Something is Brewing on Lake Campus

New Introduction to Brewing Class Offered at the Lake Campus

By Grace Knapke

Edited by Rachel Klosterman

Photography by Shaelyn Thomas

Illustration by Allison Rhodes-Croy

Layout by Jane Cole

Not only does beer taste great, but as it turns out, it’s also pretty cool to make. Have you ever wondered what kind of magic was hiding in your Friday night drink? In the Lake campus’s new Introduction to Brewing course, students will learn the entire process of brewing, from seed to sip. With handson learning in the classroom and various field trips to local farms and breweries, students will learn how barley and hops are raised, about the various styles of yeast, as well as proper water adjustment.

Brewing Overview

Beer is a combination of four simple ingredients: barley, hops, water, and yeast. But the process involves more than just mixing together the correct proportion of each ingredient. Brewing is a science that consists of a series of chemical reactions that turn grain into sugars and combine with yeast to make alcohol. Depending on the batch of beer, this process can take about four to six weeks. So, let’s get to it!

Step 1

Get good materials. High-quality barley and hops are crucial for creating a high-quality beer. Hops and barley are raw products that are raised by farmers. They are produced for human consumption and follow very strict guidelines for quality and production.

Step 2

Milling the grain. In this step, the barley is ground. Not too much, but just enough to open the kernels and allow water to access the inside.

Step 3

Mashing, also known as steeping. Like brewing a fresh pot of coffee, in this step, hot water is added to the barley to release its sugar and enzymes. The combination is heated to around 150160 for approximately one hour. The liquid mixture of sugars and water that forms, as a result, is called wort.

Step 4

Lautering. During the lautering process, the wort, the mixture of sugars and water, is separated from the grain. In this step, only the liquids, wort, are kept.

Step 5

Boiling. Next, the wort is sterilized through a 60-minute boil process. During the boil, hops are added at different times to determine the flavor. Hops can be added for bittering, flavoring, and aromas.

Step 6

Whirlpooling. Upon the completion of the boiling process, the wort is circulated to remove the hops and other materials.

Step 7

Cool Down. In this next step, the wort quickly goes from a boil to about 70. This is often done using a big coil with cold water running through it.

Step 8

Fermentation. If the brewing process was a party, this is where it would start. The music starts up and the good times start rolling. In this step, the yeast is pitched. The yeast begins to eat the sugar, creating alcohol.

Step 9

Maturing. Following the fermentation step, the beer is given time for flavor and CO2 development. It is in this step that carbonation is formed.

Step 10

Package & Enjoy. Last but certainly not least, it is time to reap your harvest and celebrate your success. Invite some buddies over and enjoy!

This past spring was the first semester that this course has been offered at the Lake campus and it has had much success. The class has visited two local breweries, a local hops farm, and brewed their own beer. As it turns out, people get really excited to learn how to make beer.

This course is taught by Dr. Greg McGlinch who has a great interest in the subject himself. As a farmer, Greg wanted to understand the process of brewing so that his farm could supply high-quality raw materials (barley, rye, corn, etc.) to local brewers and distillers. On his farm, he has raised barley for the brewing industry and currently provides grains to local craft distillers. In his free time, he too likes to brew his own beer.

Greg has really enjoyed teaching this course and getting to share his love for agriculture and brewing with his students. And as long as there is still interest in the subject, he plans to keep the course going.