Education  June 22, 2015

University of Northern Colorado adds brewing-lab science program

GREELEY — The University of Northern Colorado has become the latest educational institution to tap into the ever-more-lucrative craft-brewing industry.

Equipment to be installed this summer at a new lab for the Brewing Laboratory Science program at UNC will provide hands-on learning for the next generation of scientists in the brewing industry, the school announced Monday. The three-part program involves detailed study of brewing science, laboratory analysis of beer and its ingredients, and a brewery implementation course.

The new equipment, which arrived Friday, will allow UNC students and interns enrolled in the Innovation@UNC program to work alongside chemistry professor Michael Mosher to apply laboratory principles of quality control and quality assurance to the production of beer.

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They will learn what it takes to work as a lab scientist in conducting tests to ensure correct alcohol content, color, flavor, carbon dioxide and other variables. In addition, they will apply methods for consistency and reproducibility among batches, cost-containment, production sustainability, sanitary practices and worker safety.

Colorado ranks fourth in the nation in the number of breweries per capita, and the craft-brewing industry has been growing steadily for the past few years. Production in craft breweries grew 17 percent in 2013, Mosher said, adding that breweries that fail often cite lack of quality control as one of the reasons.

In Fort Collins, Colorado State University enrolled its first 17 brewery-science students in fall 2013 and began offering a bachelor of science degree in brewing. It attracted a $250,000 donation from Anheuser Busch in spring 2014, and Fort Collins-based New Belgium Brewing in April announced that it would chip in a $1 million gift to CSU.

In 2013, Longmont-based Oskar Blues Brewery LLC partnered with Auburn University on a graduate-level certificate program in brewing science and operations that eventually could morph into a full-blown master’s degree program.

“There are many programs out there that focus on graduating students that are well-suited to the position of master brewer,” Mosher said. “But we’re taking a different approach to prepare students for work in those brewery laboratories with a strong focus on quality control and assurance.

“This skill set is something that breweries are seeking when they hire new workers,” said Mosher, who earned a Ph.D. from Texas Tech University and a diploma in brewing from the U.K. Institute of Brewing and Distilling. He has been a home brewer for more than 20 years and has experience working as a brewer’s assistant at a brewpub in Idaho.

The new brewery implementation class being offered next summer will be open to students of any major ages 21 and older. Beginning in 2016, students also will be able to minor in the program and supplement the courses with such classes as chemistry, biology, marketing, graphic design and hospitality services. A certificate program through UNC’s Extended Campus Office will be available beginning this fall for anyone interested.

The program is one of 13 projects funded through Innovation@UNC. The $1 million, two-year initiative began in 2014 and supports projects proposed by the campus community that focus on identifying and implementing innovative academic programs, delivery methods and student success to offer more students transformative education.

GREELEY — The University of Northern Colorado has become the latest educational institution to tap into the ever-more-lucrative craft-brewing industry.

Equipment to be installed this summer at a new lab for the Brewing Laboratory Science program at UNC will provide hands-on learning for the next generation of scientists in the brewing industry, the school announced Monday. The three-part program involves detailed study of brewing science, laboratory analysis of beer and its ingredients, and a brewery implementation course.

The new equipment, which arrived Friday, will allow UNC students and interns enrolled in the Innovation@UNC program to work alongside chemistry professor Michael Mosher to apply…

Dallas Heltzell
With BizWest since 2012 and in Colorado since 1979, Dallas worked at the Longmont Times-Call, Colorado Springs Gazette, Denver Post and Public News Service. A Missouri native and Mizzou School of Journalism grad, Dallas started as a sports writer and outdoor columnist at the St. Charles (Mo.) Banner-News, then went to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch before fleeing the heat and humidity for the Rockies. He especially loves covering our mountain communities.
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