'I was enthralled': Brewing courses teach more than beer

Since Ohio Brew Week’s beginning in the summer of 2005, Athens has celebrated craft beer and all those involved in its creation. As Brew Week becomes more popular, so too have Ohio University’s brewing science courses, which approach the chemistry behind brewing in a hands-on fashion.

Michael Held, a biochemist and OHIO professor, says the course strives to teach science in “a new and fun way.” What began as one class developed by Held and his colleagues Sarah Wyatt, Art Oestrike and Marcia Kieliszewski has grown into a craft brewing certificate.

David McIntosh is a senior chemistry student enrolled in Fundamentals of Brewing Science this summer. He says that he initially planned to take the class because it counted as a capstone for his degree. After experiencing brewing firsthand, McIntosh now has his sights set on a career in craft brewing after graduation.

The class visits local breweries like Jackie O’s and Little Fish, and also heads to the Plant Biology student farm to learn more about plants for brewing from Professor Emeritus Art Trese.

“The background lectures were more for the basic processes going on,” McIntosh says. “[Held] wanted to give us a chance to learn enough to ask something more than just a very basic question.”

The class is open to all students; McIntosh notes that it’s helpful to have a sufficient background knowledge of the biological sciences. Held describes the class as science-heavy but says that not all students who take the class are pursuing science-related majors.

“The first half of the course we mostly spend in lecture because I have to teach the process and the science behind it first, but the rest of the course is more about making beer itself and visiting with University and local experts,” Held says.

Over the course of the seven weeks, the class welcomes a variety of guest speakers and professors from other areas of study. Dr. Ruth Palmer, a classics and religious studies professor, joined the class to talk about the history of brewing and fermentation in ancient civilizations.

Held says that in the past he has hosted Dr. Darlene Berryman, associate dean of research and innovation and professor of biomedical sciences, to speak about the   physiological impacts of drinking. This year, the class welcomed Dr. Javier Carvajal from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador to describe his process of resuscitating strains of historical yeast.

In addition to professors, the class gets to hear from various experts, including local brewing professionals from West End Ciderhouse and Distillery, Little Fish Brewing and Jackie O’s.

“I’m grateful for all of them because they help make this happen every year,” Held says.

Jarret Causby, who graduated from OHIO in 2018 with a B.A. in chemistry, now works at Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery as a lab technician. He had taken the Principles of Brewing Science course in the summer of 2018, prior to graduating, and says the class directed him to a career.

“I had a few ideas of what I could possibly do with my chemistry degree, but the craft brewing industry was definitely not on my radar,” Causby says. “As soon as I had my first class with Dr. Held, I was enthralled with the level of chemistry that brewing actually incorporated.”

After visiting Jackie O’s and hearing two inspiring lectures from brewers there, Causby asked to shadow the quality control lab at the brewery.

“The same day I shadowed, the current lab technician was actually having his last day. Within the next week I put in a job application for the QC lab, and the rest was history,” Causby says.

Causby says brewing takes hard work and a great team who all share a common goal: to make good beer. He encourages other students to take the class.

“I think the summer brewing course is a fantastic class for anyone, whether you enjoy beer or not,” Causby says. “We had some fantastic guest lectures where we discussed the history of beer, quality control, distilling, and brewing of course. Beer is so much more than you think!”

Whether or not students decide to pursue craft brewing as a career after graduation, Held’s class offers the opportunity to explore something that they might never have had the chance to before.

Students interested in learning more about the world of craft brewing have two options: they can take The Principles (CHEM 4501) or Fundamentals (CHEM 4500) of Brewing Sciences as a standalone class. If they want to keep going and pursue the certificate, students take The Art of Craft Brewing: Athens Case Study (CAS 4413), taught by Oestrike, and an internship course (CHEM 4911), along with several courses that align with either the science track or the business/entrepreneur track.

With the help of Liam McDonald, Jackie O’s Uptown head brewer, students this summer are making a beer that was designed by students in last summer’s class. That beer will be served for the ceremonial keg tapping of Ohio Brew Week on Monday, July 15 at the Jackie O’s uptown brew pub.

When that first keg is tapped, Held’s students will understand better than most just what goes into making good craft beers.