Get ready to raise your goblets and toast to the finest ales at Niagara College's Project Brew: Medieval Faire. Hosted by Brewmaster & Brewery Operations program students, the beer festival will take place on August 9 from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at NC's Daniel J. Patterson Campus Courtyard, promising an evening of exceptional brews and medieval charm.
The event, serving as the capstone project for the Beer Sales and Promotions class, allows fourth-semester students to showcase their brewing talents and creativity while applying the skills and knowledge they have acquired throughout their studies at the College.
"I am very excited to see the work of this cohort," said Victor Pauka Alves De Oliveira, Manager, Catering & Special Events, Niagara College. "Summer is always an exciting season to attend Project Brew. The chosen theme is very engaging and bright, and the class is creating a unique range of beers for guests to enjoy."
Guests will have the opportunity to sample 19 distinctive student-crafted beers. Individual student creations will be judged by a panel of industry professionals, while collaborative student beers will also be available for tasting.
The top beer will be awarded the $4,500 Matt Soos Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by Lallemand Brewing. Guests can also play judge and vote for their favourite beer to be crowned the People's Choice Award winner.
Students Keiran Brown-MacFayden and Cooper Kelly are this term's Project Brew co-chairs. This is the first year Project Brew has experimented with a co-chair position, to better manage the extensive number of beers offered at the festival.
This year's theme also marks a first for Project Brew. After reviewing previous events, the team of students decided that the new medieval theme would provide a distinctive and entertaining experience for attendees.
"Since our brewers come from diverse backgrounds from all over the world, it's been interesting to see what ideas the 'Medieval Faire' theme evokes beyond Europe," said Brown-MacFayden. "We really focused on the guest experience and ensuring it will be a warm and welcoming atmosphere that everyone will enjoy."
The event not only provides students with a platform to showcase their brewing expertise but also allows them to demonstrate their event planning skills, critical for success in the beverage industry.
"The event-planning and management experience has been invaluable, adding a significant dimension to our brewmaster training," said Brown-MacFayden. "It's about making great beer accessible to the people who will enjoy it."
Brown-MacFayden will present two beers at the festival. His non-competition beer, named "Irish Redpoll" after the playful Irish songbird, is a classic Irish Red accented with a touch of rye.
"The beer is dry and easy drinking at 4.2% ABV, while boasting a load of rich and roasty malty goodness to keep you coming back for more," he said.
His competition beer, "Songbird," is an experimental blend of two styles close to his heart: English Ale and German Lager.
"I wanted to introduce something new that nobody has tasted yet, and really show the range of flavours that beers can achieve," said Brown-MacFayden. "Think of sipping on a pint in an English garden on a sweltering summer day, with a refreshingly crisp lager that is as crushable as it is memorable."
Brown-MacFayden has had ambitious post-graduation plans since he began the program at NC. Having already gained experience as a brewer at Newark Brewing, he decided it was time to forge his own path. After graduating, he plans to launch his own beer brand, "The Rook and Raven Brewing Company," featuring four British-inspired beers he developed and trialed at the College. He even intends for his Project Brew competition beer, "Songbird," to be his flagship product, paving the way for his brand's future.
Kelly's entry, "Baby Dino," is inspired by the historical German beer style Mittelalter Alter Einbecker Bier, which no longer exists today. The brew also ties in perfectly with the event's medieval theme.
"Baby Dino is an exceptionally lightly carbonated beer with an enormous amount of malt character paired with traditional German hops and botanicals that would have been used back in the Middle Ages," said Kelly. "Developing this recipe required extensive research into historical brewing methods. I was inspired to brew this style of beer as it would challenge my talent and skills as a brewer and would be an extremely fun and interesting brew to learn from in the future."
For Kelly, studying in the Brewmaster & Brewery Operations program has been one of the best experiences of his life.
"I have learned so much about the brewing industry from recipe design, microbiology, and business management, and the faculty is the best in the industry to learn from," he said.
At Project Brew, guests will also get to experience delicious food offerings prepared by students from Niagara College's Culinary Arts programs, including Beer Brined Honey Mustard Smoked Wings, Stout Braised Beef Cornish Pasties, and more.
New to this term's Project Brew are interactive games and competitions such as Rope Toss, Bean Bag Toss, Pitcher Holder, and Wheel of Chance. Guests will receive colour-coded bandanas and accumulate points for their teams throughout the evening, with the winning team crowned at the end of the event.
A portion of the proceeds from Project Brew will support the Matt Soos Memorial Scholarship, established in memory of the late Matt Soos, a 2015 Brewmaster program graduate. The scholarship is supported by Railway City Brewing, Muskoka Brewing, and Natterjack Brewing Company Ltd., founded by Soos's family.
Tickets are priced at $35 + tax and include a sample glass, five tokens (one more than previous years), and an exclusive Project Brew collectible bandana. Limited tickets are available for purchase here.
For the latest updates on Project Brew and ticket information, visit the event website here.
NC's Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program was launched in 2010 as the first of its kind in Canada. The award-winning, two-year diploma program offers extensive hands-on training at an on-campus, state-of-the-art Teaching Brewery to prepare students for employment in the brewery, microbrewery and brewpub industries. Visit ncteachingbrewery.ca.
Niagara College has a full-time enrolment of more than 11,000 students from over 95 countries, who study in 130 diploma, certificate and bachelor degree programs at specialized campuses in Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Niagara College is also involved in educational projects and partnerships around the world and is ranked Canada's No.1 research college. Learn more at niagaracollege.ca.
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