Shusuke Satomura capped off his studies at Niagara College with a big win at the Winter 2022 edition of Project Brew on December 10.
Project Brew is a student-run beer festival that showcases the capstone projects of graduating students from the College’s Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program. During the final term of the program, students design and brew their own craft beers, which they serve to guests at the event.
Each sudsy creation is taste tested by a panel of judges, tasked with deciding on the best student-made beer. The winner is awarded the Matt Soos Memorial Scholarship, created in memory of Brewmaster alumnus Matt Soos, who passed away in 2015 shortly after graduating from the program.
For his Project Brew submission, Satomura, who is originally from Tokyo, paid homage to his roots by creating a stout with a Japanese twist called ‘Roast in Translation.’
“I brewed a classic style sweet stout using only British ingredients (malts, hops, and yeast),” he said. “At the end of the boiling process, I added Sakekasu (leftover from sake product) and Komekoji (malted rice). These two ingredients are used for making Amazake, which is a traditional Japanese drink.”
The result was a beer with “a nicely roasted malty character with sweet and savory umami flavours,” said Satomura, who explained that his recipe was also inspired by his former workplace.
“When I was living in Toronto, I had a chance to work at a sake brewery called Ontario Spring Water Sake Company,” he said. “Their craftsmanship and dedication for brewing sake inspired me a lot and I wanted to combine these elements into one beer. I got the Sakekasu and Komekoji from them, so I’d like to thank them for giving me ideas and inspiration.”
The unique beer impressed judges, earning Satomura the Project Brew title and $4,500 scholarship prize, which was sponsored by Linde.
“This year’s event was one to remember for many reasons, not the least of which was a fabulous beer selection with exotic flavours and creativity on full display from all the students,” said Linde representative Damien O’Flaherty, who was joined by his colleague Peter Whittier, NC’s President Emeritus Dan Patterson, Kelly Byer and Brad Barta from NC’s Research and Innovation division and Brewmaster alumna Courtney Nuttley on the Project Brew judges panel.
“There were many excellent choices and a number of different beers that could have ended up as the number one choice, but at the end of the judging session, it was unanimous that ‘Roast in Translation’ was in or near the lead in all of the judging categories and deemed the best overall,” added O’Flaherty. “Congratulations again to Shusuke on a great beer.”
“I feel extremely honoured and grateful for being recognized with the Matt Soos Memorial Scholarship,” said Satomura, who plans to use the funds for his future travels. “I’m just so lucky to have such amazing teachers and classmates around me. Without them, I couldn’t even come this far. I’d love to thank everyone for supporting and giving me this great opportunity.”
In addition to designing and brewing their own beer for Project Brew, Brewmaster students also plan the event from start to finish as part of their Beer Sales and Promotions class.
Satomura was responsible for creating and editing the Project Brew website design and print materials. “I have never had any experience creating a website before, but it was a fun and great experience to work along with my classmates to create the event from scratch,” he said.
Project Brew Winter 2022 – themed ‘Parkas ‘n’ Pints’ – was held outdoors for the first time in the courtyard at NC’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The event drew 550 guests, making it the Brewmaster program’s largest edition yet, and featured a total of 12 beers created by individual students, as well as three collaboration class beers.
The event also involved students from NC’s School of Culinary Arts who prepared a variety of food including Smoked Tomato and Coconut Bisque with Dill Havarti Grilled Cheese, gourmet poutines and S’mores with Cranberry Plum Sour Dark Chocolate Ganache.
“The culinary students really loved the event and the evening, with the opportunity to make some comfort classics for guests to enjoy,” said Sarah Scott, Manager, Foodservices Operations for NC’s Culinary, Tourism and Beverage Studies Division, who noted that all recipes included beers brewed for the occasion.
Satomura, who completed the Brewmaster program in December 2022 shortly after Project Brew, is grateful to those who supported him throughout his time at Niagara College.
“I was a bit nervous when I started this program, but I ended up meeting so many wonderful people who helped and pushed me to achieve my goals,” he said. “I feel so blessed to have gotten to meet them and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Satomura will take the skills that he learned in the classroom with him as he continues his journey in the beer industry. “I’d love to work as a brewer in Canada and keep learning more about beer brewing,” he said.
