Part two of my personal history of beer is still in the works, but until then I’m skipping to the present-this very day to be exact. Last week, I mailed in my application to the Siebel Institute for their International Diploma in Brewing program. Well, today I received an email confirming my acceptance for the program this fall. The program will consist of two months of intensive study at their campus in Chicago, followed by a month of hands-on study in Munich, Germany, and a tour of various European breweries, ingredient producers, and manufacturers. I’m pretty damn excited, to put it plainly. Siebel was initially a second choice for me after the UC davis Master Brewers Program, but Davis has this nasty habit of filling up two years in advance before I get my last prerequisite class done. Plus I wouldn’t have gone to Europe. Win-win in my book, though a bit more of a hassle when you factor in finding a place to live in Chicago for two months and the multiple plane flights. The two programs are comparable, but Davis was just much closer and more convenient.
Siebel has been training brewers for over one hundred years now, and they certainly have a prestigious list of alumni. The International Diploma Program is an intense, advanced-level brewing course. Right now I am not prepared to take it, but hopefully I’ll be in top shape with eight months of study under my belt. From now until September, I’ll be doing my best to learn all that I can about professional brewing, and getting everything in order for my stay.
Here’s their website incase you are curious:
http://www.siebelinstitute.com/
