Throughout time, cities were built and destroyed, kingdoms rose and fell, but one thing is certain: They had plenty of beer along the way.
Some scholars say beer has been around for 7,000 years, a concoction that arrived soon after barley was sown into the ground. WilmU adjunct Matt Barth, who teaches College of Arts & Sciences’ The Craft of Beer (CUL 303), knows that while it’s been around a long time, beer is something a lot of us want to know about today.
A former U.S. Coast Guard petty officer, and now the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s “off-centered experience ambassador” for the past seven years, Barth loves craft beer, so much so that he put together a highly interactive online course to add to the face-to-face course offerings. The popularity of both continues to grow, with sections filling quickly.
The course explores the history of beer, ingredients, brewing processes, beer styles, the business of beer and more. “It’s action-packed and rich with content,” Barth says.
He worked with Director of Educational Technology and Multimedia Russ Lichterman and his team at the College of Online and Experiential Learning to bring his ideas to life. Filming took place at two Delaware locations: the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, and at Revelation Craft Brewing in Rehoboth.
“The videos that Russ and his crew and I were able to make have made me so excited for the future of this course,” says Barth. “We met at the brewery and I told them what I had in my mind and all my crazy day dreams about it.” He says the video style is very much “Bill Nye meets Dirty Jobs.”
“It’s more accessible now and not limited at all like the face to face class was in certain ways,” says Barth. “And the students have loved it! It’s been a blast.” WU
—Janice Colvin
For a taste of the course, check out some video highlights at https://wilmu.mediaspace.kaltura.com/craftofbeer