How to Major in Beer (Fermentation Science)

Appalachian state is officially in the beer making business:

Ivory Tower Brewery — ASU’s educational brewery housed on the bottom floor of the Broyhill Events Center atop Bodenheimer Drive — held a soft opening Oct. 5, offering six draft beers for purchase.

The brewery received federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau permits in November 2011 and N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control permits in July of this year, said Brett Taubman, an assistant professor of chemistry and one of the founders of Ivory Tower Brewery.

Taubman believes ASU is the first college in the country to sell its beer on campus. The University of California-Davis sells beer as part of its brewing courses through an extension program at a private brewery.

They even have a degree to go with it:

June, the University of North Carolina system Board of Governors approved a new bachelor of science degree in fermentation sciences at ASU. The interdisciplinary degree includes coursework in advanced chemistry and biology, math, nutrition and business, as well as wine production principles, principles of fermentation science and brewing science.
I am not particulary exited by the idea of going back to school, but maybe studying something like fermentation science would be cool:

Beer is a beverage rich in history: there is an annual 16-day festival in Germany called Oktoberfest that centers around its consumption. The Discovery Channel released a documentary in 2011 entitled “How Beer Saved the World,” which attributes the birth of civilization to the beverage’s creation. Beer graces ping-pong tables with its presence on college campuses every weekend. And now, there is a major being offered at a handful of universities across the United States dedicated to the science behind it.

The major is called “fermentation science,” and the field encompasses not only the production of beer, but the making of other fermented products such as cheese, yogurt, bread and wine.

Don't get to exited yet, the course work looks pretty heavy, as it should be:

Dr. Seth Cohen, director of fermentation sciences at Appalachian State University, helped make the program at ASU what it is today. Although ASU has been offering classes in fermentation science for a couple of years, the state granted its approval to the bachelor’s degree program this past summer.
Cohen said that the tendency for students to associate fermentation with the assumption that they will be learning how to drink beer all day is an obstacle that must be overcome.

“It’s a misconception,” said Cohen, who explained that the field encompasses everything from pharmaceutical products to chocolate. “A lot of people don’t understand the broad range of fermentation science.”

So, if your a scientist at heart and have a passion for beer and brewing history fermentation science might be a good fit.