Sustainable Brewing Students Win Medals at US Open College Beer Championship

Kalamazoo Valley's sustainable brewing students continue to gain recognition for their superior craft beers. At the 2022 U.S. Open College Beer Championship in Oxford, Ohio, Kalamazoo Valley's sustainable brewing program took the Grand National Champion with three gold and one silver medal out of 11 North American colleges and universities.

"We have placed in this competition nearly every year and have taken Grand Champion once in the past," said brewing instructor Aaron Ross. "This is a major success for our program, students and team."

Dean of Health Careers and Sustainable Food Systems, Tanya McFadden, shared Ross's enthusiasm. "This is a major achievement and I couldn't be more proud of our faculty and students for accomplishing this major feat," she said. "This is indeed cause for celebration!"

Both the quality and number of the entries into the College Championship have increased every year, according to Carla Gesell-Streeter, director of the US Open College Beer Championship. "It's our sixth year and the beers keep getting better and better," she said.

Kalamazoo Valley Community College took home the Grand National Championship with three gold medals for their Strong Scottish Ale, Dopple/Strong Bock, and Brett Beer plus a silver medal for their Berliner-Style Weisse.

The college's Kalsec Center for Sustainable Brewing opened in fall 2015 and was developed in cooperation with Western Michigan University. The resulting "two-plus-two" program in sustainable craft brewing offers students the opportunity to earn a certificate or associate degree at Kalamazoo Valley, then move on to a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor in Business that marries industry art, science, and entrepreneurship within WMU's national reputation in sustainability.

The rigorous science curriculum was developed with input from an external advisory board that includes many of Michigan's top craft brewers and industry partners. The curriculum was developed with the help of master brewer Mike Babb, a former Coors brewer, hop scientist at Kalsec, and instructor at the 130-year-old Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago. He continues to consult with Kalamazoo Valley on its certificate and associate degree programs.

Kalamazoo Valley's teaching brewery was designed with the comprehensive functionality of industry equipment and facilities that incorporate sustainable brewing practices. The facility is critical to both schools' efforts. Hands-on experience, internships and an opportunity to understand every part of the industry are part of the plan.

Kalamazoo Valley offers three options for students interested in sustainable brewing. A 37-credit certificate program provides students with specific competencies considered critical when working in the field in a variety of roles and can be completed in about a year.

An associate of applied science degree combines the competencies in the certificate program with additional coursework in the sciences, business, sustainability studies, and allied fields. The program is designed to prepare students for technical and entrepreneurial careers in the brewing industry. The associate of sciences for transfer degree is designed for students planning to transfer to Western Michigan University.

Students complete the brewing program at Kalamazoo Valley and then transfer to complete sciences and general education electives toward a Bachelor of Science at WMU. For more information about Kalamazoo Valley's sustainable brewing curriculum go to www.kvcc.edu/brewing.

Enrollment in the Fall 2022 Semester at Kalamazoo Valley is going on now and classes start on September 7. For registration information, go to www.kvcc.edu/register. Watch brewing videos at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORYk9bftzz8 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORYk9bftzz8.