Break the Books for Third Space Beer School
School is in session at Third Space Brewing.
Friday marks the start of Beer School, a series of 90-minute classes with teacher/brewmaster Kevin Wright providing the instruction.
Apparently, craft beer lovers are ready to learn because the first course, How to Taste and Evaluate Beer, sold out its 35 places in advance.
“We really think there’s an interest in this kind of fun and educational program,” Wright said. “We didn’t know how the first one would fare – new schedule, January schedule – but we’re really happy with the response.”
There are no final exams at Beer School and attendance includes six five-ounce beers and light snacks. The registration cost is only $30 per class. The beer school runs once a month at least until the end of the year, but probably longer if interest persists. The next five classes are available to register for the moment.
- February 24: APIs. Learn the history of the IPA and examine its multitude of style differences.
- March, 31st: Ales from the British Isles. Discuss stouts, porters, barley wines and other styles originating in England, Scotland and Ireland.
- April 28: Belgian beers. Discover the intricacies of the Belgian beer family, including the season.
- May 26: Beer and cheese pairing. Find out how complementary and contrasting flavors work when it comes to pairing beer and cheese.
- June 30th : sour beer. Discuss the evolution of different types of sour beers.
“We wanted the classes to be very much about tasting and beer, so we tried to pick topics that would allow us to bring in a wide variety of beers,” Wright said.
Beer School was born thanks to a few Third Space employees. According to events coordinator Kara Olds, they found a “lack of accessible education in the city about adult beverages, and especially beer, given that Milwaukee is known as ‘Brew City’.”
The series of events gives craft beer lovers a chance to learn, but it also gives Wright an opportunity to teach. The co-founder of Third Space is certainly qualified. He studied brewing through the Master Brewing Program at the University of California, Davis. In 2009 Wright won the JS Ford Award, given annually to the person who achieves the highest score on the Diploma in Brewing examination, given by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling in London.
“I really enjoy talking and teaching people about beer,” Wright explained. “There’s so much to learn and it’s a fun subject. We typically do beer education internally with our team, so this is a great opportunity to engage some of our customers. »
