VLB, is the abbreviation for a world-renowned Berliner educational institution in the brew industry now known under the legal name of Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei in Berlin e. V. The name means “research and teaching institute for breweries.” It was founded in 1883, not as a “mere” academic institution, but—as the name implies—as a cooperative repository of brewing knowledge in which the resources of the brew industry, the scientific community, and the state would be combined to further research, teaching, and practical brewery training. This was a revolutionary concept in Germany at a time when, sociologically, academia, and industry were still considered two very separate spheres of society.

The concept of combining scientific and polytechnic training has proven enormously successful over the years. Today, the VLB offers a complete spectrum of brewery-related training and education programs—some in conjunction with the Technical University of Berlin—from continuing education courses and conferences for brewery professionals employed in breweries, malteries, distilleries, and other beverage industries to academic tracks leading to degrees as diploma brewmaster, as bachelor and master in brewing and beverage technology, and as PhD in engineering. Starting in 1999, the VLB even offered courses toward a certified brewmaster in English. Since then, a craft brewing course and a brewing technology course have been added in English, as well as a brew training program in Russian. The modern VLB is a mature and established institution with a complex set of test facilities, research institutes, and departments specializing in such areas as malting, microbiology, biotechnology, management and logistics, brewing and packaging technologies, raw materials, chemical analytics, water and waste water technologies, and commercial consulting to industry.