More Canadian BrewSchools Opening - Part 1: A brewstudent perspective (Industry Class)

Disclaimer: The following is my own musings, ponderings, and thoughts with a twist of viewpoint plus a dash of genuine concern. That’s it. That’s all. No put-downs. Just me thinking...and keeping the voices at bay. :)

     A few years ago when I was looking to go to a post-secondary institution to learn brewing. I reviewed the program at Niagara College but because I was living in BC at the the time, the prospect of traveling all that way seemed a touch daunting. To make a long story short, I applied and got accepted into the Brewmaster & Brewery Operations Course at Olds College, in Olds Alberta. 

     After my 1^st year in the program, I received news from my friends back in BC that Kwantlen University was opening up their own program in BC (see article here). I lost track as to how many of those friends asked me “What do you think?”, “Are you going to transfer there?”, “Is it the same program? It looks the same.", "Should you have waited a year before going to beer school?". I gave those questions some solid thought and here are the reasons why it's good for me (and I suppose I should toss 'myself', and 'I' in there for good measure) that I'm at Olds. 

Money - This question got tossed to me a few times, “Would I save money if I stayed in BC?”  I don’t think so. I’d likely be spending the same amount if not more. The cost of living appears to be cheaper in Alberta than BC (no GST will do that!). Fuel is much cheaper out here, not that I commute much (It’s nice to have a 3 min drive to the college or a 20 minute walk if the weather co-operates).  With all the breweries opening up in BC, I’d likely spend more money on all the new beers that are popping up from all the new breweries. I know from experience that such can kick around one’s wallet pretty harshly. 

                I’m also hearing from specific people (some homebrewers) who have signed up for the new SFU Craft Beer Certificate Program that the tuition fees vary in price between the institutions.  I won’t quote numbers here (maybe in a later blog post when I compare the programs) but even from what they are saying, I know I’m paying a lot less out here in Olds. Sure there is value attributed to high price and quality combined with the “you get what you pay for” analogy, but at the end of the day, who doesn’t like to save a bit of money? 

               The money I think I saved allowed to go to Ontario and visit my family (& meet my new nephew Jake!) over the Christmas Holidays. 

Distractions & Focus – Even when I lived in the Fraser Valley in BC, I found it very difficult to go to all the craft beer related events that I wanted to attend; namely because the majority of them are in Vancouver. Although I lived a mere hour or so East of Vancouver, those that live in the Fraser Valley know it’s not that easy to attend a beer-related event with the current state of available transit to and from Vancouver.  

                I would also want to be homebrewing with my friends in the area or conduct beer tastings etc. which would also bite into my time.  Out here in Olds, there is very little to distract me…and I need that. Sure I could dash into Calgary (a mere hour south of Olds) but I find that the adage “Out of sight – out of mind” has been helping me focus on my studies. 

                Now don’t get me wrong, Calgary has been putting on some fun beer-related events and I go when I can…but I’m shelling out the coin for my education. Beer events come and go and tend to be annual.  I can always hit them up again the following year...regardless of how others brag about such on their Twitter feeds. 

My fellow Brew Students – I’ve mentioned the blog post here, that the individuals in my class I call the “Brew Brothers” (Yes, even Lisa!) are some of the most talented individuals I have met. Imagine hanging out with beer aficionados every day! I learn TONS from these people who come from various provinces across this country. If I attended a brew program in BC,  I feel that the majority of the people attending that program would be primarily from BC. That’s not a bad thing but I’m learning a LOT about how the industry varies in different provinces and it truly provides a unique perspective. 

Olds College itself – Now this is going to sound like a testimonial, and maybe it is, but the faculty at Olds College are completely dedicated to the well-being of the students. I’ve witnessed such across various departments within Olds College itself. From talking with my friends back in BC about their post-secondary experiences, I’ve been told that such commitment to students isn’t always the case.   

      Sure, there are the situations of ‘red tape’ (which organization doesn’t have its fair share of that good ol’ fun-lovin’ bureaucracy? – Psst, that was sarcasm in case you missed it) but all in all, us inaugural OC brew students (aka The OC BrewCrew) have had the opportunity to minimize challenges with constructive feedback. I hear from my friends who have attended post-secondary institutions that not many colleges or universities are that open-minded to such forward thinking and change. 

Opportunities – Our profs have worked very hard to provide us with a myriad of guest speakers from various businesses and breweries in order to shed different perspectives upon the beer industry. We have been able to tour Canada Malting in Calgary, Rahr Malting in Alix, and I got to go down to Yakima, Washington TWICE for hop harvest in September. These and other opportunities would not have been available to me if I didn’t go to ‘brewschool’. Do other brew schools offer these trips? I’m not throwing a gauntlet down – it’s merely a question.  If they do, then awesome...I'm glad to see a bar has been set. 

Giving Back (even a little bit) – I really enjoy giving back to community whenever I can. Call it what you will (One of my profs calls it "do-gooderism") but it makes me feel better.  Here in Olds, I’ve had the chance (when my course load gives me a touch of breathing room) to give some time back to Olds College and the area. I volunteered my time in the following areas (and this doesn't cover all of the stuff I've managed to help with):

• 3 fellow OC Brew students & I sold raffle tickets last year at the Banff Mountain Film Festival which raised $800 for the Olds Hopsice Society (hopefully I’ll be able to fit that in again this year)

• Participating on a Student Panel to answer questions to prospective interested students in the program

• Volunteered at the first Oldstoberfest. The bunch of us wore lederhosen and really pumped up the event. 

Members of the OC BrewCrew (mix of 1st & 2nd yrs) getting ready to entertain attendees at Oldstoberfest 2014

• Served Olds College beer in the Beer Garden with fellow first year students Ainsley & Jake (You guys rock!) at the Olds Mud Run to participants

• Helping with the Open House where I assisted with brewery tours and answered questions about the program to prospective students.

OC BrewCrew volunteers with our Brewmaster Dave Mozel and Cicerone Host Kirk Bodnar at the Olds College Brewmaster Dinner. Dave made a special cask for the event. Yeah, good times.

• Another brew colleague John & I organized, hosted, and ran the Brewmaster’s Dinner focusing specifically on Olds College Beer. Where else could I get such an opportunity on that scale? (Thanks again John!) Brewstudents volunteered, people attended, food was eaten, smiles were had, beer was tasted...all was good. 

• I write an article called “OC Brew News” for the Olds College Student Association monthly publication, the “Grass Roots”. It’s a lot of fun as I get to inform the campus about what we do in our program.

     Would I receive these opportunities at another school? Or would I get lost in the crowd?

So with that being said, I’m glad I made this decision to come to Olds. I’m not that far from BC but I get to witness firsthand how the craft brewing industry is growing in Alberta. It’s exciting to watch. 

          To me, more schools will raise the bar of education and training that goes into the beer industry. That's why for me, I'm always going to strive to learn more. My learning is like a slow but steady investment. It takes me a few passes to get a concept or technique but once I do, I have it locked and loaded with consistency. What I mean is: If a company (Psst....or brewery) wants to bring me on board and takes the time to properly train me (that means NOT "throwing me in the deep end") with a bit of patience, they WILL see a return on their investment. 

     Yet, there is a thought that orbits my brain like a gray cloud making that really annoying buzzing noise that only mosquitoes make (Grrr, I HATE mosquitoes!)  At the rate of schools offering brewing related programs in Canada, when will the market saturate with too many brewers? Will it saturate? In order to stem the buzzing in head, this is something I’m going to have to research. All I know, is with Niagara College putting out 3 intakes of students for their brewing program, Olds College looking to put out a class every year, Kwantlen with their program and strong technical back ground putting out a group, and now Simon Fraser University getting on board (with an very interesting program I might add) and so on...I may have some stiff competition ahead of me. 

      Another thought, will my fellow brew students and I stay decent friends? Or do the gloves come off when we graduate this April? I see brewers in the industry being very collegial to each other but will that change if the competition gets stiffer? 

If I had it my way, I'd make the brewing industry a "No Gauntlet Thrown Zone"...unless it's a brew-off! (That's different)

       All I know is that I have a touch more than a year to get established in the industry before approximately 40-50 or so more people hit the ground running from various brewing programs. On that note, this brew student better get back to hitting the books.

Thanks for reading,

BL