Solidarity brews score two medals, help raise funds for Ukraine

Two Ukrainian style solidarity brews are among the latest international medal-winners from the Niagara College Teaching Brewery.

The 2022 U.S. Open Beer Championship announced its winners on July 11, which included three silver medals for the NC Teaching Brewery. In addition to a medal for its popular multi-award-winning Beer 101 Bitter (Bitter category), silvers were awarded for Ukrainian Golden Ale (Ukrainian Golden Ale category), and Resist – Anti Imperial Stout (Resist Anti Imperial Stout category), which were first brewed at the Teaching Brewery earlier this year.

“We are proud of the continued successes of our trailblazing NC Teaching Brewery which continues to raise the bar for the industry as well as to raise awareness and support for important initiatives,” said Steve Gill, general manager of the NC Learning Enterprises. “The awards won by our Teaching Brewery offer a taste of the quality of education, training and experience that our students gain at NC and, in turn, bring into the industry in Ontario and beyond.”

Following the onset of the War in Ukraine, NC Brewmaster professor Jon Downing began to lead different classes of Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management students in the brewing of Ukrainian beers as a show of solidarity and support – and their efforts continue to date.

For Downing, his connection to the cause is personal and professional. During the early nineties – a pivotal time after Ukraine gained independence in 1991 – he spent time living there while launching two microbreweries (in Dnipro and Haivoron).

“The situation in Ukraine may impact us in the short term but will be a part of the fabric of Eastern Europe for a generation. Brewers around the world including us have been raising awareness and funds for many months now, and this supports needs to continue as long as the war does,” said Downing. “I encourage everyone to do what they can to support however they can.”

In March, students brewed Resist – Ukrainian Anti Imperial Stout using a recipe developed by displaced Ukrainian brewers, and shared by Drinkers for Ukraine, an international effort to raise funds for Ukraine. They called for brewers worldwide to brew it in solidarity with the beer community in Ukraine whose livelihoods and, in some cases, their businesses were destroyed by Russian attacks.

They also brewed Ukrainian Golden Ale using a recipe developed from Pravda Brewery in Lviv, Ukraine, which halted beer production to make Molotov cocktails during the war.

Both recipes were modified to suit local ingredients and systems at the Teaching Brewery – along with the addition of beets in the brewing of Resist – Anti Imperial Stout.

The suggestion to add the two Ukrainian styles as new categories at this year’s U.S. Open Beer Championship to help raise awareness and funds for the Ukrainian Red Cross came from Downing, who sits on the U.S. Open Beer Championship Board of Directors.

Not only did the NC Teaching Brewery become only Canadian brewery to achieve a medal in the two Ukrainian beer categories at the competition, but $1,700 in entry fees were donated to the Ukrainian Red Cross as a result.

News about the wins were applauded by Brewmaster students.

“It’s something we did as a class and we did it together and we can celebrate that together,” said third semester student Alanna Scully whose class helped brew Resist – Anti-Imperial Stout.

The fact that the awards were won for a solidarity brew made it even more rewarding.

“It was definitely more special than just your average brew; it had more meaning,” she said. “So, it’s a special feeling to know that did as well as it did at the competition.”

Apoena Becker, an international student from Brazil, knows the challenges that can accompany even a well-planned long-distance move first-hand. He reflected on how difficult it must be for Ukrainians displaced by the war.

“I can’t imagine how it would be for someone having to move without any planning, without any back-up plans, without any safety net, without anything,” he said. “It’s not much, what we’re doing here; we made a beer. But we’re bringing awareness … It’s important.”

Silver-medal-winning Beer 101 Bitter is a mainstay from the Teaching Brewery’s popular Beer 101 series. The English Pale Ale is a version of the College’s multi-award-winning bottled Butler’s Bitter, available in cans as Beer 101.

Based on traditional recipes used in the 1800s by English brewers, the celebration beer was introduced 10 years ago to commemorate the War of 1812 bicentennial, and has won numerous awards since, including golds at the U.S. Open Beer Championship (2021 and 2020), gold at the Canadian Brewing Awards (Butler’s Bitter, 2013), and a bronze at the Canadian Brewing Awards (2019).

Downing noted that the continued success of Beer 101 Bitter is notable since all Beer 101 products are brewed by different classes of students under head brewer George Eagleson.

“This really shows the consistency and quality of our students learning and how focused they are on their education,” he said. “Being recognized with a medal shows our students that, if they do it right, they can brew with the best in the world.”

The competition also provided valuable experience for three Brewmaster students in their fourth term who had an opportunity to participate in the judging in Oxford, Ohio. The NC students did not participate in judging categories that NC competed in, which were judged at different locations.

This year’s U.S. Open Beer Championship was based in Oxford, Ohio, and drew more than 9,000 entries which represented more than 150 styles of beer. For info about the competition visit usopenbeer.com.

Student-crafted beer is available for purchase at the Teaching Brewery’s retail store, located at the College’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake (135 Taylor Rd) or online at niagaracollegewine.ca.

Bitter 101 is regularly stocked as part of the Teaching Brewery’s Beer 101 Series. The Ukrainian Support beers were crafted during the spring as Small Batch brews. While they sold out, additional batches are being brewed. Ukrainian Golden Ale is currently on tap and is expected to be available in cans the week of July 18 (while supplies last). Resist is expected to be available the week of July 25.

Proceeds from products sold at the Teaching Brewery support student success at Niagara College.

NC’s Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program was launched in 2010 as the first of its kind in Canada. The award-winning, two-year program offers extensive hands-on training at an on-site, state-of-the-art Teaching Brewery to prepare students for employment in the expanding brewery, microbrewery and brewpub industries. Located at the College’s Daniel J. Patterson in Niagara-on-the-Lake, students learn from award-winning faculty and have access to on-site hop yard and local farm products to brew a full range of beer styles. Visit ncteachingbrewery.ca.

Photos: Brew for Ukraine class: A third semester class of Brewmaster students take pride in brewing in support of Ukraine at the NC Teaching Brewery.

Brewmaster students cans: Brewmaster students Alanna Scully and Apoena Becker hold up cans of Resist – Anti Imperial Stout and Ukrainian Pale Ale which recently won silver at the U.S. Open Beer Championship.