Introduction to Craft Beer and Wine

Course Description

Introduction to Craft Beer and Wine introduces students in culinary management to the study of wine and craft beer. The curriculum covers the historical development of both beverages, their production processes, significant producing regions worldwide, grape and wine variety classifications, brewing components, sensory evaluation techniques, varietal identification, and appropriate food and beverage pairings. Instruction incorporates tasting laboratory sessions designed to build students' sensory analysis competencies.

Within the SCNS taxonomy, FSS is the Food Service Systems prefix. Daytona State publishes this as FSS1270 at 3 credits, offered fall, spring and summer, with a $50.00 laboratory fee.

⚠⚠ The queued number carries a C suffix that Daytona State does not

• The statewide inventory carries this as FSS1270C; Daytona State publishes FSS1270, without the suffix.
• ⚠⚠ The title differs as well. The statewide inventory carries this number as "Introduction to Beverage Management"; Daytona State titles it "Introduction to Craft Beer and Wine". Read the description rather than either title when judging equivalency — the local title is the more specific of the two.
• ⚠ Under Rule 22 the C suffix is part of the course number, and equivalency does not cross it. FSS1270C and FSS1270 are distinct SCNS numbers.
• Two contact-hour figures therefore apply. Daytona State's unsuffixed course at 3 credits runs approximately 45 hours at its lecture convention; the C form is priced here at the combined convention of 20 contact hours per credit, giving 60. The offering institution's own catalog is authoritative.
• Confirm the credit value and structure with the institution you are enrolling at or transferring to.

⚠⚠ This course includes alcohol tasting, and that carries requirements. Students must be 21 to consume alcohol in Florida, and a tasting laboratory cannot be an exception to that. Confirm with the department how tasting participation works and whether the course is open to students under 21 before registering — some programmes run alternative arrangements and some do not.

Beverage knowledge is one of the more directly profitable skills in hospitality, because beverage carries a far better margin than food and a server or manager who can guide a guest to a pairing sells more and is remembered. It is also a field with an unusual amount of confident nonsense in it, which is exactly why a structured, sensory-based course is worth taking rather than absorbing folklore.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

• Describe the historical development of wine.
• Describe the historical development of beer and the craft brewing movement.
• Describe viticulture and the factors affecting grape growing.
• Describe winemaking processes and how they shape the finished wine.
• Describe the principal grape varieties and their characteristics.
• Describe major wine-producing regions and what distinguishes them.
• Describe wine classification and labelling systems.
• Describe brewing ingredients and their contribution.
• Describe the brewing process and its stages.
• Describe beer styles and their defining characteristics.
• Describe the role of yeast and fermentation in both beverages.
• Apply systematic sensory evaluation technique.
• Describe appearance, aroma, palate, and finish accurately.
• Use appropriate descriptive vocabulary without overclaiming.
• Identify common faults in wine and beer.
• Identify varietals and styles blind at an introductory level.
• Describe the principles of food and beverage pairing.
• Construct and justify a pairing for a given dish.
• Describe service standards, glassware, and serving temperature.
• Describe storage, cellaring, and handling.
• Describe purchasing, inventory, and cost control for beverage.
• Describe menu and list construction and pricing.
• Describe responsible service and its legal framework.
• Describe Florida's licensing and service requirements.

Optional Outcomes

• Describe spirits and cocktails at an awareness level.
• Describe sake, cider, and other fermented beverages.
• Describe wine and beer certification pathways.
• Describe beverage marketing and guest education.
• Describe sustainability in wine and brewing.
• Visit a producer, brewery, or vineyard.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• History of wine
• History of beer and craft brewing
• Viticulture
• Winemaking processes
• Principal grape varieties
• Wine regions
• Classification and labelling
• Brewing ingredients
• The brewing process
• Beer styles
• Yeast and fermentation
• Systematic sensory evaluation
• Appearance, aroma, palate, finish
• Descriptive vocabulary
• Faults
• Blind identification
• Pairing principles
• Constructing a pairing
• Service, glassware, temperature
• Storage and handling
• Purchasing, inventory, cost control
• List construction and pricing
• Responsible service
• Florida licensing and service requirements

Optional Topics

• Spirits and cocktails
• Sake, cider, and other fermented beverages
• Certification pathways
• Beverage marketing and guest education
• Sustainability
• Producer visits

Resources & Tools

• ServSafe (servsafe.com) — the food safety certification employers name; get it as a student.
• Florida DBPR — Division of Hotels and Restaurants (myfloridalicense.com) — free; Florida's food service licensing, inspection standards, and the food code as adopted here.
• FDA Food Code (fda.gov) — free; the model code Florida's rules are built on.
• Your instructors and the teaching kitchen — supervised production time is the part that cannot be substituted, and it is expensive to buy anywhere else.
• Work in a real kitchen while you study — volume, speed, and service pressure cannot be simulated, and employers weight real experience heavily.
• Florida DBPR — Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (myfloridalicense.com) — free; Florida's licensing and service rules.
• WSET and Cicerone certification pathways — the recognised credentials in wine and beer respectively; employers in serious beverage programmes know them by name.
• Taste systematically and keep notes — a written tasting record is how a palate is actually trained, and it is worth more than any amount of reading.

Career Pathways

• Chefs and head cooks — SOC 35-1011.
• Cooks, restaurant — SOC 35-2014; the entry point.
• First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers — SOC 35-1012.
• Food service managers — SOC 11-9051.
• Hotel, resort, and theme park food service — an enormous Florida sector, and one with genuine progression.
• Cruise line food and beverage — a distinctive Florida-adjacent employer.
• Catering, banqueting, and events.
• Private, club, and institutional dining — frequently better hours than restaurants.
• Food and beverage purchasing, sales, and distribution.
• ⚠ Be realistic about the entry conditions. Kitchen work means nights, weekends, holidays, heat, standing, and modest starting pay. The progression is real and it is earned over years, and knowing that in advance is better than discovering it.
• Beverage manager and sommelier — the specialist route, and it pays better than general food service.
• Bartender and bar management — SOC 35-3011.
• Beverage sales and distribution — distributors recruit people who can talk about product credibly.
• Brewery and winery hospitality — Florida's craft brewing sector is substantial and growing.

Special Information

⚠⚠ Responsible service is a legal obligation with criminal consequences

• ⚠⚠ Selling or serving alcohol to a person under 21 is a criminal offence in Florida, and it exposes the individual server as well as the establishment and its licence. This is the single most important thing in this content.
• Check identification properly and consistently — look at it, check the date arithmetic, check the photograph, and check for signs of alteration. "They looked old enough" is not a defence.
• ⚠ Refuse service to an intoxicated person. Recognising visible intoxication and stopping service is a core professional skill and it is expected of you.
• ⚠ Florida limits vendor liability but does not eliminate it. Under section 768.125, Florida Statutes, a vendor can be liable for serving a person under the lawful drinking age or a person known to be habitually addicted to alcohol — which makes those two categories the sharp legal edges.
• Get responsible vendor training. Florida's responsible vendor programme exists and participation carries real advantages for an establishment.
• Document refusals and incidents according to your establishment's policy.
• Support the person who refuses service. A server who cuts someone off should be backed by management immediately — an establishment where that does not happen is one where the law gets broken.
• Have a plan for getting someone home, and know that offering it is normal practice rather than an accusation.
• ⚠ Rule 11 applies. Beverage law and licensing requirements change; verify with DBPR.

⚠ Tasting professionally is a technique, not drinking

• Sensory evaluation is a skill with a method, and it is what this course is actually teaching — not appreciation, and not consumption.
• ⚠⚠ Professionals spit. In a tasting session of any size, swallowing makes accurate evaluation impossible after the first few samples and is unsafe — spitting is normal, expected, and not rude.
• Use a systematic approach every time — appearance, aroma, palate, finish, conclusion — so that samples are comparable and your notes mean something later.
• Palate fatigue is real. Accuracy falls after a number of samples; take breaks, use water and neutral food, and evaluate the most delicate samples first.
• Assess in reasonable conditions. Strong ambient smells, coloured lighting, and a recently brushed mouth all distort evaluation.
• ⚠ Describe rather than rate. Specific description is useful to a guest and to a buying decision; a score is not, and overclaiming precision in tasting notes is the characteristic failure of this field.
• Learn faults deliberately. Recognising cork taint, oxidation, and common brewing faults is a practical commercial skill, because it is what lets you reject a bad bottle or keg confidently.
• Taste blind when you can. Labels and prices measurably change perception, including for professionals.
• ⚠ Know your own limits and the law. Participation in tasting requires being 21, and no one should feel pressure to consume alcohol in an educational setting — ask the department about alternatives.

⚠⚠ Food safety is the non-negotiable part — and Florida requires certified management

• Foodborne illness is preventable and it kills people, and a kitchen's safety practice is a management responsibility rather than an individual preference.
• ⚠ Florida requires food service establishments to have a certified food protection manager, and food handler training for staff. ServSafe or an equivalent recognised certification is what employers expect, and obtaining it as a student is inexpensive and immediately useful.
• ⚠⚠ Temperature control is the core. Cold holding at or below the required temperature, hot holding at or above it, and rapid cooling through the danger zone — slow cooling of large batches is one of the most common causes of outbreaks in professional kitchens.
• Cook to the required internal temperature and verify it with a calibrated thermometer, in the thickest part — colour is not an indicator of doneness and never has been.
• Prevent cross-contamination by separation, sequencing, colour-coded boards, and cleaning between tasks — and store raw below ready-to-eat, always.
• ⚠ Handwashing is the single most effective control, and it is the one that lapses under pressure. Gloves are not a substitute for it.
• ⚠⚠ Do not work while ill. Reporting vomiting, diarrhoea, jaundice, or a sore throat with fever is a legal requirement in food service, not a courtesy — and norovirus outbreaks are overwhelmingly traced to staff who worked while symptomatic.
• Allergens are a life-safety matter. Cross-contact, not cross-contamination, is the operative concept — a shared utensil or fryer is enough — and cooking does not destroy most food allergens. If you cannot be certain, say so plainly.
• Follow HACCP principles: identify the hazards, find the critical control points, and monitor them.
• ⚠ Rule 11 applies. Florida's food code adopts and amends the FDA Food Code on a cycle — verify current requirements with DBPR.

How Florida course levels affect transfer

The first digit of an SCNS number denotes the year of offering, not transferability. Courses at the 1000 and 2000 levels transfer transparently between Florida public institutions, and 3000 to 4000 is unproblematic since both are upper division. The boundary that actually matters is 2000 to 3000, where lower-division credit generally cannot satisfy an upper-division requirement.

FSS1270C is published by Daytona State as FSS1270 at 3 credits, offered fall, spring and summer, with a $50.00 laboratory fee.

⚠ Both the suffix and the title differ from the statewide entry, and tasting participation requires being 21 — see the notes above.