Student-Crafted Beer Now Available at the 418 Restaurant

Beer crafted by students in Kalamazoo Valley’s sustainable brewing program has consistently won prestigious brewing awards and now those beers can be sampled by the public. The college recently obtained the licensing to sell beer crafted by its students. To celebrate, a Student Tap Take-over event was held on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at the 418 Restaurant in the Marilyn J. Schlack Culinary and Allied Health Building.

The Sustainable Brewing program and the culinary team hosted an open house featuring appetizers, brewery tours and drink specials. Student-made beer was available for purchase for $1 per four-ounce taste and wine was also available. Culinary and brewing students and instructors were on-hand to talk about their craft and provide tours.

“They’re definitely doing some great things over at the brewing program and now it’s time to celebrate,” said Kalamazoo Valley’s Executive Vice President of Enrollment and Campus Operations, Mike Collins. “I think it’s great!”

Collins said the process to obtain proper licensing began more than a year ago. The 418 Restaurant already had a Class C liquor license allowing the sale of beer, wine and alcohol, but not beer crafted by sustainable brewing students.

Now that the college has secured federal authorization and a new state brewpub license, student-brewed creations can be showcased at the restaurant. Collins said the approval means that beer created through the sustainable brewing program could eventually be sold in growlers or even canned.

“We’re so pleased to finally be able to serve the amazing beers that our students have been making and not let them go to waste,” said Brian Lindberg, sustainable brewing instructor. “Our curriculum focuses on sustainable practices and this is another way that we can utilize what we teach with a hands-on approach.” Lindberg expects to fill all six taps at the restaurant with student-brewed beers.

“I try to be as unbiased as possible, but all the beers that the students have been producing are really good,” he said. “We have been taking home medals in a yearly college wide brewing competition for the last three years, being awarded a gold and silver last year. I feel like this is a testament to not only the program but the future success of our students and alumni.”

Currently, 48 students are enrolled in the sustainable brewing program and a total of 64 students have graduated from the program since it opened.