BOULDER, Colo. & WASHINGTON -- The American Beverage Association (ABA) launched a new website this week, just as the Brewers Association introduces an updated version of its popular CraftBeer.com Beer 101 Course, giving beverage retailers and manufacturers two resources to learn more about the subjects.
Brew School
The Brewers Association course is designed for anyone who works in retail sales, the restaurant industry or is simply a burgeoning craft-beer enthusiast seeking a quick and reliable introduction to the beer universe.
Beer 101 covers the history of beer; brewing ingredients and processes; vital statistics, such as ABV, SRM, IBU, gravity; styles; tasting; glassware; and pairing beer and food. The online course is narrated and includes multiple videos.
Now there is also a downloadable worksheet that serves as a helpful study guide later on. The course concludes with the Beer 101 Quiz, a 21-question test which must be completed in 20 minutes. A printable certificate of completion is available for download.
“Beer beginners are thirsty for craft-beer knowledge,” said Julia Herz, publisher of CraftBeer.com and Brewers Association craft-beer program director. “As the leading voice of small and independent U.S. craft brewers, we are pleased CraftBeer.com’s Beer 101 Course has become a quick and easy introduction for so many budding beer enthusiasts.”
More than 6,000 people have taken the Beer 101 Course since its launch in 2010. The course takes about one hour to complete and costs $20. Those that don’t pass the course with 75% or more can retake the quiz for a full year before having to reregister for the course.
The Brewers Association, Boulder, Colo., is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts.
Innovation Naturally
The ABA website, InnovationNaturally.org, displays the technologies and practices that the beverage industry has built into its operations to become a leader in conserving resources and protecting the environment.
The website also lays out many of the environmental goals for the future that have been committed to by industry leaders, such as the Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which fund the Washington-based association.
"The beverage industry is committed to leading on water reduction, innovative packaging, recycling and energy efficiency," said Susan Neely, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association. "We are proud of our accomplishments and look forward to doing even more in the future to remain leaders in environmental sustainability."
The website focuses on the five key components of the industry's sustainability efforts: water reduction, energy conservation, fleet efficiency, innovative packaging, recycling.
Among the progress documented on the website:
- Water: The beverage industry has reduced water use by 14% over five years, even as production has increased by nearly 20%.
- Energy: The beverage industry is voluntarily moving toward a phasing out of HFCs over the next 10 years in company-controlled coolers, delivering environmental benefits equal to taking 15 million cars off the road.
- Fleets: Industrywide, average fleet miles-per-gallon has improved by 13% since 2010.
- Packaging: Through "lightweighting" and packaging reduction, hundreds of millions of pounds of raw materials have been saved industrywide.
- Recycling: Each company is working to eliminate waste to landfills. As of today, 94% of waste from manufacturing plants is being recycled and diverted from landfills.
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