Campus News
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Juniata
From major brewing companies like Yeungling and Budweiser, to smaller local breweries like Victory or Straub’s, to microbreweries and home-brewers, beer has always been a big part of American beverage culture. About 20 years ago, Juniata biologist Todd Gustafson, now retired, decided to design a course that combined science with popular interest. Biologist Jeff Demarest encouraged Gustafson to get the course on the books. Three years ago, Demarest took over. The course was called “Art and Science of Brewing,” and two decades later, it is still offered to students every spring. The class only admits students who are of age, and in addition, those of age must have taken at least highschool level chemistry and biology courses. The course covers aspects of the history, biochemistry, microbiology, engineering and business
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of modern brewing processes. Beyond just learning about beer, students get to make the stuff themselves. Over the course of the semester, students brew two 5-gallon batches of beer. Because there are hundreds of thousands of compounds that determine a beer’s flavor, it is important for the students to learn how to craft their own brews. This way, students learn what types of flavors and aromas are appropriate for each type of beer. In his current class, Demarest says the students play detective during a beer tasting in class. “Out of 8 beers, one of them was a commercial beer that had defects, and the students could pick it out immediately. There were flavor components that shouldn’t have been in that style of beer that happened during the brewing process.” —Ellen Santa Maria ’12 was the 2011-2012 media relations Juniata Associate.
Photos (left): Sungouk Park ’14; (right) J.D. Cavrich
Brewing Up Opportunity: Heady Learning
Students in Juniata’s popular course “The Art and Science o-beof Brewing” pour the soon-t wing bucket . bre a into e tur mix fermented left , ’12, of Long Beach, an, Inset: Brewers Sara Pilchm center, of Torring ton, Conn., Calif., Danielle Fantozzi ’12, Chauncey, Ohio, toast their and Benjamin Sheets ’12, of final project in the class.