Brewing Technology and Entrepreneurship course

An in-person course on microbreweries

Tuesday evenings, 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. from January 13th to May 28th, 2026 on Marquette's campusRegister here

About the Course:

Are you interested in the technology and the entrepreneurial skills needed to run a successful microbrewery? Then consider joining the adult learning course, “Brewing Technology and Entrepreneurship” at Marquette University. No homework; no tests.

The course will walk you through the brewing processes of malting, mashing, lautering and fermenting beer. Lab experiences are included to understand and measure the quality of water, barley, yeast and hops. Fermentation conditions for optimum beer production will be covered. In addition, entrepreneurial skills for successful microbreweries will be introduced, including target audiences and branding, preliminary planning, business plans, location research and what needs to be done to keep a microbrewery running. Learners will work in small brewing groups to brand, brew and bottle their own beer. A beer release party and tasting (with awards for best beers) will finish the class on April 28, 2026 at the Broken Bat Brewery (135 E. Pittsburg Ave., Milwaukee, WI).

Non-student enrollment is limited to 10 participants. Professional learners will be learning alongside current Marquette students enrolled in the course for academic credit. Professional learners will not be expected to complete the same assignments and evaluations as the students.

Locations:

Instructors and guest speakers:

Mike Dollhopf
Manager of Water Quality Center Laboratories
Marquette University

Tim Pauly
Owner/Operator
Broken Bat Brewery

Joe Yeado
Founder and President
Gathering Place Brewing Company

Daniel Zitomer
Professor of Civil, construction and Environmental Engineering
Marquette University

Topics covered:

  • History of craft beer
  • Brewing basics
  • Water quality and beer
  • Alcohol content measurement
  • Barley and Hops quality considerations
  • Yeast types and fermentation
  • Non-alcoholic beer considerations
  • Branding and labeling
  • Beer marketing and demographics
  • Brewery engineering considerations

Registration fee:

$800 per participant. Registration includes 30 hours of instruction and provides attendees with access to all lectures, brewing lab experience and a copy of all course handout material online.

Questions? Contact:

Dr. Daniel Zitomer
Marquette University
P.O. Box 1881
Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881
(phone) 414-288-5733
daniel.zitomer@mu.edu