Which Craft Beer School course is right for you? A simple guide

Start with the goal, not the course

The courses are not interchangeable. A one-hour online course and a month in a working microbrewery are built for different people with different questions. So begin with what you want from brewing, then look at the format.

Most readers fall into one of five groups: curious about beer, keen to brew at home, thinking about a career, planning a brewery or already working in one. The sections below take them in turn.

If you are curious and want to test the water

Beer for Starters is a one-hour online course at ₹199. It is the lowest-risk way to find out whether brewing holds your interest. Safety in Brewing is a free one-week online course. It is worth doing before you go near any brewing kit.

If you would rather see a brewery than read about one, the 1-Day Super Intensive Craft Beer Course is a full brew day in a working microbrewery. It costs ₹25,000 and runs in Pune, Delhi, Gurugram or Bengaluru. We cover how it compares with the month-long option in one-day vs one-month.

If you brew at home or want to start

Brewing Fundamentals is the usual first step. It runs four weeks online (8 live sessions of 2 hours) and costs ₹5,999. By the end you can explain each step from mill to package, build a 20 L recipe with a target OG, IBU and colour. You can also calculate ABV from your own gravity readings. It is also listed as an in-person course.

Once your batches are decent and you want them consistent, Advanced Brewing Science is the next rung. It runs six weeks online at ₹12,999 and covers water chemistry, mash chemistry, hop chemistry and fermentation control. It suits serious homebrewers, assistant brewers and graduates of Brewing Fundamentals. Expect the maths to be real.

If you are thinking about a career

Two questions help here: what is your background? How much can you commit? A science graduate may skip some of the basics, while a career switcher from marketing or finance often gains most from starting at the beginning. Our guides on whether you need a science background and which course suits a future professional brewer go into each path.

The 1-Month Intensive Brewing Excellence Course is the most hands-on option. It is 4 weeks, 48 contact hours, ₹1,25,000, with QC lab access, career guidance and internship recommendations. It is a learning programme. We cannot promise a job or an internship. Our guide on whether a course can help you get a job is straight about that.

If you want to open a brewery

Learning to brew and building a brewery are two separate things. Courses teach you the craft and the business side: Brewery Business Management is a three-week online course at ₹8,999. A brewery project, from first idea through setup and execution, is a different service. That is our brewery consultancy. You do not need to take a course to use it.

Our guide on what to learn first if you want to start a brewery sets out the order of things.

Online or in person?

Online courses run live on Saturdays and Sundays, 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM IST, with recordings, weekly assignments and a certificate. Batches are capped at 20 students. That suits anyone with a job and a family. In-person courses put you at the kettle and the fermenter, but you must travel to one of four cities and take the time off.

Neither is better in general. Our online vs offline comparison sets out what each does well. Some students pair the two, an online course followed by an in-person day. Ask us how that would work for you.

Three common situations

A few examples show how the choice changes with the person. They are patterns we see often, not case studies.

• A marketing manager who loves beer and wonders about a change. Start with Beer for Starters or Brewing Fundamentals online. Both let you keep your job while you find out whether the subject holds you. If you then want to see the work itself, add a day in a working microbrewery.
• A homebrewer whose beer is good one batch and off the next. This is a consistency problem. Advanced Brewing Science deals with water, mash and fermentation control. The month course also targets recurring faults, with QC lab access.
• A taproom or hospitality professional who talks about beer all day. Brewing Fundamentals gives you the vocabulary and the reasoning behind each step. The one-day course shows you the kit.

If you do not see yourself here, that is normal. Write to us and describe your own situation.

Take the first step

If you are still unsure, write to us. Tell us what you do now, what you hope brewing will become and how many hours a week you can spare. We will suggest a starting point, which may be the ₹199 course rather than the biggest one.

Common questions

Can I take more than one course?

Yes. Many students start with Brewing Fundamentals and move to Advanced Brewing Science or an in-person course later. Ask us about the order that suits you.

Do I need brewing experience before I enrol?

It depends on the course. Brewing Fundamentals is written for people ready to brew a first real recipe. For exact entry requirements on any course, ask us.

Is the school's consultancy the same as a course?

No. Courses are for learning. Brewery consultancy is a separate service that supports brewery projects. You do not need a course to use it.