Education for Brewers
Ready to start a barrel aging program but want to understand the investment you’re about to make? Want a team capable of understanding and repairing problems with your barrels? We’ve been assisting with these exact needs with other breweries and have a formalized program to help you.
With both on-site classes and a training and certification program available, Barrels Direct is your resource to help you realize the most value from your barrel program. Contact us for info on upcoming classes, or for information on hosting your own!
We have classes scheduled at various events and breweries throughout the year – click on the event you’d like to view for more details.
Awareness classes are typically included in your entry fee for the event. Cellar Technician and the hands on Cellar Cooper classes have limited spaces and require pre-registration, so get signed up before they run out!
Interested in hosting your own class? Contact us for more information.
SEMINAR / CONFERENCE SESSIONS
For new and experienced brewers
Designed to fit within the scheduling confines of a summit or conference, this is a 1 hour (+/-) “Barrels 101” style session. This general introduction to barrels, their trials, and potential tribulations, is geared towards both new and experienced brewers.
We cover sourcing, logistics, basic cooperage tools, what to look out for, and some minor on-the-fly repairs. This is done lecture style along with a Q&A.
CERTIFIED CELLAR TECHNICIANTM
For experienced brewers
THIS COURSE COVERS:
- The theories behind a barrel program
- Cooperage tools, modifications, and use
- Injury reduction strategies
- Quality assurance procedures for receiving and assessing barrels
- Procedures for keeping empty barrels
- Foeders: conditioning, hydration, repair.
- Overall best practices; Topping, time in oak for different scenarios
- Sourcing & logistics
- Warehouse procedures
- Cleaning barrels
- Barrel & leak repair
THIS COURSE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING DEMONSTRATIONS:
- How to avoid costly long and short term personal injuries
- The 5 point Barrel Quality Guarantee™
- Proper repair of barrel damage commonly caused by shipping or moving
- Repair of damage caused by improper maintenance
- Preventative maintenance techniques
CERTIFIED CELLAR COOPERTM
For experienced brewers
The Cellar Cooper certification is a practical hands on course based on the knowledge learned in the Cellar Tech course. The Cellar Cooper course requires the Cellar Technician course as a prerequisite, and they may be combined into one full day workshop.
In this course, each participant is given their own set of cooperage tools (theirs to keep at the conclusion). Participants are assigned their own barrel and guided through a practical application of the Cellar Tech curriculum.
This hands on training includes proper ergonomics, repairs, head removal/replacement, resetting staves, manufacturing leak repair kits, handling and maneuverability, and more.
Participants will fix actual damaged barrels and be tasked with repairing real leaks. Course concludes with each participant completely dismantling their barrel and putting it all back together again.
Having completed all three coopers workshop training sessions, each participant will have a full working knowledge of barrel maintenance, repair, and general handling, in term creating more educated, efficient, and profitable brewers.
