aged Ales
Super-Strong Beers
Fruit, Spice & Vegetable Beers
Section 11 - Serving & Storing Beer
Aging beer
-When and Why
-Suitable Types
-Conditions
Serving Temperatures by styles
Beer Glassware
-What Matters and What Doesn’t
-Historical & Classic
-Tasting Glasses
Section 12 - Beer & Food
Why is beer so good with food?
Pairing Approaches
-Three Things…
-Familiarity Pairs
-Classic Combinations
-Some Surprising Pairs
Beer & Cheese
Beer with Desserts
Beer Cuisine
Beer & Food Tastings & Dinners
In addition to lecture/slides, the last part of this section features a tasting of beers paired first with several different cheeses, then with several different dessert items. Participants are encouraged to discover pairings that work especially well. This is always a surprising and well-received experience.
Leave-Behinds
PDFs of Class Lecture Slides
Beer Color Guide
Beer Flavor Wheel
World Beer Cup Beer Detailed Style Guidelines
Glossary of Common Beer & Brewing Terms
12-page full-color Food & Beer Styles Pairing Guide (Brewers Association)
Bibliography of Useful Beer Books
This one-day class was developed in response to the tremendous interest in this subject these days, as people discover that food is an indispensable tool with which to present and sell beer. As the class title says, this is as hands-on as we can possibly make it. Participants blend brunch beer cocktails, choose and evaluate cheese-and-beer pairings, and even participate in a team competition to create a beer-paired entrée that then is served for the course participants’ own lunch.
Siebel Beer and Food: A Hands-On Encounter
1a. Introduction and Objectives
- Why beer?
- A word about wine and food
1b. The Fundamentals of Beer & Food Harmonization
- The importance of matching intensity
- Common vocabulary of beer & food
Demo: Taste of umami/glutamate
- Beer ingredients and flavor sources
- Food ingredients that share characteristics with beer
- Food preparation methods and their importance in beer pairings
- Dealing with contrasts (bitter, fat, sweet, umami, etc)
- Familiarity/affinity pairings
- Evolved beer & food traditions (Belgium, UK, Germany)
2. Beer and Breakfast
- Considerations, vocabulary, beers + breakfast/brunch foods
Hands-On: DIY Breakfast Cocktails
3. Beer and Cheese
- A crash course in cheese: technology, milk, types, flavors
- Specifics of beer and cheese
Hands-On: Demonstration pairing (3 pairs)
Hands-On: Working Pairing Evaluation(3 pairs)
4. Beer with Salads
- Considerations, vocabulary, beers
Hands-On: Deconstructed Salad Demo
5. Beer with Appetizers & Main Dishes
Hands-On: A Celebrity Chef-style DIY Lunch Smackdown
6. Planning a beer & food menu
- Goals
- Practical Considerations
- Planning & Execution
7. Cooking with Beer and Brewing Ingredients
- Opportunities & Limitations
- Uses of Beer in Cooking
- Beer Ingredient Flavor Vocabulary
- Opportunities to Cook with Brewing Ingredients
- Beer Cooking Techniques
- Ideas & Inspirations
8. Beer & Desserts
- Opportunities
- Considerations
- Vocabulary
Hands-On: Beer & Dessert Tasting