Niagara College and craft beer lovers across the country have an extra reason for holiday cheer this December.
Ten years ago, just in time for the holiday season, Canada’s first class of Brewmaster students at Niagara College were just months into their studies when their first student-crafted beer was launched: First Draft Campus Ale. On December 6, 2010, St. Nicholas Day – as a nod to the patron saint of brewers – they tapped their first keg of First Draft Ale. On December 10, they bottled it.
A decade and more than 1,600 different styles of beers later, NC’s trailblazing Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program has grown alongside the now booming craft beer industry in Ontario. Provincial, national and international awards continue to pour in for student-crafted brews from the College’s on-campus Teaching Brewery, also the first of its kind in the country, which has become a springboard for budding Canadian brewing talent and continues to raise the bar for the industry.
NC’s first class of skilled Brewmaster graduates in June 2012 set forth as pioneers in what was then an emerging craft beer scene. Since then, class after class of students have been answering their ‘call to the bar’ and seeping into the industry – many as brewers and brewery owners who continue to craft their own award-winning brews.
“There are few programs in the Ontario college system that got as much attention as the Brewmaster program did when it first launched in 2010,” said dean of NC’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute (CFWI) Craig Youdale. “It came at a time when the craft brewing industry in Ontario was just taking off, and the program was the perfect support for creating skills and knowledge in the expansion across the province.”
President of the Ontario Craft Brewers Association (OCBA) Scott Simmons congratulated the College on the10th anniversary of the program and upcoming milestone for the Teaching Brewery, which opened officially in April 2011. He noted that the OCBA was a proud founding industry partner when the College launched the program, and the partnership is still going strong today to help craft brewers adapt to the ever-changing brewing scene. He noted that while there were less than 100 breweries in Ontario when the Brewmaster program launched in 2010 – less than 40 of them still exist today – and the number of breweries increased to more than 320 by 2019.
“The program has played a major role in growing the craft beer industry in Ontario, with graduates making their mark across the industry, including many launching their own breweries,” said Simmons. “We understood the importance of having this incredible resource in our own backyard to foster the growth of our industry in the province, and to help fulfil our vision of developing Ontario into a centre for brewing excellence. The continued success is a testament to the importance of this applied learning and program.”
Key to program success
NC’s Brewmaster program has become a vital component of the College’s CFWI family of programs, and has created skilled members of the brewing community from its inception – following in the footsteps of the College’s wine programs based at its on-campus Teaching Winery which was the also the first in Canada and was a game-changer for Niagara’s wine scene.
Youdale noted that the CFWI takes immense pride in the growth, improvement and expansion of the Brewmaster program over the past 10 years, and he applauded the group of faculty and the NC Teaching Brewery team that has pushed it to new heights each year.
“The key to the success of the program is both consistency and constant improvement. Each and every year, the quality of beer created by the students continues to be world class and, at the same time, the entire team strives to bring new and innovative ways to support the learning in the classroom, science lab, and brewery,” said Youdale. “The amount of hands-on application the students get is unrivalled in our education system and that is the secret to their success.”
Inside the Teaching Brewery
Brewmaster professor Jon Downing still has the first bottle of First Draft Ale that came off the bottling line on December 10, 2010. It’s still being produced, with slight variations in the ingredients each year, and, more recently, as Beer 101 Pale Ale – part of the popular series of 12 varieties of beers bearing the Beer 101 label. Students assist with these award-winning brands, and are responsible for producing 54 project brews, 54 target brews and numerous others for class projects each year.
In addition to College brews, Downing and the Brewmaster team have also designed or assisted with numerous recipes for industry – including Wayne Gretzky Estates Craft Brewing (No. 99 Rye Lager), as well as MADD Virgin Craft Brewed Lager with NC’s Research & Innovation Division – and have contract brewed dozens of beers for others.
Downing noted that the past decade has been “a wonderful ride” with 19 graduating classes, more than 360 graduates, and 74 current students.
“It has been so much fun and hard work that would not have been possible without the dedication and diligence of all the students who wanted to succeed and thereby helped us to,” said Downing.
Over the past 10 years, Downing has found it rewarding to help students develop their passion for brewing at the College, then watch them move out into the industry or launch their own ventures.
“Seeing our graduate success is probably the most amazing thing,” he said. “We have almost 75 students in class right now who will graduate next year, and then they will be out in the industry doing the same thing too.”
History meets innovation
Aaron Spinney, who was among the first class of June 2012 graduates, is now at the helm of his own craft brewery: Merit Brewing Co. in downtown Hamilton. He noted that while being among the first to attempt anything is a great feeling, being a guiding light and beacon for others to follow is also a great responsibility.
“The challenge is to never stop learning and improving one’s self all while welcoming others to the table, paving the way with smiles, safety, constant learning and growth through educated beers and science,” said Spinney. “It’s a great responsibility to carry the history and traditions of brewers past, yet rules are meant to be challenged. Without challenge, you cannot have innovation.”
Inspiring future brewers
A photo of the first class of Brewmaster graduates is displayed in the Teaching Brewery as a reminder of their legacy and as a source of inspiration and connection for current students.
“People have been in this program for a decade now all over the industry, all over the world, not just Ontario. You get to see the stuff they do and the breweries they opened and it’s really inspiring,” said second-year student Shane Wright, who hopes to open a brewery someday. “We’re a family. When you talk to someone you met in the industry and he went to brewmaster school here too … you’ve got a connection.”
Nikolai Dusome recalls enjoying a bottle of First Draft 10 years ago while watching a football game and first hearing about the program. Now he is also working towards his dreams of launching his own brewery.
“I remember when it [the Brewmaster program] first started and hearing about it,” said Dusome. “Now actually being here and working through the program is a pretty cool experience.”
‘Resume in a bottle’
Steve Gill, general manager of NC’s Learning Enterprises, is proud of the past decade’s accomplishments.
“When we first opened the Teaching Brewery, there was nowhere else in the country that postsecondary students could gain the hands-on brewing skills they need to succeed in the industry, and our Teaching Brewery continues to lead the way in Canada’s growing craft beer industry today,” said Gill. “Each beer brewed at our Teaching Brewery is a ‘resume in a bottle’ for our students, and the multitude of awards won for student-crafted brews is a testament to the quality applied education and training that our students bring into the industry in Ontario and beyond.”
