Doemens Academy was founded in Munich in 1895 by Dr Albert Doemens as a German private school for brewers. It filled a gap in the traditional, government-regulated German education system, which was then rigidly bifurcated into a trade track with apprentice, journeyman, and master certificates on the one hand, and an academic track with university degrees on the other. Doemens, by contrast, offered a secondary, polytechnic education to certified journeymen, which allowed them to graduate as brew masters and malt masters—a focus that Doemens has retained to this day, as is reflected in its banner motto: “Aus der Praxis für die Praxis” (From practice for practice). In 1965, Doemens reorganized itself into Doemens e.V., a not-for-profit educational institution, which is eligible for public education funding. Later, the Doemens Akademie GmbH was founded as a 100% daughter of Doemens e.V., a for-profit corporation that offers, among other services, consulting to the food and beverage industries, as well as specialized training and seminars, such as a beer sommelier program and a tap system maintenance course. As part of its hands-on orientation, Doemens operates a 5-hectoliter test brewery as well as a small PET-packaging line. In 2000, Doemens and the Siebel Institute of Chicago founded the World Brewing Academy, a joint venture, which offers diploma programs in brewing technology, and for which Doemens serves as the Munich campus.
Bibliography
Doemens. http://www.doemens.org/index.php?id=2=1 (accessed March 22, 2011)