Brewers Association Launches New Online Training Center

From the Brewers Association:

The Brewers Association (BA) has launched a new and improved online training center to support training and development needs for industry professionals, featuring online courses that can be completed in short sessions on a computer, tablet, or mobile device. Access is free now through the end of October; starting in November, online courses will be available for individuals and teams to purchase at member and nonmember rates. Beer and brewing professionals can expect exciting new content and feature releases over the next year, including training modules on beer quality management, beer ingredients, and human resources.

Create a free account and access courses in the online training center Opens in new window.

The online training center is hosted by a learning management platform designed for the BA by the eLearning company Xcelerate MediaOpens in new window. Xcelerate Media develops training solutions for Boston Beer Company, as well as many other large customers, and brings expertise in learning management software, courseware, and instructional design to the BA.

The Brewers Association’s investment in developing a centralized resource for small businesses to train their employees is a reflection of our commitment to education and making learning more accessible for all.

Kaylyn Kirkpatrick, BA director of education

“Many large-scale businesses use learning management system software to host and track employee training and have at least one training and development professional on staff, whether that’s for compliance reasons or tied to business outcomes or employee wellbeing,” says Kaylyn Kirkpatrick, director of education at the BA. “The Brewers Association’s investment in developing a centralized resource for small businesses to train their employees is a reflection of our commitment to education and making learning more accessible for all.”

Traditional in-person courses, workshops, and events can be invaluable to professional development, but typically cost more to travel, enroll, and step away from daily responsibilities. Online courses offer a supplemental or alternative model to traditional education with a more accessible price point and digestible format to address compliance, safety, or task-based instruction, and can usually be completed while on the job.

I really like the new training dashboard and found it to be straightforward. It looks great and the online course modules are easy to navigate and user friendly. I am already thinking about how we will include the Brewery Safety Training as part of our in-house safety program.

Campbell Morrissy, director of brewery operations, pFriem Family Brewers

Wow, the new online training center is awesome! I am very much looking forward to utilizing it with the brewers here as the content looks excellent. Thanks so much for this new tool, and congrats on what is sure to be an extremely impactful tool for the industry!

Eric Ritchson, facilities and operations, Pizza Port Brewing

The updates made to the Draught Line Safety course are fantastic and an improvement on an already great resource. The flash cards, diagrams, and interactive sections built in are well made and engaging. I plan on having my bar leads go through this training and I think this is going to be a great program.

Zach Perrotte, taproom manager, Untold Brewing

The BA develops and curates best practice guidance and educational resources for members of the brewing community with a particular focus on topics critical to business performance, such as safety and quality. Online course offerings through the BA reflect this need, covering topics spanning safe brewhouse and cellar operations, line cleaning best practices, and the foundational techniques for managing beer quality.

Link to author biography

WRITTEN BYKaylyn Kirkpatrick

Kaylyn Kirkpatrick is the director of education for the Brewers Association where she works diligently to ensure members are equipped with the educational resources they need to thrive and survive. Previously, Kaylyn managed the Cornell University Brewing Extension program where she worked to develop and facilitate resources for the craft beer community in New York state. She got her start in beer working in quality assurance at New Belgium Brewing Company. Kaylyn has an academic background in brewing science, having completed an M.S. at Oregon State University where she led the first investigations into "hop creep" as well as earning the prestigious Diploma in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing & Distilling in London.