New Maryville College minor in Fermentation Sciences about so much more than just beer brewing
June 7, 2023
Maryville College administrators have announced an addition to its academic offerings — a minor in Fermentation Sciences.
Starting this fall, students will be able to declare the minor, which requires 21 hours of study: eight hours of chemistry and microbiology, seven hours in newly created fermentation sciences courses, and six hours in hospitality-related classes so that students understand the business side of food and beverage. Students may choose to pursue an internship for an additional three hours.
Instruction and experiences in the minor will focus on beer brewing; however, distilling and food preservation concepts also will be covered. Students completing the course of study will be prepared for work in breweries, distilleries, wineries and restaurants.
Maryville College Associate Professor of Chemistry Dr. Nathan Duncan began teaching CHM149: Chemistry of Beer in 2017. In 2018, he added EXP200: Introduction to Brewing, which was an upper-level, lab-based course for students 21 and older that focused on the brewing process. Curriculum in these classes provide the foundation for the new Fermentation 101: Introduction to Fermentation Sciences and Fermentation 201: Principles of Brewing Sciences courses.
Beer brewed by Duncan and his students has been served to adults attending College events such as Homecoming and KT Days. In April 2023, Maryville College brews were sold as part of a fundraiser at the Casual Pint’s Tartan Day festivities in Maryville. Starting in 2021, craft brews made by Maryville College students have been served at Blount County’s annual Hops in the Hills Craft Beer Festival, and they’ll continue with this year’s festival, scheduled for June 23-24.
“Hops in the Hills is our hometown beer festival,” Duncan explained. “It is a public showcase of the breweries in our region, and as we create this program, it’s important for us to participate in events like this.
“This is our third year having a presence at Hops in the Hills, and to coincide with the launch of this minor, we have brewed a sort of ‘greatest hits’ of recipes from the previous EXP200 classes as well as a couple of new ones,” the professor continued. “We plan to have at least six different beers for people to try, representing a range of styles so there’s something for everyone.”
Local breweries plan to partner
While finalizing the curriculum of the minor, Duncan and College leaders began conversations with local breweries and restaurants about providing specific expertise and practical experiences for students. The list of businesses interested in a relationship with the College and Fermentation Sciences program is long and growing, the professor said.
“We are fortunate to be located in a region where the craft beer industry is growing but is also really collaborative,” Duncan said. “This area is rich with breweries of various types and sizes, and as they have heard of our new program, many have offered to be a resource to us, for which I’m incredibly grateful.
“I’m very excited that our students will have ample opportunities for hands-on work and learning that will bring to life the science behind measures like water quality, yeast activity and resilience and chemical transformations that occur during fermentation, as well as the business decisions that will impact production and marketing.”
In addition to offering the new fermentation sciences minor to its students, the College plans to offer lifelong learning courses in brewing to the broader community in the near future. These will take place at the Maryville College Downtown Center, which is located at the corner of East Church Avenue and Court Street and slated for opening in early 2024. Duncan pointed out that Tri-Hop Brewery, which is adjacent the Downtown Center, is one of those breweries interested in partnering with the College.
“Being located next door to a functioning commercial brewery will allow us to benefit from their commercial expertise and will provide a close location for students to observe and learn brewing on a larger scale than they will in our learning space,” Duncan said. “We hope to forge strong relationships with brewers in our area, particularly with our next-door neighbors at Tri-Hop to grow our program and provide on-site locations for our students to gain real-world experience.”
A liberal arts program
Maryville College Vice President and Dean of the College Dr. Dan Klingensmith said the Fermentation Sciences minor centers on a field of study that is popular and marketable but also fits nicely into the College’s liberal arts-inspired core curriculum.
“In the last decade, our region has seen a big increase in craft beer and other kinds of small-batch food, beverage and hospitality ventures,” he said. “The Fermentation Science minor builds on a popular elective course in which students learned about the science of beer brewing and collaborated to brew batches of beer. The minor will encourage students to do a deeper dive than the elective course, learning about the chemistry and microbiology behind beer and other fermented products.
“But in the liberal arts spirit in which we approach education, students will also learn about the hospitality industry and about the culture, technology and history that lie behind beer making and other kinds of fermentation,” he added.
For more information, people are invited to stop by the College’s tent at Hops in the Hills or visit maryvillecollege.edu/fermentation.