Brewery Operations Major, B.S.

🍺 Meet Charlie’s Lab: Where Craft Beer Legends Inspire the Future
Smithsonian Magazine called him “the schoolteacher who sparked America’s Craft Brew Revolution”—and now, Charlie Papazian has a brewing lab named in his honor at MSU Denver. Just 30 minutes from his Boulder hometown, this next-level, hands-on space is where future brewing pros learn the craft and carry on the legacy.

🔬 Brew Like a Pro at Charlie’s Lab
Level up your brewing skills in our fully equipped, 100-gallon facility—just like a real craft brewery. You’ll get hands-on experience with brewing, fermenting, packaging, and pouring beer that’s made and served by students.

🎸 Flavor That Slaps
Our student-made beers rock a 4.3-star rating on Untappd! Sip them fresh at Degree Brewpub or grab them around town with our local self-distribution.

🍺 Beer Sips & Chill: Our lab’s got a cool space that’s both a classroom and a tasting spot—where students level up skills while vibing with guests and customers.

The beer industry in Colorado has created 63,648 jobs and contributes more than $12.7 billion to the economy, according to a 2023 report by the Beer Institute and the National Beer Wholesalers Association. We partner with over 400 Colorado breweries and several industry trade groups, ensuring our students gain practical experience through internships and employment opportunities. Join us at MSU Denver and become part of a thriving community dedicated to excellence in hospitality and beverage education.

Step into MSU Denver’s Hospitality Learning Center—an epic mashup of a LEED Gold Certified Hotel and Conference Center and cutting-edge learning space that’s been leveling up hospitality education since 2012. This is not your average classroom.

🔥 Hands-On Labs & Spaces Include:
Natural Light Sensory Analysis Lab, Beer & Wine Cellar Laboratory, Degree Brewpub (serving 100% student-brewed beers), Culinary Demo Theater, Culinary, Tourism & Event Labs, and a full-service, LEED Gold hotel + conference center—aka the global hub for beverage education.

🤝 Cross-Campus Collab Vibes
Our program blends the best of Hospitality, Law, Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Marketing, and Management. Translation: You’ll graduate with serious range.

🌍 World-Class Labs & Water Wisdom
Our science building is stacked with top-tier brewing analysis gear. Plus, our One World One Water (OWOW) Center hooks students up with deep knowledge in water law, policy, and sustainability—powered by a partnership with Denver Botanic Gardens (yes, they grow hops for us too).

🕴Brew like a Boss
MSU Denver’s cutting-edge QA/QC lab, led by TTB-certified pros, delivers everything from alcohol content to detailed nutritional analysis—tools to help you brew like a boss.

👩‍🔬 Top-Tier Certification
With 145+ years of brewing excellence, the Siebel Institute is OG in quality testing and yeast banking — and now they power our lab, hooking you up with top-tier brewing science and certification.

🧫 Keep Brews Fresh and Flawless
Through our collab with Microbial Domains LLC, we offer advanced microbiological monitoring to keep your brews fresh and flawless.

🍊 Ready to Crush It
Students get hands-on, real-world experience here — mastering everything from in-process testing to final product analysis — so they’re ready to crush it in the brewing world.

The degree programs in the School of Hospitality at MSU Denver are accredited through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).