Teaching Mom Goes to Brew School: Session 3: 3 Weeks of IBD Test Prep (May 19

I can feel that I'm running out of exciting things to say. Probably not the best way to start a blog post. But I want to see this through until the end in case anyone ever reads this that wants to know how the class works. So I'll be brief. The final third session of the program was specifically for IBD test review. A few people that left for the second session rejoined us. We also got some new people that were taking a 3 week refresher for the IBD exams either to take it for the first time or to review before retaking it after previously not passing it. The first week was all review for Module 3: Packaging and Engineering. Tom Shellhammer came from Oregon State to spend the week helping us review. The second week was review for Module 2 (the cold side, yeast, fermentation, flavor, color, spoilers, etc.). Dr. Brown and Dr. Bamforth helped us review all week. I had to miss two days to go back to work and see my students promote. The final week was Module 1 (the hot side: barley, malting, mashing, the boil, etc.) review. I think we all felt module 1 would be the easiest exam to take. The truth is, by this point, I felt like I knew it or I didn't. Sometimes I was freaking out big time and sometimes I was resigned and sometimes I felt good. I think it was all a form of exhaustion.

On the Saturday after class was done, Dr. Lewis helped put on the Davis Beer Fest to raise funds for his charity and we were all "volunteers". Some people were frustrated that we were expected to volunteer all day on the last Saturday before our exams. But the truth is, I don't know how much more I could have crammed into my head anyway. But it was REALLY hot that day and we were on ashphalt under an over pass. The highlight was probably seeing Dr. Lewis get out with the band and dance. But a close second and third was being right next to the Russian River booth and pouring with the New Glarus Brewery pourers. Neither of them had any beer left after the first 30 minutes!

All that's left after this was 3-3 hour exams on back-to-back days the following week. No sweat!