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Niagara College Brewmaster Jon Downing Receives Minister’s Award of Excellence

January 28, 2022 by Dow Scoggins

It’s been almost 12 years since Niagara College launched its trailblazing Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program, which made history as the first in Canada. The program responded to an identified need for education and higher quality product in Ontario’s brewing industry, and the impact it has had on the growing industry for more than the past decade has been unrivalled.

College Brewmaster Jon Downing has been a part of it from the very beginning. In recognition of his key role in developing the program, and its major impact on helping to grow the industry, he was presented with a Minister’s Award in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

“Our brewing program at Niagara College has been instrumental in supporting the incredible growth of craft brewing in Ontario. Our Brewmaster Jon Downing has been at the lead of our NC Teaching Brewery since its inception over a decade ago and we are proud of his mentorship and support for the future brewers of Canada,” said Craig Youdale, Dean of NC’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute who nominated Downing for the award.

“Jon is not only supportive of our students, but also of the entire brewing community, by ensuring the growth and development of the industry that he loves. Our entire division is proud to have Jon on our team and we look forward to his direction to many more future brewers to come.”

Under Downing’s leadership, NC Brewmaster students have been gaining extensive hands-on training preparing them for employment in the expanding brewery, microbrewery and brewpub industries since 2010. The College’s Teaching Brewery has won numerous provincial, national and international awards for its student-crafted brews.

In 2012, NC’s first class of Brewmaster graduates set forth as pioneers in the province’s emerging craft beer scene – which has since grown from fewer than 100 breweries when the program was established, to 288 new start-ups (more than 320 breweries) by 2019.

“As we come up to the 10-year anniversary of the graduation of the first class of students, they and those that followed are the ones who have made the impact on the industry – some starting their own companies, and others working in breweries of all sizes, as brewers, head brewers and brewmasters of some of the top breweries in Ontario, leading the incredible growth we have seen in the last decade,” said Downing. “To have been a part of this all has been my pleasure, to be recognized for the part I played is awesome.”

Before Downing arrived at the College, he spent 20 years of his career opening more than 100 breweries around the world. It was his involvement with opening Ontario’s first brewpub in Welland, which led him to move to Canada from England in 1985.

Receiving a provincial award for his efforts was “totally unexpected” for Downing.

“I am honoured and deeply humbled that people think this much about what we have done to put me forward for the award, let alone to be chosen as the recipient,” he said.

For Downing, being selected for the award validates the faith that College leaders had in him when he first met with them almost 15 years ago about launching the program.

“Their support and that of many others at the College, and in industry, is what has led to our success,” he said.

Downing’s Award of Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship was among seven presented to faculty and staff from postsecondary institutions across Ontario.

Minister’s Awards of Excellence
The Minister’s Awards of Excellence were introduced in 2020 to recognize the incredible work of Ontario’s faculty and staff during the early stages of the pandemic. The ministry decided to continue the tradition annually, and new categories were added this year to highlight more positive work being done at Ontario’s postsecondary institutions.

This year’s winners received a certificate signed by Minister Dunlop and were honoured at a congratulatory virtual meeting on the morning of January 21.

Niagara College offers more than 130 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs; as well as more than 600 credit, vocational and general interest Part-Time Studies courses. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, media, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, distilling, horticulture and esthetics. For more information visit niagaracollege.ca.

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Saying goodbye to 33 years of Marin Brewing Company

January 20, 2022 by Dow Scoggins

By Brendan Moylan
On January 31st 2022, we will pour our final pint, serve our last Mt. Tam burger, and say goodbye to 33 years of Marin Brewing Company. I am heartbroken, but I am proud and I am grateful.

Proud of our role in the legacy of craft brewing and the countless awards we’ve won at the Great American Beer Festival.

Proud of the $500,000 we’ve donated to Schools, Clubs, Teams, Churches, and Organizations throughout our community and for 20 year partnerships like the Breastfest Beer Festival, raising over $250,000 for breast cancer.

Grateful to the 1000’s of employees that gave their all in the kitchen, on the floor, in the brewhouse, and behind the bar — and some, for decades themselves. A special thank you to our world-class brewmaster of 27 years, Arne Johnson, and Jenn Procopio our incredible GM for 30 of dedication.

And I am so, so grateful to the generations of families, the ferry catching office workers, the first legal pints, barstool regulars, and all who patronized our pub and made the pipe dream, of a much younger man, a reality. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for 33 years of support and the lifetime of memories. Come join us in our final days — we’re open from 11:30 daily.

If you love Brew Co. as much as we do, we do have a little bit of good news. We will be holding a silent auction of our iconically Brew Co. art and decor — including decades of hand drawn coasters — to raise money for our employee fund, as they no doubt feel the greatest impact of our closure. Stop on by and place a bid.

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Pabst Blue Ribbon Introduces #1776Pack With 1,776 Beers

June 29, 2021 by Dustin Scoggins

MILWAUKEE – After 18 months of social distancing and self-isolation, this 4th of July, our country steps outside together once again to reclaim its independence. And the nation’s largest American owned brewery, Pabst Blue Ribbon, will be right there to take all of the credit.

Introducing the #1776Pack from Pabst Blue Ribbon. You’re welcome, America.

The #1776Pack will contain 1,776 Pabst Blue Ribbon beers and an infinite amount of Freedom.

“We figured the best way to honor the year America claimed its independence was to make a box that held that many beers – 1,776. It’s the least we could do. I mean beyond making our beer can red, and white, and blue. Actually 1,776 is the most we could do because 1,777 seemed excessive.” – Nick Reely, VP Marketing – Pabst Blue Ribbon

The limited-edition 1776 pack will launch on June 29th with four different partners. First, an iconic American brand whose products have been keeping drinks cold for over 70 years, Igloo Coolers. Additionally, skateboarding podcast crew The Nine Club, comedian Ali Macofsky, and Midwest emo darlings Hot Mulligan will all receive big ol’ boxes of beer. Each partner will provide content (and updates) through the Summer and into Labor Day.

Also, rats at home worry not, there’s already talks of (somehow) an even bigger box being released to the general public soon, as well as the return of the beloved 99-can pack, which is available now. Again, You’re Welcome, America.

About Pabst Blue Ribbon
Pabst Brewing Company, founded in 1844 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by Jacob Best, stands as one of America’s oldest and most iconic brewing institutions, with a rich heritage spanning over 180 years. Best known for its flagship Pabst Blue Ribbon—a premium American lager first brewed as Best Select and awarded “America’s Best” at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition—the company has grown into a portfolio of more than 30 cherished brands, including Old Milwaukee, Schlitz, Lone Star, Stroh’s, and National Bohemian. Committed to preserving authentic American brewing traditions, Pabst respects its past while embracing the future, fostering community connections through enduring beers that appeal to generations of enthusiasts.

Today, as a leading American-owned brewing company, Pabst continues to deliver high-quality, accessible beers crafted with premium ingredients and time-honored techniques. With a focus on cultural contributions, local partnerships, and innovative experiences like music festivals and merchandise, Pabst Brewing Company invites beer lovers everywhere to celebrate its legacy of quality and camaraderie. For more information on the full portfolio and latest updates, visit pabst.com or pabstblueribbon.com.

For More Information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUsHl5RAnLg

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The story of Deschutes Brewery’s Black Butte Porter

March 2, 2021 by Dow Scoggins

In 1987, we originally hired Frank Appleton, a brewing consultant from Canada to help us establish the brewing component of our planned brewpub in Bend, Oregon. In addition to designing the equipment, and having it installed, he would formulate the first three beers in our line-up. Not knowing much about it in 1988, we wanted something light, medium, and dark. Frank came up with Cascade Golden Ale, Bachelor Bitter, and Black Butte Porter. Our first brewer, John Harris, then put his hand (and considerable skill) on the formulation and Black Butte Porter was born. However, it was not until sometime later that Black Butte Porter became our “flagship” beer. After a year or so, and out of necessity to keep the brewery going, we began to explore wholesale distribution. Thinking conventionally, we began with Cascade Golden Ale and Bachelor Bitter as being most adaptable to the limited palates of 1980’s drinkers. It just seemed like lighter colored beer would make sense.

Once while meeting with our distributor in Portland, Oregon, Jim Kennedy, he posed a question. He said, “You need to decide what you want to be as a brewery. Now, you can sell these lighter colored beers and carve out your small but reasonable slice of the very large, light colored beer-pie, competing with everyone for that slice. Or, you can sell Black Butte Porter and, although the dark-colored beer-pie is much smaller, you can own the whole thing”. I guess being a contrarian at heart, that proposition appealed to me. Although we had to sacrifice quite a bit to make that happen. You see, the path of least resistance for beer salespeople was certainly not in dark beer. Particularly when we had developed some really popular lighter beers like Mirror Pond Pale Ale. But we were committed. For the next few years, we kept the brakes on Mirror Pond and limited its market exposure to ensure Black Butte could gain a foothold in the market. It didn’t hurt that it was winning awards at a pretty good clip in those days. As a result, you could say we developed our second brand first, and we actually had two flagship brands with Black Butte and Mirror Pond sharing that distinction.
Black Butte Porter has continued to evolve, although our target flavors never really changed. But with growth naturally comes change. When we built our larger production facility in 1993, we installed a 50-barrel brewery. Later, we added a German-manufactured 150 barrel brewery that was much more efficient. Getting those two breweries to brew Black Butte Porter that tasted the same was quite the chore. But, we’re pretty stubborn, so four years later, we declared success and the legacy (and flavor) of Black Butte Porter could continue.

Black Butte continues to be our flagship. Even though beers like Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Fresh Squeezed outsell it. Black Butte is the best-selling porter in America and a significant point of pride for our team. It has successfully dispelled the misconceptions of dark beer. It is particularly successful at that task with novice craft drinkers. But, if we can get them to taste it, they are usually hooked! It has also spurred spin-offs like Black Butte Anniversary that is an imperial version of Black Butte Porter brewed for our company’s anniversary, but being barrel-aged and topping out around 11% alcohol with various added adjuncts like chocolate, chilis or coffee. We have also made a Black Butte Whiskey, with local distillery, Bendistillery. We make the wash for the whiskey using a variation of the Black Butte formula for that wash. Finally, we also do Black Butte3 where we use an imperial version of Black Butte Porter and age it in barrels that were used for Black Butte Whiskey.

Business consultants like to ask a question evaluating your business. That is, “what can you do your competitors can’t?” For me, the answer is clearly Black Butte Porter. The legend will continue. What we do with it next, well, stay tuned.

Written by Gary Fish, Founder of Deschutes Brewery

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Niagara College Teaching Brewery finishes year with gold-medal performance at the U.S. Open Beer Championship

December 13, 2020 by Dow Scoggins

Niagara on the Lake, Ontario – Staff and students at the Niagara College Teaching Brewery are clinking beer steins this week after three student-made beers medaled at the U.S. Open Beer Championships, including winning gold.

The trio of beers that were awarded honours at the competition, which drew 6,000 entries from throughout North America, are:
Gold for Beer 101 Bock in the Bock category;
Silver for Beer 101 Strong in the Old Ale category;
Silver for Beer 101 Bitter in the Bitter category.

Both the Beer 101 Bitter and Strong have consistently medalled at the U.S. Open Beer Championships over the past eight years. This is also the third medal this year for the Beer 101 Bock, which also scored a gold at the Ontario Brewing Awards and silver at the Canadian Brewing Awards earlier this fall.

“This is a significant accomplishment for students and staff at the Niagara College Teaching Brewery,” said Steve Gill, general manager of NC’s Learning Enterprises. “Our beers have performed well at competitions this year attesting to the quality of the applied education we offer at the college and to our students’ abilities to make some of the best beers in North America year after year.”

College Brewmaster Jon Downing noted that students in the Brewmaster and Brewery Operations program mastered the key characteristics judges seek when choosing winning beers in a competition.

“Students are learning how to make consistent, high-quality beer and they’re knocking it out of the park,” Downing said. “Quality and consistency are what the judges look for, and these beers have it. And with the Bock, we just nailed the recipe this year.”

The U.S. Open Beer Championships is the second-largest competition in North America and the only one to include suds from both professional and home brewers. Judges from the U.S. and Canada select winners in blind tastings, knowing only the categories, not the names or locations of beers competing.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, judging was held in both the U.S. and Canada.

Competition Director Dow Scoggins said Niagara students don’t just perform well at the competition while enrolled in school. They continue to do so after graduation.

He noted NC alumnus Jared Lewinski, who’s now the head brewer at Listermann Brewing Company in Cincinnati, produced four beers that medalled this year, including a gold in the nut beer category.

Another alumnus, Henriques Soares, who came from Brazil to study in the program, saw two of his beers for Tire Shack Brewing Co. in Moncton, N.B., medal, including a gold in the Gose category.

“One of the important things about Niagara College is the students do well there, but they also medal outside the College,” Scoggins said. “The No. 1 thing is we’re very big on clean beers with no alcohol taste. That speaks to the quality of brewing and the brewery at Niagara College.”

The award-winning beers are sold in 473-millilitre cans, which are available for purchase at the Wine Visitor + Education Centre, located at the College’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Sales of the brews support student education.

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