New program at Pa. college: How to brew beer

People hoping spend the rest of their lives around beer have a new option at a midstate college.

The Pennsylvania College of Technology is set to start a brewing and science fermentation program this fall.

It’s said to be the first of its kind in the state.

Students at the college in Williamsport will take classes on biology, chemistry, math and business, and participate in a summer internship.

Tim Yarrington – who has won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival – will lead the new career track.

“The idea that ‘oh brewers, you have the greatest job, all’s you do is drink beer, you can drink all the beer.’ In my realm, we certainly do have contact with the beer, but I what I want to build into this program, to be a professional brewer, there’s a certain amount of respect that you have to have for the craft and the product that you’re producing,” says Yarrington.

Yarrington says the college in Lycoming County wants to graduate students who are ready to work, and that goal is the same with the brewing program.

“We will taste critically, we will taste analytically, but we don’t drink, we don’t drink beer here in the brewery while we’re making beer. We may taste it, we may taste it for analytical purposes and for critical purposes, but there’s no drinking that happens in the brewery,” he adds.

He says graduates may start in entry-level jobs, but should already have the skills needed to advance quickly.