STRATFORD, Conn. — You could call it a “case study” on how to make and market beer and some students at the University of Connecticut are happy to be part of the learning experience.
The class is new, it’s called the “UConn Brewing Innovation Initiative” and the goal is to teach students the art and the science behind craft brewing and marketing beer. UConn’s School of Business, the School of Agriculture, and the School of Engineering are all partners in the process; They’ve teamed up with Two Roads Brewing Company in Stratford to give students the opportunity for hands-on learning.
Jennifer Mathieu, the executive director for the Connecticut Center of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UConn said, “they’re learning everything from how the raw ingredients have come to be – what you put into beer and they’re learning the science of how beer is actually brewed.” She added, “they’re really learning everything from start to finish.”
Phil Markowski, the master brewer at Two Roads is helping teach the students the tricks of his trade and said, “we’re going through the basic steps of the brewing process and talking about all things craft brew and how it’s changed.” Markowski, who was a founder of Two Roads added, “you don’t have to be self-taught as you were in my day.”
Pre-Med grad student Camryn Walsh said the brewing class combines several elements that she’s always liked, “I just love the biochemistry, the chemistry, and even the biology aspect of all this and to actually create something out of all this, it’s pretty phenomenal.”
The class will culminate with the launch of the student made beer in mid-April. The beer has yet to be named but it will be a fruited IPA style offering.
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.