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Meet Our Course Director

Rob McCaig - M.Sc., Fellow of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling

Rob McCaig comes to the role of course director (CD) having retired in 2019, with over 40 years in the brewing industry. He has always had a passion for brewing education, serving as technical chairman and president of the ASBC and MBAA, as well as sitting on the board of examiners for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling for over ten years. Since 2020 he has brought incredible experience and energy to our Brewing and Malting Cou​rse community. He says he enjoys the role because it allows him to meet, interact and learn from the next generation of brewers that attend our program.

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  Some of his past roles and accomplishments include:

  • 22 years at Molson
  • R&D at Molson, Montreal where he published 25+ papers on brewing yeast
  • Corporate Pilot Brewer at the Molson pilot brewery where he developed 100+ new beer recipes and was awarded three patents for novel beers (low alcohol) and process (filtration)
  • Brewmaster working with all the international brewing partners (Miller, Coors, Bass, Lowenbrau. Kirin, Asahi, Fosters)
  • 11 years as managing director of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre, an organization that technically supported the sale of Canadian malting barley
  • Directed technical support and troubleshooting in state-of-the-art pilot malting and brewing facilities with breweries all over the world
  • Interacted with the entire malting barley value chain, from farmers to suppliers, malting companies, and brewers
    
  • 7 years as Chief brewer of Europe and director of innovation for SABMiller & Asahi Europe
    
  • Relocated to Switzerland
  • Worked with iconic brands: Pilsner Urquell, Kozel, Peroni, Grolsch and Tyskie Gronie
  • Four malting facilities supplying 500,000 tonnes of malt annually

  
  

  Since retirement, he stays active in the industry doing some consulting with FirstKey and with FlavorAcTiv, as well as being chairman of the oldest brewing competition in the world, the International Brewing Awards held in the UK.

  When he has the time, he still plays hockey as a goaltender 2-3 times a week, as well as golf in the summers. He also enjoys traveling and visiting all of the places and people that he has worked with over the years.

Course Summary

As a students in the Brewing and Malting Science Course, you will benefit from the experience and wisdom of more than 20 subject matter experts (SMEs) in the field. SMEs leverage their training and professional expertise to teach the technical side of the brewing and malting process.

In this hybrid course, you'll learn, discuss, and interact with instructors and classmates for six weeks online, and then gather in person for five days of collaborative learning, demonstrations, and tours at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN.

Featured Topics

• Life Sciences for Brewers: Water, brewing microbiology, yeast
  
• Malting: Malting barley, malt plant operations, malt analyses, specialty malts, flavor and aroma
  
• Hops: Hop production, pellets, extracts, dry hopping
  
• Safety: Cleaning & sanitizing, workplace health and safety, food safety
  
• Brewery: Design and operations, automation, cellar operations, filtration, effluent management
  
• Wort: Milling, mashing, lautering, boiling, aeration
  
• Sensory: Flavor stability, beer sensory
  
• Alternative Beverages: Seltzers, N.A., and cannabis in beer
  

Key Takeaways

• Greater understanding of the scientific principles and operational guidelines associated within the main brewing and malting disciplines.
  
• Increased ability to troubleshoot problems that arise in the brewing process.
• Broader network of support within the brewing industry.
  

Skill Building through Real-Life Scenarios & Expert Collaboration​

• Learn to conduct guided discussions and solve common brewing and malting problems through real-life examples and scenarios led by SMEs.
  
• Gain best practices from brewery experts that you can immediately apply within your own brewery.
• Takeaway a more complete perspective on your industry with greater confidence to tackle on-the-job issues​ by developing a clearer understanding of brewing, utility, packaging systems, engineering, maintenance, and technology.
  
• Expand your peer network and foster relationships with Subject Matter Experts that can assist and support you long after the course ends.
  
  

Course Requirements

1. ​Both the virtual and in-person components of the course are required to receive a certificate of completion.

2. The virtual portion of the course requires a significant time commitment. Students must be able to:

   • ​Dedicate 10-12 hours per week for virtual coursework.
     
   • Set aside time from work to participate in the live, online discussion sessions taking place 1:00 - 4:00 pm Central Time on Fridays during the six weeks of virtual learning (it is not possible to work while attending these interactive virtual sessions)​.
     
     
3. By registering for this course you agree to abide by the Health and Behavior Policy.

Course Schedule​

For a full list of topics, dates, and Subject Matter Experts participating in this year's course, reference the course schedule.

Course Cost

Included with Tuition​

• ​​Lodging accommodations at the in-person class site in Minneapolis
• Two meals per day during in-person class times​
  
• On-site tours​
• Opening and closing banquets for the in-person week ​
• Educational materials and job aids
  
• Networking and relationship-building activities
  
  

Is This Course Right for Me?

Students that are the most successful in learning from and completing this course are:

• willing to invest time and effort to deepen their understanding of brewery processes and equipment
• open to sharing their own experiences
• interested in expanding their professional network​
  
• dedicated learning in a virtual and in-person classroom environment.
  

​Registration

Register by October 6 to dive into our online coursework with time to join our first live Zoom discussion on Friday, October 13.

Click here to download a pdf of the registration form.

​​Cancellation Policy

Only the first 55 applications accompanied by the tuition fee, paid in full (US funds only), will be accepted. Course tuition includes educational materials, breakfast and lunch on days of instruction, opening and closing banquets, and accommodations. Cancellations received by Master Brewers Headquarters on or before September 15, 2023, will be issued a credit equal to the registration fee, less $100 processing fee, which will be good for two years toward any Master Brewers continuing education program. Notices of cancellation after September 15, 2023, will not be eligible for a refund or credit. Master Brewers reserves the right to cancel the course if a sufficient number of registrations are not received by September 15, 2023. If Master Brewers cancels this course, your registration fee will be refunded in full. In the event Master Brewers cancels this course, Master Brewers is not liable for nonrefundable airfares or ticket change penalties imposed by the airlines. By registering for this course, you agree to the cancellation and refund terms and conditions.

Questions? Email mbaa@mbaa.com or call +1 (651) 454-7250.

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