Fermentation club forms at Missouri
The group will learn from brew masters and winemakers.
Published Sept. 21, 2007
A new group is brewing at MU.
The Mizzou Fermentation Club will work with MU's Institute for Continental Climate Viticulture and Enology, a winemaking institute in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
Their ultimate goal is to study the fermentation process, club co-founder Steve Monson said to the more than 50 students at the organization's first meeting Wednesday night.
Co-founder Philip Makarewicz said the group will stop the process before yeast is added to the mix and fermentation begins. Water, barley and hops are mixed together, in what is called wort, before yeast is added.
Makarewicz said the group will study that stage in the brewing process.
"There are different types of water," Makarewicz said. "If there are chemistry types here, they know you're dealing with the pH of the water and if there is chlorine. It all matters."
Monson said the group is not affiliated with any national organization, but its members would like to be.
"The fermentation sciences are a growing field," Monson said.
Monson said the group's focus is academic, and he would like to pursue a career in the fermentation sciences.
Monson said the group will not conduct any illegal activities, because it will not make or consume alcohol on campus.
The club also elected officers at its meeting.
Monson nominated himself for president and Makarewicz for vice president.
Both were unopposed and elected unanimously.
As president, Monson will be responsible for representing the group to campus, and as vice president, Makarewicz will represent the group to the community.
"I've called up the brew master of Flat Branch," Makarewicz said.
He said he also wanted to work with Les Bourgeois Winery and Vineyards.
The members also selected brew masters and winemakers. Monson said the brew masters and winemakers would be responsible for explaining the fermentation process and teaching tricks of the trade at meetings.
Most brew masters and winemakers selected at the meeting said they had previous brewing and fermenting experience.
There is no limit to the number of brew masters.
The group also solicited members to represent the club to schools in the university.
The club elected chairpersons for CAFNR, the College of Engineering, the College of Business and the College of Arts and Science.
"I can't stress enough how much we need members," Monson said.
Makarewicz said he hopes the club will be able to sponsor a local brew-off at events in Columbia.
The club will model its fermentation process after a similar club at Oregon State University where the club stops the process before fermentation.
The club sells the wort along with a proportional amount of yeast so the buyer can add the yeast in their own home off-campus, Makarewicz said.
"I'd love to see a whole little microbrew industry start and to see restaurants brew their own beer," he said.
Makarewicz said although he has never personally brewed beer, his father has been brewing beer for about 10 years, and he's been around the process.
MU sophomore Will Halter was elected treasurer at Wednesday's meeting.
"I'm really looking forward to learning the process of brewing beer and the process of wine," Halter said. "The brewing process is such a big industry and a tremendous business and has been in our culture for a long time."
Halter said the group is trying to get speakers and plan tours of breweries throughout Missouri, but it is too early to announce any specific events.
The club's next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 in Eckles Hall room 145.