They are the future of brewing. So, the newest graduates of the Niagara College brewery program leaned into it at their most recent public celebration of their final projects.
This year’s theme was Cyberpunk 2099: The Future of Brewing.
“We wanted to have a unique theme that hadn’t been done before,” said class chair Chris Morgan. “Past events have featured everything from original ideas to classics like Oktoberfest or German beer halls. This year, we decided to look ahead and imagine what brewing might look like in the future.”
Project Brew celebrates the most creative beers brewed by students in the Niagara College’s Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program. Over four terms, the students learn to brew beer and manage all aspects of running a brewery.
By the third term, students must brew a specific style and it must tick all the right boxes. “So you have to make a Pilsner,” explains Maija Saari, associate dean of culinary arts as well as wine, beer and spirits. “And you have to make an actual Pilsner. These are the qualities. These are the expectations. This is how you do it scientifically.”
But in the final semester, “they get to open up their wings a little bit and think about something very creative.”
Jon Downing, the program’s master brewer, and his staff mentor the students each step of the way. “They’re already very capable,” says Saari. “But you have to be able to fine tune a beer.”
“Now, how do you manipulate that? How do you make it with different flavors? What’s the style that’s best going to complements the extra flavors you put in? How long do you hop something? These are all part of the conversation.”
Chenghao (Joey) Xu didn’t actually like beer, but joined the program to stretch outside his comfort zone. He’s since “come to love the science, creativity and community behind every pint.”
He wanted to both challenge himself and try something agricultural, so created a saison with hibiscus and honey. He added a cold-brewed hibiscus tea, “so it gives more hardness and brightness, an acidity in the end. And a little sourness.”
“It’s a fantastic beer for me.”
Evan Reichert chose to celebrate his heritage. He’d already done a Schwarzbier, a dark lager infused with roasted German malts, and wanted something lighter and fruitier, a mango Hefeweizen.
“So, yeah, I chose this style and one day I was just eating Thai food with mangoes and I was, like, ‘Oh, I really like mangoes and I’m making a beer that has a lot of banana esters,’ so I was, like, ‘Oh, I could do banana and mango and put it into one beer.’”
He suggests pairing it with a charcuterie board, one with a nice mix of cheese and nuts. And, of course, schnitzel.
Beer Bards 