Sustainable Brewing Students Win Third Place in U.S. Open College Beer Championship

Kalamazoo Valley Community College's sustainable brewing students continue to garner national recognition for their award-winning craftsmanship and beers. During the 2023 U.S. Open College Beer Championship in Oxford, Ohio, Kalamazoo Valley placed third overall and took home three medals, including gold, silver and bronze.

Among the college's winning beers were Kentucky Gambler (gold), Marven the Märzen (silver) and Belgian Dubbel (bronze). The students credited for crafting the winning brews include Nicholas Alpher, Marcy Binns and Alex Lawrence.

"I have been in the brewing program for about three years," said Binns, award-winning student and Kalamazoo Valley brewing lab assistant. "The instructors have been amazing at teaching me techniques and taking time to learn about who I am while working with me to grow as a person and future brewer. I worked with the brewing team on the Belgian Dubbel and felt accepted and included."

Since 2016, the U.S. Open College Beer Championship has awarded colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada for outstanding programs and student crafted beers. Colleges and universities offering courses in brewing are eligible to participate and can submit beers to the competition each year.

"I want to extend a cheers and congratulations to all of the students, staff, lab assistants and other brew faculty on the fifth year of placement in this competition," said Aaron Ross, Kalamazoo Valley sustainable brewing faculty. "We are looking forward to entering more of our students' high-quality recipes in coming competitions."

Kalamazoo Valley has consistently placed in the competition, winning Grand National Champion last year as well as in 2017. The college also achieved third place in 2019, tying two other programs for the title.

"We're so pleased to have placed again in the competition," said Lucas McFarland, Kalamazoo Valley culinary and brewing operations manager. "The fun part is that it's all student driven. These recipes tend to be capstone projects prior to graduation."

With the instruction of teachers and the aid of lab assistants, students brew beers themselves and get to serve their creations to the public during the college's Taps on Tuesday events held at Kalamazoo Valley's 418 Restaurant located at the Marilyn J. Schlack Culinary and Allied Health Building, downtown Kalamazoo. The winning medals will be on display at upcoming events.

Kalamazoo Valley's comprehensive sustainable brewing curriculum is designed with input from many of Michigan's top craft brewers and industry partners. Insight is provided by external advisory board members whose experience and expertise contribute to the program's design.

Brewing program students have the option to pursue a certificate of achievement, an associate degree and a transferable degree to Western Michigan University. To learn more about sustainable brewing at Kalamazoo Valley, visit www.kvcc.edu/brewing.