Make your own beers with colleagues and friends at Brewlab team building days

Based at Sunderland Enterprise Park, Brewlab is a training and analysis provider whose brewing courses attract people from all over the world, from as far afield as New Zealand and The Seychelles, to South America and Hawaii, who take part in everything from an introductory course to a nine-week diploma in brewing.

The aim is to provide them with the skills and knowledge, from tasting through to accounting, needed to open their own microbrewery.

Many former students have gone on to run successful breweries, including Vaux, S43, Tiny Rebel, Barcelona Beer Company, Wylam Brewery and Beavertown Brewery.

Now, those looking for a fun team building session, whether for colleagues or friends, can take part in one-day sessions.

Richard Hunt, course coordinator at Brewlab, said: “We find that November and December can be quite quiet for courses, but we have a room downstairs with development kit that can be put to good use for businesses looking for something different and unique for team building.

"The idea is that they come in in a group, use our classroom facilities, get an overview of brewing, the history and ingredients. Then have a go at brewing. It’s a solid introduction.”

After a day’s session, beers will be able to collect or be delivered after a fortnight, with a session producing 20-30 500ml bottles.

The micro brewery, which has a 3.5 litre barrel kit, can produce 550 litres of beer per brew, with its history dating back to 1997, when its director Keith Thomas, a Sunderland University lecturer specialising in microbiology, set up a microbrewery within Brewlab at the university.

The microbrewery had previously been a base for Darwin Brewery, which outgrew the premises and moved on, but the Brewlab team are looking to do more commercial brewing in the future.

Richard added: “The explosion of the craft beer scene means our courses have proved really popular. The brewing process itself is actually quite accessible, it’s getting the quality and consistency right that’s the difficult part. Our courses very much marry the art of brewing with the technology.”

*Anyone interested in a brewing day can visit the Brewlab website at www.brewlab.co.uk