Brewers Association updates CraftBeer.com beer and food course

Hey, beer lovers and super foodies, the Brewers Association (BA) — the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers — recently announced it was expanding its CraftBeer.com Professional Beer & Food Course to nearly 100 pages and now offers four supplemental digital videos to showcase the practices featured in the course. Co-authored by BA Executive Chef Adam Dulye and Julia Herz, craft beer program director of the BA and Certified Cicerone, the curriculum is the definitive beer and food course for culinary institutions, restaurateurs, chefs and beer educators.

The course teaches how to bring craft beer into the kitchen and onto the plate with five in-depth lectures, including two beer tasting sessions detailing 10 popular beer styles and five Interactive Tasting Forms that include menu planning tips and recipes. Four digital videos — An Introduction to Beer, Beer Service and Storage, Beer Styles and Beer and Food Pairing — accompany the course. Additional content updates include:

• Pairing craft beer with food (including new sections on charcuterie and chocolate pairings)
• Expanded tips and tricks for designing a great beer dinner
• Strategies for translating your beer knowledge into language customers can understand
• Practical beer knowledge, from brewing history to beer styles and flavor profiles
• How to store, cellar and serve beer properly
• Instructor guide and final exam each now rolled into the course

“According to a recent Nielsen survey, nearly half of craft drinkers say they drink beer with food ‘always’ or ‘often,’” said Herz. “Beer pairing is more than a trend on the rise and many chefs are building their careers around it. The information in this course educates and emboldens culinary students and professionals to be leaders in their field when crafting food offerings and creating beer pairings.”

Since the course launched in fall 2014, more than 9,000 copies have been downloaded and ordered by beer and food professionals as well as top culinary and hospitality programs, including The Culinary Institute of America, Johnson & Wales, Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, and more.

“CraftBeer.com’s Beer & Food Course underscores our commitment to educating chefs, restaurateurs and beer educators and is an invaluable tool for anyone looking to lead in pairing,” said Chef Dulye.