Derrick Clarit/Observer

Ever wondered about how beer is made? That was discussed in a packed back room of the Cornerstone Pie restaurant on Tuesday, April 7.

Incidentally, the lecture, “Science in a Pint,” occurred on National Beer Day, commemorating the end of the Prohibition and the legalization of selling, buying and drinking alcohol in the United States.

The speakers of “Science in a Pint” were Steve Wagner, director of Central’s craft brewing and professor of biological sciences, and A.J. Keagle, a brewer for the Yakima Craft Brewing Company and a graduate of Central’s Craft Brewing Certificate Program.

In a nutshell, Wagner and Keagle said that beer is basically “liquid bread.”

The four main ingredients of beer are barley (a grain source of sugar which adds to the color, texture and flavor of a beer), yeast (necessary for creating alcohol), hops (a plant needed for adding bitterness, to balance with sweetness and for aroma) and water (to dissolve the ingredients).

One student attending the seminar was interested in more than just free beer. Riley Thomas, senior clinical physiology major, was curious about the chemistry and biology of beer, especially since he has a cousin that brews beer. Thomas believed that students would benefit from seminars about beer making.

“Alcohol is so infused in the college culture but there’s so much more to it,” Thomas said. “People drink just to get drunk, but there are varieties to beer and making beer is like an art.”

While he enjoyed the free beer tasting and the lecture on its production, the only suggestion Thomas had for improvements was having a bigger venue, given the popularity of the event.

Central offers students the education for the Craft Beer Trade Certificate. It’s a one-year program that consists of four courses related to biology, chemistry, business and technology, which are necessary for the beer crafting industry.

According to KIMATV.com, the program costs around $4,000 for the year and has an approximate 80 percent success rate for providing jobs; craft breweries in the United States provide around 100,000 jobs.

There was a misunderstanding that “Science in a Pint” was the first in a series about the science of making beer. In actuality, it was created by a partnership between Central’s Center for Excellence in Math and Science Education (CESME) and Cornerstone Pie as the first in a series, covering an assortment of science topics.

Other topics for the series will include fly fishing, health and local research projects.
According to Jennifer Dechaine, assistant professor of biology and science education, this series will happen on the first Tuesday of every month at Cornerstone Pie.

“A lot of great people are doing cool science in the Ellensburg community and at CWU,” Dechaine said. “But we don’t often get to hear about their research or meet the scientists.

Science in a Pint provides a fun, informal atmosphere to learn about interesting science that is happening right here in our community.”