Learning to brew online from anywhere: what a live course gives you
You can learn to brew from your own kitchen, anywhere in the world, with live teachers. Here is what that looks like and how it works across time zones.
The gap between watching and brewing
Videos are everywhere and many are good. What they cannot do is answer you. You watch a brewer pour a pale ale, then your own beer tastes of green apples and you do not know why. The cause could be young beer, stressed yeast, temperature or an infection. A teacher who can see your numbers, hear your description and ask the right question gets you to the answer quickly.
What a live course gives you
- Live teaching. Working brewers explain the process and answer questions as you go.
- Small groups. Our classes have a maximum of 20 students, so you are not a face in a crowd.
- Weekly assignments. You brew, measure and report, which builds habit.
- Recordings. Each class is recorded, so you can rewatch or catch up if you miss one.
- A certificate. A record of the work you have done.
Ask yourself what you want from a course. If it is a clear order of operations, the syllabus gives you one. If it is feedback on a particular fault, bring photographs and numbers to the Q&A. If it is a community, the small group gives you a handful of fellow brewers who know what you are attempting and can compare notes after the course ends.
How time zones work
Our classes run on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM India Standard Time (UTC+5:30). That is 06:30 UTC. In Nairobi (UTC+3) it is 09:30 and in Dubai (UTC+4) it is 10:30. In Singapore (UTC+8) it is 14:30. In the UK it falls in the early morning and in North America it falls overnight or very early, so students there rely on the recordings and the assignments. You join from your own time zone and recordings cover any missed class.
What you need before the first class
A laptop or phone with a stable connection, a kitchen and a modest amount of equipment: a pot, a thermometer, a hydrometer and a fermenter. We help you choose and the course works whether you have a 5 L pot or a 50 L system. Read homebrewing in a small apartment for a small set-up and homebrewing in Singapore and Malaysia for a tropical example.
Read the syllabus and gather the basics: a pot, a thermometer, a hydrometer and a kitchen scale. Choose a space for fermentation and measure the room temperature across a day. Find your tap water report and read it (see reading your city water report). Bring questions to class: the best ones come from a real brew that did not go to plan.
If you have never brewed, do not worry. The first week starts from the beginning.
Time zones need a little arithmetic, so check your own city against UTC. Classes begin at 06:30 UTC. If you are east of India they fall in the afternoon and if you are west of it they fall in the morning, or overnight in the Americas. If the live slot falls overnight for you, watch the recording the next day.
What you learn
Brewing Fundamentals runs for 4 weeks. It covers the four ingredients, the brew day from mash to boil to cooling, fermentation, packaging and fault finding. You leave understanding why each step matters, which lets you adapt recipes. That includes converting recipes between unit systems (see converting brewing recipes) and adjusting to your own climate.
Who it suits
It suits homebrewers who have made a few batches and want to improve, people who have never brewed and want to start properly and people thinking about a career in beer. It does not require a degree or any previous training. It does not promise a job. It promises that you will brew more consistently and understand why.
Learning with your own equipment
A strength of learning at home is that you practise on the equipment you will really use. A teacher on a screen can see the size of your pot, the colour of your wort in a photograph and the numbers in your log. A teacher in a lecture hall cannot. Assignments are built around your own brew, so the feedback is about your beer.
Ready to join
The fee is on the course page. Each batch is capped at 20 students. If you are weighing it up, read the syllabus, check the time-zone conversion for your city and decide which weekend suits you. If you have questions, the enquiry form on the course page reaches us.
Common questions
Can I take the course from outside India?
Yes. Classes are live online and students join from their own time zone. Recordings cover a missed class.
What time are the classes?
Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM India Standard Time (UTC+5:30).
How big are the classes?
A maximum of 20 students per batch.
Do I get a certificate?
Yes. The course includes weekly assignments, recordings and a certificate.
