In 'Beer City,' a 'Beer School' opens for students – and business – this year.
"This was a response to the industry."
Bill Pink is the dean and vice president of the school of workforce development at Grand Rapids Community College.
"We had industry partners – some of the local breweries that said we really would like to see this. The curriculum that we’ve developed was also sent back out to them to say, 'OK, is this what you need?'"
Pink says GRCC’s new craft brew operations certificate program includes coursework on serving, tasting and pairing as well as management and merchandising.
And, of course, how to brew.
"What’s cool about that for GRCC is that while we’re not the only program in the country, obviously, that has some type of a craft brew program on campus – we are the first in the country to actually have a brew pub on campus that is used as its lab."
That brew pub will be a complement to the culinary program’s Heritage Restaurant.
"It’s just like the Heritage," Pink says. "The Heritage is a lab for our culinary students. That brew pub is going to be a lab for those craft brew students as well."
'Beer School' is in session this summer.
The school’s taproom is scheduled to open in the fall.