PRESTONPANS brewers have been playing host to two students from the German School of Brewing as part of an educational project.

Kentwood Brewing, who are based at The Gothenburg, signed up to the Erasmus exchange programme, which aims to widen the pool of breweries that can offer students work placements.

And they welcomed two students, Jonas Klein and Samuel Flier, who have been getting to grips with their microbrewery.

The brewing students’ exchange programme was co-ordinated in conjunction with the Scottish Craft Brewers, an organisation with close links to the brewing industry.

Malcolm Cruickshank, president of SCB, said: “This is an excellent opportunity not just for the students but also for the breweries, as they are getting access to very talented individuals who will likely make a substantial positive contribution to the companies they are being placed in. We have been very encouraged by the feedback from the breweries so far and we hope we can keep this programme going.”

Kentwood Brewing managing director Sean Wood said that their guests, who travelled to Prestonpans from the school in Karlstadt, had quickly settled.

He said: “Our students, Jonas and Samuel, have shown themselves to be very competent brewers who were able to fit in perfectly and have also taught us some of the differences between our methods and those used in Germany.

“We are delighted to be part of the Erasmus project and we would encourage others to participate. It is an excellent opportunity for the students and will definitely enhance their knowledge of the brewing processes, as well as give them some cultural understanding of the Scottish beer industry.”

The students spent two weeks with Kentwood Brewing, learning not only the brewing processes, but also touring the farm where the brewing barley is grown, malted and milled just 8 miles away. And since the microbrewery also has a bar, the lads are learning the secrets of delivering well-conditioned beer to the customers’ glass