Pencils down, drunkards. The Brickskeller announced a trio of beer classes designed by manager and bartender Rachel Murray, to be conducted Monday through Wednesday of the remaining weeks in July. The first, “What Is Beer?” is a sort of 101 class, breaking down the main ingredients and illustrating how each affects a beer. Session two, “Around the World,” visits traditional beer styles from across Europe, and “The Awakening of American Taste Buds” takes a look at craft beer’s growth in the United States.

There will be drinking, too. A one-night class costs $35, and each one promises 12 3-ounce samples of the beers in question. Unlike the Brickskeller’s tastings, these won’t be “speak when you’re spoken to” affairs — Murray said the classes will be small discussion groups, with the increasingly buzzed students encouraged to ask questions and participate. If this first run is successful, they’ll continue in August, but for now you can read more and buy tickets on the Brickskeller website.

Image courtesy of perpetualplum via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution License