Iowa State students experiment with different grains and hops to produce various kinds of beer.
Writer: Emmett McMenamy
Photos: Duane Tinkey
Lots of people learn about beer at college. At Iowa State University, they get credit for it.
In the relatively new Brewing Science Program, students concoct their own recipes and try their hand at brewing. The results are mixed. Since most students have never brewed before and a few have never even tried craft beer, many of their experiments smell so bad they won’t even taste them. But that’s part of the fun — and the education.
Through the program, students can learn the science behind their favorite (or least favorite) off-hours beverage. This past semester, they even competed to sell their brews at the Maintenance Shop at Iowa State’s Memorial Union, and the Iowa Taproom in Des Moines’ East Village.
Faculty and staff brew the rest of the program’s commercial beer. Soon they hope to scale up production and sell more to the general public. Robert Brown, the engineering professor and home brewer who established the brew laboratory, said that even though the program’s commercial production matters less than its educational value, he still hopes sales revenue will help cover some of the program’s costs.
Brown and his colleagues started the Brewing Science Program with a donation from Iowa State alumnus John Blichmann, whose Indiana-based company Blichmann Engineering sells brewing equipment to hobbyists and professionals alike. The equipment Blichmann sent to his alma mater arrived in September 2021, and Cyclone scholars tapped its first brew a month later. Brown taught the program’s first brewing class in January 2022.
“It’s really great to see the program take off and see the support it’s gotten from the university and people in the community,” said Iowa State grad Vincent Vanyo, who enrolled in that first course. “It’s great to see the progress it’s made, from where it started to where it’s now.”
The Brewing Science Program also conducts research to support the state’s burgeoning craft brewing industry. Iowa craft brewing companies generated $1.25 billion in economic impact in 2022 and employed 7,219 workers, up 9% from 2018, according to the Iowa Brewers Guild.
Noreen Otto, the guild’s executive director, praised Iowa State’s program for its support through consultations, lab research and on-site visits to brewers across the state. As she put it, “You want this in your backyard, right?”
The Brewing Science Program was inspired in part by the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute, which is also based at Iowa State. The institute produces its own wine from grape to bottle and supports Iowa’s wineries through research and consulting. But unlike the brewing program, the wine institute doesn’t offer classes; its primary goal is to serve Iowa’s wine industry.
Institute director Erin Norton said recruiting skilled labor to the industry in Iowa is difficult, especially since other parts of the country have more experience. She added, however, that both of Iowa State’s programs, for wine and beer, are a step in the right direction. Both serve the state’s beverage industries while producing at least a few potent potables that any Cyclone would be proud to drink.
“I think (Iowans) are going to be intrigued to try the products, and they’re going to say, ‘Hey, this is cool, the students get to take part,’” Norton said. “I hope we surprise them with a really good product.”
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