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TU-Clausthal Brewery

Teaching

In addition to the usual admission requirements, regular participation in the module "Introduction to the Chemistry of Brewing" is a mandatory prerequisite for writing a Bachelor's or Master's thesis in the research brewery at Clausthal University of Technology. Student internships require that either the lecture "Theory and Practice of Beer Brewing" or the lecture "Beer Analysis" have been attended regularly.


Since the winter semester 2021/2022, students of the Master's degree program in Chemistry can choose the module "Introduction to the Chemistry of Brewing". It includes 4 courses:

  1. Theory and practice of beer brewing
  2. Beer analysis
  3. Practical course in the research brewery
  4. Excursion and block lecture on commercial aspects of brewing

The following learning and qualification objectives are taught in the module:
Students know and explain the importance of chemical and procedural processes in the production of beer. They describe and assess the production and characterization of beers from the raw materials to the finished product. Students understand the basic physical and chemical properties of beers and have in-depth knowledge of processes for their production and characterization. They outline their own recipes and carry out the brewing process in all stages up to the analysis of the finished product. They transfer and test the knowledge they have gained in practice using current research topics. Students work on their scientific results and discuss them critically. The module teaches technical, social and methodological skills.

The individual courses can be taken in the respective semester via Stud.IP.

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Frank Endres
 

Basic knowledge of physics and chemistry, such as that taught in the Bachelor's degree course in Chemistry at Clausthal University of Technology, is required.

Contents of the lecture:

  • History
  • The Purity Law of April 23, 1516
  • The provisional beer law of 1993
     
  • Tax aspects
  • The "craft beer" era
  • Classification of beers
  • Types of beer
  • Types of beer
  • Overview of the brewing process
  • Overview of malt production and types of malt
  • Brewing water
  • Hops
  • Alcoholic fermentation and brewer's yeast
  • The technology of wort preparation (equipment, malt selection, milling, mashing)
  • Isothermal mashing at temperatures > 70 °C

Lecturer Prof. Dr. Frank Endres
 

Basic knowledge of physics and chemistry, such as that taught in the Bachelor's degree course in Chemistry at Clausthal University of Technology, is required.

Contents of the course:
 

  • Original gravity of unfermented wort using refractometry and Biegeschwinger
  • Determination of sugar distribution (enzymatic, HPLC)
  • Determination of amino acids (ninhydrin method, HPLC)
  • Determination of original gravity and alcohol content of finished beers using oscillating U-tube and NIR spectrometry
  • Determination of color and bitterness using UV/Vis spectrometry
  • Determination of the lactic acid content
  • Identification of lactic acid bacteria contamination using the polymer chain reaction

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Frank Endres
 

Basic knowledge of physics and chemistry, such as that taught in the Bachelor's degree course in Chemistry at Clausthal University of Technology, is required.

Contents of the practical course:

  • Calculation of different brews
  • Brewing 3 beers in the research brewery (bottom-fermented, top-fermented, non-alcoholic beer)
  • In situ monitoring of the brewing parameters
     
  • Fermentation in cylindrically-conical fermentation tanks
  • Counter pressure bottling
  • Beer analysis
  • HACCP - Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points

Lecturers: Prof. Dr. Frank Endres, Dr. Martin Zarnkow (TU Munich)
 

Basic knowledge of physics and chemistry, such as that taught in the Bachelor's degree course in Chemistry at Clausthal University of Technology, is required.

Contents of the course:

  • Excursion to a brewery, familiarization with commercial brewing processes, accompanying lecture (by Dr. Zarnkow):
  • Malting - just an energetic paradox?
  • Mashing - from poorly soluble to liquid
  • Fermentation - almost inexhaustible variety
     
  • Foam - the characteristic of beer
  • Stability - the crux of globalization
  • Brewing history - beer as a driving force for settling down?