Quench Your Thirst

Thoughts from a beer industry educator

[quenchyourthirst]

April Classes

Full blown class content starts in April at Prud'homme Beer Certification.

We will be offering our Level 1 class once again @cliffordbrewing n Hamilton with our own Bald Beer Guy - Scott Boyle. Registration is still open and class begins on Monday, April 4th at 6:30pm.

Prud'homme Master Beer Sommelier, Daniel Schmidt will be once again be facilitating a Level 2 class in Guelph. Our hosts @WellingtonBrew and @sleemanbeeer will share the classroom sessions. Class starts on Tuesday, April 5th at 7pm.

Finally, I have the pleasure to once again bring Level 3 to life @SteamWhistle - this course starts on April 5th at 7pm.

Cheers

[quenchyourthirst]

The Beer School by Prud'homme Beer Certification

We are proud to offer something new!

The Beer School® is an online, virtual class broken into a series of topics offered on a weekly basis. We will be launching this in April, 2022.

Know It / Pour It / Pair It

Know It will cover how beer is made and how ingredients and processes influence the flavour profile of different styles of beer.

Pour It will spend time discovering how to pour beer – from a bottle, from a can, from draught tap but also explores the service of beer and draught beer troubleshooting.

Pair It will delve into the principles of beer & food pairing.

We wanted to offer a learning opportunity that was not tied to a full certification program. Our goal is to have people register for these nuggets of learning only if it interests them. Each session will be in a virtual format that will feature a presentation and time for questions. These one hour classes will be available several times throughout the day and will continue all year - so if you miss one, there will be another available later in the year.

The cost will be $20 per person and registration will be available at www.tfkbeer.com

I hope you can join me as I share my 25 years of experience and of course my passion for beer.

Cheers

[quenchyourthirst]

Group Sessions available

Last year, we started a new program - our Remote Learning Classes. This unique version of Prud'homme Beer Certification combines the full online course and weekly, virtual tasting sessions.

So... what's the benefit of learning in this format?

First - it allows for your team members to learn independently at their own pace.

Second - it allows for team members in different geographic locations to get together as a group without the expense of travel and accommodations.

Finally - the weekly virtual sessions are designed to answer any industry/program questions that arise. In addition, we explore a variety of styles of beer and taste them together. This is also an opportunity to tailor the course to your specific brand portfolio and to discuss the nuances and methodology of your business practices.

Prud'homme Beer Certification is a state of the art beer education program. We are constantly looking for new ways of helping the learner retain the concepts necessary to be successful in the beer industry.

Group pricing is available upon request. Contact Roger Mittag at [email protected] or at 289-314-5852.

[quenchyourthirst]

Class is back in session

It has been a long time since we've been so thrilled to be back in school. Prud'homme Beer Certification is embracing 2022 with a variety of different options to learn more about beer.

We kick it off with a Level 1 class @greatlakesbeer on Tuesday, March 1 at 7pm. This class runs for 4 weeks and covers a variety of topics including ingredients & brewing, history of beer, sensory evaluation, draught beer, pouring & serving and finishes off with a beer & food session. Of course, there is some sampling as well - we explore 4 different styles of beer each week.

To register - simply click here

[quenchyourthirst]

The "season' of my discontent

I absolutely love the four distinct seasons...every last moment. However, from time to time, I wish to experience more temperate climate all year round. How does this relate to beer you may ask.

I have been searching diligently for Porters and Stouts in July and August for my classes and quite frankly, it has been a gigantic wild goose chase. Nary a dark beer to be found. Why? The powers that be (LCBO and other people in charge of purchasing) have decreed that dark beers are for cold months. After all, no one would possibly want a dark, full bodied beer in the summer would they? Yes they would. Guinness is sold all year round. However, I would like some other choices. Now, if we are to buy into the dribble that darker, full bodied beers like Porters and Stouts are really only for the colder months, then it makes perfect sense that light beers and Pilsners should only be available during the warm months.

Oh... but that argument would disrupt the majority of beer drinkers wouldn't it? And while we're at it, I thought Bailey's was only for special occasions like Christmas and New Year. Who could possibly want it during the summer? What about Red Wine - it's dark and full bodied. Why is that available all year?

Here's a thought. Let's get rid of the plethora of non-flavourful, carbonated water with neutral (grain) spirits aka Hard Seltzer's and give us sorrowful beer drinkers a slightly greater variation of beer styles.

Cheers

[quenchyourthirst]

September Classes

We are excited about rebooting our classroom sessions in September and hope that you will join us and our passionate instructors.

Registration is open and we are proud to offer a limited time offer of 20% off by using FALL as a coupon code when you check out. This offer is good until August 27, 2021. You can find all of our classes at www.tfkbeer.com

[quenchyourthirst]

Value

How do we determine if we are getting value for our hard earned dollars? It's not an easy answer because much of this is subjective and comes down to personal choices but as consumers, we need to be aware.

Quite a long time ago, my son worked at a local beer retailer. A customer approached him and asked "What's brand XX worth?" His response went like this... "What's it worth or what does it cost? I'm pretty sure it costs more than it's worth." That interaction came back to me the other day while my wife and I were out for dinner.

During the past several years, we've all seen products shrink in size but maintain price. Don't get me wrong! I believe companies have the right to earn a decent profit but.... not at the expense of consumers.

I draw the line when companies change the source of their products but continue to charge imported pricing. Specifically, let's chat about beer.

We've seen beer pricing go through the roof in recent years. I know that ingredients make up very little of the cost of beer and things like marketing, packaging, equipment, buildings are all major influencers in pricing.

When a company decides to move production of beer from a foreign country to Canada, then as a consumer, I expect the price to drop to reflect domestic production pricing - because.... the beer no longer has any of the costs associated with bringing it here. I also expect the beer to taste the same (not exactly but close).

However.... here's what I've noticed. Many formerly imported brands are now being produced here in Canada. Pricing has remained the same or in some cases has gone up. In addition, these beers are still being listed in restaurant menus as Imports and come along with Import pricing. This is wrong! All the way around, this practice is either price gouging or assumes, that as consumers, we are downright stupid.

Now... I realize that many people simply don't care. They love the brand and what it means to them and to them, the brand is the key motivator.

Brands that are produced in Canada but have foreign origins should not have product placement in the imported section. That is misleading to consumers and this has to stop. Just be honest, please!

Cheers

[quenchyourthirst]

Fall Classes

Wow!... that photo brings back memories. That was our first Level 4 class and have we ever evolved since then. Those amazing folks are still good friends... just the way it's meant to be. Beer brings people together.

Our classes are starting back up in the fall of 2021 and I'm excited for what the future brings.

Level 4 - this class started in 2020 and we are revisiting our previous tastings and food pairings to make it a complete course. I will be offering a new Level 4 in the winter of 2022.

Level 3 - this class starts in September at Steam Whistle and is full. 2022 will bring 2 classroom sessions and our very first Beer Sommelier program available in a distance learning format.

Level 2 - our classroom session starts on September 20 and there is one spot left. I am offering a remote session as well - September 20 is also the start for it and there are at least 5 seats left in that one. It's a very cool program with online access and virtual tastings.

Level 1 - our online program runs all year long and we will still run our remote classes this fall - one every month for those who are time and distance challenged. Our classroom sessions will be back back in full force in September, October and November.

September - brings us classes at Black Lab and Clifford

October - we are focused only on Great Lakes in Toronto

November - our final two classes for the year are at Black Lab in Toronto and Oast House in Niagara

As always, registrations can be easily done at www.tfkbeer.com

We rejoice in bringing you closer to beer and welcome you in the Prud'homme Beer Certification community.

Cheers

[quenchyourthirst]

Behind the numbers

Every year, I am lucky enough to receive the statistics regarding the beer industry in Canada. Beer Canada does an amazing job of collecting information from a variety of sources and then, voila - a report is released showing some very interesting things.

I was also taught a long time ago that statistics are easily manipulated and it has caused me to look very closely at these numbers. Also - what a year! COVID has had a serious impact on all of us and I truly wanted to understand how it has affected our industry. So... here we go.

2020 brought us more licensed breweries. Canada now boasts 1197 active and licensed breweries. This number does not include the multiple marketing companies who sell beer made by third party contract brewers. At the beginning of 2020, we heard from some "beer experts" that the pandemic would result in 30-50% of the craft breweries closing. Not so - we had growth in numbers albeit much smaller than previous years. This chart shows the number distributed by volume production and you can see that the majority of breweries produce less than 2,000 hectoliters annually. What this chart does not tell you is what happened inside each sector. Well, the only two that grew were those above 75,000 hectoliters and those below 2,000. Every other group had a decline in business.

This one bothers me - beer's share of throat is now lower than ever before and is below 70% for the first time ever. The other notable thing about these stats is that every other beverage alcohol grew in 2020 with RTD's (Seltzers, cooler etc.) growing over 50% and overtaking spirits in volume.

Beer's volume only declined a small amount (1.6%) but we saw every other product grow. Overall, Canadians actually consumed more alcohol in 2020 than in 2019. Not really surprising! Crisis tends to make us cling to small pleasures.

We are drinking less beer per capita now - it's dropped almost 20 liters per person in less than 10 years while all the other products are increasing. There's lots of reasons behind this including healthier lifestyles, cost, etc. If I was a brewer, I'd be a touch concerned if not downright uncomfortable.

For years, we've witnessed the decline of bottles as the preferred vessel for beer and the rise of cans as queen of the ball. But... COVID accelerated this trend to now where cans command a whopping 74% share. At the beginning of the pandemic, I remember predicting that draught beer at the end of 2020 would be around 5% and I'm not happy to be proven correct. Not happy and not surprised. It will interesting to see where these trends go in 2022 - I say 2022 because we won't see the COVID hangover end until then.

I'll leave you with this - breweries need to find ways of bringing new experiences and new customers. Breweries need to focus on making great beer - not booze in the can (ie. Seltzers). All of us in the beer industry can make it a vibrant and profitable industry if we work together and not against each other.

Cheers

[quenchyourthirst]

Learning to learn

I've been teaching people about beer since 1997. Learning is never static to me and is always evolving. The same can be said for Prud'homme Beer Certification - what a change since 2009, when we introduced the world's first multi level beer education program.

Recently, through my son, I re-discovered Seth Godin. This marvelous orator and thought changer offered a series of online lectures regarding the difference between learning and education.

So, I enrolled in his lecture series and while many of Seth's concepts seem like common sense, it just blew me away. The lightbulb got brighter and brighter throughout the 22 modules. I absolutely loved listening to his insights and commentary and it affected me in a profound way. I should also say, that I also received validation that my 4 levels of beer education were on the mark. Most of the lecture series focused on the online platform and Seth reiterated that online learning was the future.

In his lectures, he spoke about creating a community and that is what we have always done. We take a completely different approach than any other program. However, that is not enough.

One of the ways we can create incredible online learning is to have the lecture material online and available for the learner to digest at their own pace. Then, the reinforcement of concepts comes in the form of virtual discussions where questions are posed, answered and bantered about. The biggest take away for me was the concepts on testing for understanding. Multiple choice exams, tests and quizzes do nothing for long term retention and focus on the short term goal of passing or achieving a certificate or diploma.

At Prud'homme, I am proud of the remote learning classes we've held this year. It allows for self-directed study and then in our virtual sessions, we learn about beer styles, how to taste and evaluate beer, and enjoy the deep conversations about this great industry.

In 2022, we will be moving away from multiple choice final exams. Our testing format will move to open book, open note in order to encourage our learners to fully understand and appreciate the concepts in our programs.

To me, it's always been more important to understand the concept instead of robotically paraphrasing. I want nothing more than to have my learners to have a greater appreciation of beer and to be able to help others to gain the same love that I have.

I hope you'll join me as we continue to innovate our programs and engage our audience.

Cheers

[quenchyourthirst]

The road forward

These are certainly interesting times! It's very easy to fall into despair when you consider all the wrongs that have been placed on many people...especially lately. It's very easy to find fault and assign blame.

It's not so easy to pause and be reflective. We need to find a way forward for it truly is the only way we can collectively heal and become better human beings.

When we look at human history, we certainly have come a long way. In fact, since I was born we have seen such phenomenal growth as a society. Are we done? Not by a long shot but pointing fingers will not move us to a better place.

We need to learn from history, from our mistakes and carve out a path that is open, honest and thoughtful. Not only about each other but about the planet.

Culturally, we have so much to learn from one another and quite frankly, I see things changing so quickly now, it's mind boggling.

We cannot change those who will not change but we can influence those who are willing to consider a new way. I'm so excited about what the future holds for all of us.

A small side bar but a relevant one. A few years ago, I witnessed a murder and it affected me in a way I'd never experienced before. I had overwhelming sadness ...mainly about human nature. Fortunately, I was helped through the trauma by a brilliant individual. He listened intently to my story and used a technique called "Havening" to release the trauma from my brain. The point of this story is the thought I had immediately after, and I want to share it with you.

"Life is much more rewarding when you look at it through bright and optimistic eyes as opposed to seeing the world through a veil of pessimism and negativity"

We all have a lot to learn from one another and I was so impressed by the humanity of Chief Cadmus Delorme that it needs repeating. If you think about it, his sentiments include many of the issues that plague our modern society.

We do live in a great country and we should be proud to be Canadians. It does not diminish any effect of our history on modern Canadian society. We cannot change the past but can affect the future.

[quenchyourthirst]

The benefit of an open mind

I noticed a social media post the other day and it got me thinking about the benefit of an open mind. Now... I have to admit that this is a challenge for all us, me included. We grow up with certain beliefs and customs and then as you get older, stubbornness sets in.

But.... if nothing else, this past year and a half should have taught us all that change is inevitable. Now, we all have to consider whether we want to or even can grow within the situation that has been handed to us.

Much of what I write about is based on the beer industry but these thoughts and examples can be transferred to our personal lives.

So here's the post that caught my attention. In Instagram, one of the people I follow is TheBeerExchange. They post really interest shots of different beers along with commentary. One person replied to a post about glassware and stated (emphatically) that she just takes whatever glass is given to her because glass shape doesn't affect the taste of beer. Interesting, I thought. I came really close to responding to her but... the better part of caution took over.

Here's my point. Clearly, glass shape does affect aroma, flavour and overall enjoyment of beer. My 24 years in the business have opened my eyes and my mind to the possibilities provided by a variety of different types of beer and how they are poured. I felt badly that this person felt like she had to make such a statement. I thought perhaps she might be stirring the pot but then, I realized that she had never been shown how different, beer tastes in different glassware.

This is my point! Why say anything if you have not taken the time to see the other side, to keep the possibilities open for growth and learning? A closed mind leads down a dark road full of a statements, not questions. A closed mind is ostracizing.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "I would rather remain silent and be thought a fool, than open my mouth and remove all doubt."

This open minded cuts across everything in our lives - to race, culture, gender, sexuality and so on. The times, they are indeed a changin'.

From a beer perspective, be open minded that all beer deserves an audience. Bad beer has nothing to do with the style or whether it is from a large brewery or a craft brewery. Bad beer is defective and flawed...simple. There are beers that can enhance your culinary experience. There are glasses that completely alter your enjoyment of beer.

Give it shot! Open your mind and let the glory of this world come gushing in.

Cheers.

[quenchyourthirst]

A Journey of Learning

I believe, as you get older, you become more reflective. It's only human nature to go back and see how you got here. I'm positive that I would not change a thing on this journey... after all, it's what has made me who I am.

When I was a child, I did well in school. The system rewarded those of us who were great at memorization and recantation. I always thought school was easy. That is until Grade 12. Yeah, sadly as I was preparing for university, I never completely understood the amount of time and energy required to be an excellent learner. Succeeding in school is not nearly the same as being a student... a learner... an absorber of information. Memorization was not as important as it once was and it created issues for me in Grade 13 and university.

Let's fast forward several years. I was now married, had two children and my supportive and loving wife urged me to go back to university to get my degree. It was the best thing I ever did. Not because I became an excellent student but... I had life experience and could easily filter out the academia. I realized that not everything we are taught is useful or even applicable. My degree opened doors and for that, I am forever grateful.

Being a father, a coach, a cub leader made me take a different look at creating an environment where learning would be fun. It was not about spoon feeding. It was about epiphanies - it was about watching the joy when a concept became accepted and understood.

Another jump step! in 1997, when I got hired by the Oland Specialty Beer Company, a fire got lit underneath me. I found a passion toward learning. I became emotionally attached to all things beer. Then in 2001, I became the National Sales Training Manager in the Learning and Development department at Labatt and that situation created a fork in the road that was glorious.

I do believe, we all have a purpose in life... possibly many purposes but in 2001, I realized that being an educator was my purpose. I am constantly learning from others and am proud to admit that I love to learn. More than that... I am overjoyed to be able to share what I have learned with others.

Prud'homme Beer Certification has become a gift to me... it's what drives me! I never stop trying to make it better. I never stop thinking about what would make one of my students say "WOW"!

in 2009, I became the first beer educator to adopt an online learning platform. I knew it was a way for me to reach people outside of my geographical area or people who were time challenged with a classroom setting. Never, in my life, did I expect online to become such an important part of how we learn.

I am thrilled to be able to get back into a classroom after such a long and extended hiatus. I am beyond excited to continue to develop an online platform that takes beer education into another level.

Look for new innovations in beer education in 2021 as we continue to drive the quality of our programs up.

Cheers

[quenchyourthirst]

Harmony

A little while ago, we were given a bird feeder for our back yard by a good friend. And while this may seem to be trivial to many people, it has given me a lot to think about. Last week, I sat on my deck and watched how at least 10 different birds and some rabbits all eagerly and patiently shared the spoils of the feeder. Not one creature was selfish and they just feasted in harmony.

Well, that got me thinking! Why can't we as a collective race of human beings with all of our differences, just get along?

I'm tired! Of the fighting, the hate, the prejudice, the discrimination, the concept that one person is somehow better than another. We do not have to agree in order to get along. We have to be mindful and thoughtful and kind. We need to spend more time on education. Hate and prejudice are learned behaviours and beliefs. We are pure when we are born and these abhorrent behaviours are learned - from families, friends and from the media etc.

Tolerance is a virtue (maybe patience as well) but if anything, we need to tolerate our fellow humans. However, we do not need to tolerate the inhumane treatment of anyone who is different.

This craziness has been going on for thousands of years and it needs to stop. The shape and size of our bodies doesn't matter. What religion we belong to (whether we even believe in religion) doesn't matter. The colour of our skin doesn't matter. Our gender or sexual orientation doesn't matter. What matters is simple... it's our essence, our soul, our spirit. It's the way we interact with one another that truly makes a difference. Add this to the list - it's how we interact with Mother Earth and all of the wonderful creatures we share this amazing planet with.

Are we immune from judging others? I doubt it but we can become better at not letting that influence us and our decisions.

Let's work together to stop the propaganda of prejudice. Treat others like you want to be treated - with respect, with kindness and with love and together, we will make this a better world.

Harmony people!

Cheers

[quenchyourthirst]

Queen of Wheat from @spearheadbeer this Belgian Wit (with peach) has a gorgeous mango colour accented by a dense white foam. The cloudy appearance gives way to a bouquet of aromatics including cloves, nutmeg, orange zest, black pepper, bubblegum and some very subtle peach. The quick finish and short aftertaste reveal flavours of orange pith, cloves and peach cobbler. https://www.instagram.com/p/CP3afOiFnRq/?utm_medium=tumblr

[quenchyourthirst]

Well. It's been a long time since I figuratively put pen to paper in my blog. I miss being able to put my thoughts down without limitations on space. So - my blog quenchyourthirst.tumblr.com is back and I'll be posting once a week on Wednesdays https://www.instagram.com/p/CP3IN16Fb4m/?utm_medium=tumblr

[quenchyourthirst]

2021 -A Year of Innovation & Engagement

Well, this past year and specifically, the past few months have given me a chance to reflect on how 2021 will unfold.  The past 23 years have provided me with a great deal to be grateful for in this beer industry and the one that truly means the most to me is sharing my knowledge with enthusiastic people.  I get so much enjoyment from being in a classroom and helping my students get a better understanding of the complex world of beer.

I have spent the last two months completely updating and improving both Level 1 and Level in online formats and will soon begin work on delivering Level 3 in a virtual experience that will replicate our successful classroom sessions.

I would love to be back in a classroom right now but I have to be patient and learn how to deliver my message in a new way.  On Monday, my tenure at George Brown began once again and I was thrilled to be able to connect with my new class of Advanced Beverage Management students.  This is a virtual classroom and we will be doing everything together in a remote fashion.  While it is massively different conversing to a computer screen rather than face to face, I firmly believe that we will collectively create a fantastic learning environment.

In addition, I’m excited to host remote online Level 1 sessions with two clients in the next month in addition to a Level 1 public remote class.  These sessions include the Prud’homme Beer Certification online program plus weekly virtual tasting sessions.  Our February class open to the public is sold out and we will continue to run these hybrid online classes every month with a maximum of 8 students.  I’m keeping the numbers low so that I can provide more personal attention to our participants.

I have my fingers crossed that I will be able to get back into the classroom by Spring but....only time will tell.

Cheers

Roger Mittag