2 Arvada Press
May 9, 2019M
Four questions with John Giarratano Pomona High alum, owner of Inland Island Yeast Laboratories
hefeweizen yeast in it, it would taste like a hefeweizen. The yeast really dictates what kind of flavor and style the beer is.
BY SHANNA FORTIER SFORTIER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
What do you do at Inland Island Yeast Laboratories? We grow yeast and bacterias for the brewing industry. We have customers locally here in the Denver metro area as well as all over the state and nationally. Some of those include New Image Brewing in Arvada, Ratio and Our Mutual Friend in Denver and Upslope in Boulder. We produce the organism that ferments the sugars in beers. You can’t make beer without yeast. A lot of breweries have the equipment for creating a sugar water called wort. When you add yeast to wart, that produces beer. Without yeast, it would just be sugar water.
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How did you get into this work? I worked in pharmaceuticals and bio fuels for seven years before starting this company. At the bio fuel company, I was in charge of yeast propagation — so I got experience in growing yeast. Then coming into the brewing indus-
Mother’s Day Shopping Event
When: Tuesday, May 7 Time: 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. Where: Balefire Goods – 7417 Grandview Avenue, Arvada Details: Doesn’t your mom deserve something as special as she is? Balefire is staying open late and hosting a shopping event before Mother’s Day. Shop for jewelry that she will love, cards that actually say what you mean, and chocolatiers M2 Confections with their amazing chocolates in the gallery from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The G Line will be open and free during this time, so you can get here from a ton of different spots around the Denver area. Lastly, the Olde Town Taste of Arvada will also be at the same time, so you can enjoy specials from restaurants and shops from across Olde Town and raise money for the Community Table at the Arvada Food Bank
Mother’s Day Design Class: Create table centerpieces
When: Sunday, May 12 Time: 11 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.+ Cost: $29 Where: Pace Center Parker on Mainstreet – Pace Center Drive, Parker Details: Bring Mom or your loved one to this hands-on learning experience. Learn to design a simple and chic look for any table centerpiece. Ticket price covers all material and you plus one guest. If you need to purchase additional tickets, individual ticket prices are $29. Email arrangewithme@outlook.com, or call 720-245-9231 for additional ticket purchases.
Magical Fairy Playshops for mom
When: Sunday, May 12 Time: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Cost: $25 Where: Discover your Spiritual Gifts – 5808 South Rapp Street, Suite 275, Littleton
John Giarratano owns Inland Island Yeast Laboratories, which propagates yeast for local brewers. SHANNA FORTIER try it was a different game. There were many different strains, rather than focusing on growing one. We formally opened Inland Island Yeast Laboratories in 2014. I don’t think I could have done this in any other city beside Denver metro. The beer world is exploding here. There are 400 breweries in Colorado and around 90 in Denver alone. Having this density of breweries close to us is a big piece of why we’ve been successful. What’s the hardest part about your job? We’re an out-source lab for brewer-
Details: Come & Learn the MAGIC of the Fairies. When was the last time you connected with your inner child through laughter and play? Vialet promises to deliver a very fun event with lots of laughter, creativity and play as we all connect to the “fairy energy” around us. The fairy energy brings in fairy dust, sparkles, laughter, dance and play. Bring your mother or your daughter(s) and celebrate the magic of the fairies together in this wonderful workshop!!! Children must be over the age of six to attend. Learn more at discoveryourspiritualgifts.as.me/MagicalFairyPlayshop2019.
Mother’s Day Blooms at Max Taps
When: Sunday, May 5 Time: 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. Cost: $65 Where: Max Taps Co. – 2680 East County Line Road, Suite A, Highlands Ranch Details: What better Mother’s Day gift than a floral arranging class. Treat Mom to an afternoon of relaxation and fun - learning floral tips and tricks along the way. Or come make an arrangement to give your Mom, sister, or friend for Mother’s Day.
Annual Mother’s Day Event – “Famous Women of Colorado”
When: Saturday, May 11 Time: 10 a.m. Cost: starts at $20 Where: Fairmount Cemetery – 430 South Quebec Street, Denver Details: Join the Fairmount Heritage Foundation team for our annual Mother’s Day event. Mothers are free with a paying adult. This event includes members of the drama team portraying some of Colorado’s famous women. The Foundation is the non-profit historical arm of Fairmount & Riverside Cemeteries. We are self-supporting and appreciate your generosityTickets are $20 for members of the Foundation and $25 for non-members. Get tickest at https://bit.ly/2IYermb.
ies that are too small to have their own labs. So a lot of our focus is on quality control and ensuring our products are exactly what we say they are. It’s difficult when you’re growing 60 different types of organisms and trying to not only keep them free of contaminant from the environment, but also free of contaminating each other. Every different kind of beer is made with a different kind of yeast. A hefeweizen yeast is very different from a lager yeast. If a brewer made the wort for a lager and he accidentally pitched
Can you more talk about the science in beer making? Our slogan is, “art plus science equals beer.” I feel like brewers are like chefs. They make recipes for different brews and they are very intuitive about what hops are going to taste like and how it’s going to change if they shift the grain bill. But as far as the science goes, that’s probably the least understood piece even among brewers. Even though it’s arguably the most important part because it’s the only way there is actual alcohol in the beer. Large breweries have a full lab so they can do everything in house. All of these little breweries that are popping up all over the place, they understand that culinary side and the recipe development side, but they don’t really have a grasp, the time or the money to have a full time guy working on the science aspect of things. So that’s where we come in. All of that biology and growing of the yeast, insuring thats it’s clean and getting it ready to produce the beer — they outsource that to us. You can brew beer and treat yeast like it’s just an ingredient, but educating the public, both general and brewers, to the science piece of it is a big reason why we’re here.
Mother’s Day Brunch Experice at the Ritz-Carlton, Denver
When: Sunday, May 12 Time: 12:45 p.m. Cost: $50 Where: The Ritz-Carlton, Denver – 1881 Curtis Street, Denver Details: Come downtown Denver to the re-imagined Plaza Level for our annual Mother’s Day Brunch experience. This event will showcase an elaborate brunch buffet presentation, mimosa bar and Ritz Kids buffet.
Mother’s Day Scented Journey Perfume/Cologne Workshop
When: Saturday, May 11 Time: 11 a.m. Cost: $75 Where: Scented Studio – 3437 South Broadway, Englewood Details: Treat your mom to a unique and personal experience this Mother’s Day! She deserves a special celebration and a thoughtful gift for all the love she’s given you. Get tickets at https://bit.ly/2XLob7t.
Looking for something to do with mom this year?
Consider choosing some of the events happening throughout the Denver Metro Area.
Where the Magic Begins
Mom’s Saturday Brunch with Adobo Food Truck
When: Saturday, May 11 Time: 11:30 a.m. Cost: $30 Where: Mountain Toad Brewing – 900 Washington Avenue, Golden Details: Enjoy special early Mother’s Day celebration with a three-course brunch, including a beer and sparkling cider “Mimosa” bar. Brought to you by Adobo Food Truck & Mountain Toad Brewing. All ages welcome.
Specialty Gift Shop and Eclectic Ideas
Mother’s Day Tea & Scone Event, Sat. May 11, 2019 1565 Simms Street, Lakewood, CO. 80215 Hours: 10 am - 6 pm Tuesday-Saturday www.eclecticcottage.org 303-862-8164