Beer brewing appreciating class sessions are being offered by the Bakersfield College Levan Institute of Lifelong Learning in partnership with the Temblor Brewing Company for the second time.

Last year, three sessions were offered on the BC campus by the Levan Institute. This time, the three sessions will be held on site at the Temblor brewery located at 3200 Buck Owens Blvd.

According to Thomas Maxwell, the CFO of Temblor, the class sessions include beer tasting. Last semester, Maxwell and Don Bynum, the owner of Temblor, actually brought beer and equipment to campus. This time should be much more convenient as the classes will be held in the guest seating area at Temblor. Food will be provided, as the brewery has a full kitchen and menu. In addition to beer making and food, Temblor is also a local venue for entertainment. There is a stage in the guest sitting area, which will be utilized by Maxwell and Bynum for speaking to their student audience.

The idea for these classes came from Maxwell, Bynum, and Robert Allison, the director of the Levan Institute in 2016. Allison said that the center offers several classes focused on art and craft appreciation. The class will highlight and teach the art of beer appreciation, but offers no certificate and, as of now, there are no higher level classes. What can be expected from the three-day sessions is a behind-the-scenes look into the process of beer making and the activity of a beer brewery. The class will involve beer tasting from beers from all over the world with a specific focus on California beers. Students can expect to learn about the history of beer, ingredients, styles of beer, and the beer-making process. The last class will include a tour through the brew house with head brewer Mike Lahti to gain insight into the industrial process of a brewery. There are no tests or exams for this class.

Allison said that registration for all Levan Institute courses can be done online at www.Bakersfieldcollege.edu/levancenter. Students can also register in person at the Levan Center on campus but office hours are limited.

The courses do not train students on how to be a professional beer brewer, but according to Maxwell, these courses will give students a glimpse into the beer aficionado world. The first step is to become a certified beer server, which is a beer consumer expert. This will be an area of focus for the instructors in an effort to help students on the journey to becoming an expert in the beer world.

The instructors will provide knowledge, information, and resources for students wanting to become a certified beer server.  Exams and certificates can be found on websites like www. cicerone.org. Maxwell said that for people following this career path, the ultimate goal would be to become a cicerone. A cicerone as stated on the cicerone website designates hospitality professionals with proven experience in selecting, acquiring and serving today’s wide range of beers.

Maxwell said that they believe, based on last semester, that they will have students at every level of beer knowledge.

“We’ll have some people who are really, really into beer, have been for a long time and are very knowledgeable. You’ll also have other students who really don’t know much at all about beer. They may not have experience with beers outside of the big box breweries like Budweiser and Coors”, said Maxwell. He says the class is tailored to accommodate and educate all levels of beer interest.

Last semester, when the class was held on campus, approximately 30 students signed up. Given the people capacity at Temblor, Allison expects more students to sign up to attend these class sessions.

The first two sessions will be held on March 14 and 21 from 5:30-8 p.m. The last session will be on March 28 and will be from 5:30-9:00 p.m. Levan Center director Allison said this class is an artisan appreciation class.

“This is education for education sake,” he said