I arrived in Chicago this past Sunday to begin the first two modules of the 12 week International Brewers Diploma Program at Siebel Institute.  Before I left Chris gave me another academic assignment, to write a little bit regarding my experience here in Chicago.  So just to let anyone who is interested in entering the program know, so far it has been fantastic!  There is nothing like going to school and learning about a specific discipline that one is making his/her career.  I graduated from Kenyon College with a B.A. in anthropology.  Anthropology was enjoyable to learn about, but during the end of my junior year I figured out that I wanted to pursue a career in the beer industry (making it a little hard to be fully engaged in my major).  Going back to school for brewing has not been a big party like freshman year of college.  These first few days have been relatively vigorous.  The class time is 9-5, and we are learning about the harvest/malting process barley undergoes before it gets to the brewery and how brewers can use this information towards malt selection and recipe formulation.  Although the school material is intensive and fairly technical, the school takes measures to make our time at Siebel quite enjoyable.  We do have a “bier stube” above our classroom where we eat our lunch and are allowed to have beer from two rotating draft lines during our lunch break and after we are done for the day. Also, the Goose Island Brewpub (conveniently across the street from the school) gives students a 20% discount during our time in Chicago, leading many students to use the downstairs dining area as a study room during the week.  However, students are not pounding beers during lunch or after class, but rather having a couple beers and speaking with each other about experiences and knowledge acquired while in the beer industry, pursuing a career in the industry, or what we have learned in class.  It is a non-competitive environment between students and from what I can tell the individuals and instructors are very motivated and passionate.  I am very appreciative for Iron Hill allowing me to complete this program over the next year and a half, and hope that I come back a better brewer.  I will keep you updated with the course material and Chicago experience while I am here.  Hope all is well in Jersey.

 - Jeff