From November 4 to December 6, 2019, 11 men and two women from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Ukraine will be guests at the VLB Berlin, completing a five-week brewer course. The special feature of this course: The courses are consecutively translated into Russian.

Thirteen students from Russia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine are taking part in the brewer course in Russian this year. Renowned breweries such as EFES, Carlsberg, Ochakovo and Baltika Breweries have enabled their employees and executives to travel to Berlin.

Since 2004 the VLB has been offering this extraordinary course, since 2015 Russian-language courses are held every two years. Requirements for participation are professional experience in a brewery - brewer training is not necessary. "However, a certain technical understanding and a passion for the subject of beer should definitely be there," says course coordinator Anna Heyer.

In a five-week attendance phase, all relevant steps in beer production are communicated. This starts with the raw materials, goes through the brewery technology to bottling and packaging. Practical modules complement the theoretical lectures. Under the guidance of experienced VLB experts, two brews are prepared in the Wilfried-Rinke Technical Center. In addition, laboratory internships take place in the field of microbiology and chemical-technical analysis.

At the beginning of December, students complete a final exam. Afterwards, two excursions crown the learning-intensive weeks. The Berliner Kindl-Schultheiss brewery opens its doors to the guests. In addition, the group will visit the Krostitzer brewery and the brewery Landsberg, both near Leipzig. On 6 December, VLB Managing Director Dr. Josef Fontaine presents the VLB certificates in a festive ceremony.