• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

Western Kentucky University adds largest production-level brewing system to a university campus

May 11, 2016Chris Crowell

Alltech brewing ribbon cutting 2
Cut that ribbon and let us in already!

Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co. is partnering with Western Kentucky University to bring the largest production-level brewing system to a university campus in the United States. The fully operational brewery will help support new undergraduate and graduate certificates in Brewing and Distilling Arts and Sciences, set to begin this summer.

The fully-operational brewery consists of a brewhouse, fermenters and conditioning tanks capable of producing a wide variety of beers. It is located in WKU’s Center for Research and Development on Nashville Road and is Alltech’s first investment into Bowling Green.

By providing equipment and renovating the space, it opens up not just production, but the capability of training people for the growing brewing and craft brewing industry. A first-of-its-kind global survey released recently by Alltech demonstrated the growth of craft breweries, now more than 10,000-strong throughout the world, with more than 4,000 craft breweries in the United States alone.

Alltech’s Founder and President, Dr. Pearse Lyons, is himself a brewer and distiller, and was the first Irishman to receive a master’s degree and Ph.D. in this area.

Alltech’s diverse business, including animal health, crop sciences, algal technology and brewing and distilling, has a foundation in yeast and fermentation. Their staff includes 18 team members with master’s degrees in brewing and distilling, including experts such as Dr. Inge Russell, renowned researcher and editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Institute of Brewing in Canada, and Graeme Stewart, considered the “Godfather” of yeast in brewing.

“We’re investing in Western Kentucky University to establish this brewing and distilling program not only to train up the next generation of brewers for a growing craft beer industry, but also to develop talent for our own business, which requires a fundamental understanding of yeast. There’s no better way to achieve that than a brewing and distilling education,” said Lyons.

AllTech BrewingThis partnership will complement existing strengths among WKU faculty in areas such as food sciences, fermentation, history, marketing and entrepreneurship by providing specialized faculty expertise in brewing and distilling arts and sciences in tandem with innovative internship opportunities for WKU students.

“This is another example of how WKU is engaging in a private-public partnership to help a growing industry meet their workforce needs. WKU will continue to offer innovative brewing and distilling courses while moving to develop graduate and undergraduate degree programs,” said WKU President Gary Ransdell. “As the craft brewing industry expands in Kentucky and throughout the world, we believe there is a significant need for academic credentials for the professional in this field. We value Alltech’s important collaboration in helping to establish what we consider an important new scholarly initiative in Kentucky.”

This initiative runs parallel with Alltech’s recruitment of WKU students, particularly from its Chinese Flagship Program. Alltech currently has two graduates of this program working within the company alongside Dr. Mark Lyons, global vice president and head of Greater China for Alltech. The curriculum, approved April 22 by WKU’s Board of Regents, combines expertise from the Ogden College of Science and Engineering, the Potter College of Arts & Letters and the Gordon Ford College of Business.

“We’ve been teaching the history and science of brewing for almost 10 years at WKU,” said Dr. Andrew McMichael, assistant dean of Potter College. “However, as we look to expand our course offerings and develop undergraduate and graduate programs, this collaboration has the potential to put us in the forefront of academic programs in this field.”

Dr. Cathleen Webb, associate dean of Ogden College of Science and Engineering, said brewing and distilling are as much art as science.

“The program being proposed at WKU will combine science, arts, humanities and business, which will make this a destination degree for people around the country interested in multiple facets of the craft brewing and distilling industry,” she said. “We’re especially excited about the student laboratory and how our students will be able to combine academic research with real world work experience in the brewery.”

The undergraduate certificate will complement existing majors with courses that encompass science, business and history with a culminating internship. The graduate certificate program is focused more towards the working professional with a flexible schedule of online and blended courses.

“Most successful craft brewers do not have a degree in fermentation sciences,” Dr. Webb said. “Brewing and distilling are best learned by doing and that is why our focus is on an internship and practical work experience with industrial partners. Moreover, having the student lab attached to the brewery offers unique opportunities to take classes while watching a brewery operate.”

Kentucky Rye Barrel IPA
Ingredient Insight: Kentucky Rye Barrel IPA
Harvest Hosts
Breweries that host RV travelers via Harvest Hosts can earn some extra cash
joyride
Joyride Brewing’s anniversary block party is going to be pretty rad, includes friendly collab competition
The wheeled Perlick Mobile Tap is a cool new roving beer station

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. wryan1618 says

    May 12, 2016 at 9:11 am

    Western Kentucky University adds largest production-level brewing system to a university campus https://t.co/Qi7nCGsSRr

    Log in to Reply
  2. Beall Brewery Insurance says

    May 11, 2016 at 3:21 pm

    Beall Brewery Insurance liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  3. crsimp01 says

    May 11, 2016 at 3:16 pm

    Western Kentucky University adds largest production-level brewing system to a university campus https://t.co/X32IgOgsD7 via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Breweries that host RV travelers via Harvest Hosts can earn some extra cash
  • Joyride Brewing’s anniversary block party is going to be pretty rad, includes friendly collab competition
  • The wheeled Perlick Mobile Tap is a cool new roving beer station
  • A behind the scenes look at branding a startup brewery

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • A behind the scenes look at branding a startup brewery
    June 28, 2022
  • robot beer salesThe future of retail beer sales is here
    June 27, 2022
  • Sapporo to acquire Stone Brewing, that one brewery that kept saying it wasn’t interested in selling out
    June 24, 2022
  • Reebok-x-Rec-2Harpoon collaborates with Reebok, Elysian reveals new tarot labels and more beers to know this week
    June 23, 2022
  • Carlsberg announces largest test trial of its fully recyclable Fiber Bottles (Mads Mikkelsen’s a fan)
    June 22, 2022
  • Strategic Partnership HandshakeHarpoon parent company buys Long Trail Brewing brands
    June 21, 2022

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2022 · CBB Media LLC

Posting....