Here’s something that will look good on a college transcript. Organizers for the 2019 U.S. Open College Beer Championships announced details for this year’s contest and are currently accepting registrations.
The competition, which will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio, in late April, is accepting entries in five different categories through April 6, 2019, and is open to universities and colleges with brewing courses, says Carla Gesell-Streeter, Chair/Professor, Brewing Science Dept. at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.
“The U.S. Open is the only beer competition for beers exclusively from college and university brewing and fermentation programs,” she says.
The U.S. Open College Beer Championship is an off shoot of the U.S. Open Beer Championship. It was started in 2016 by Dow Scoggins of U.S. Open and Jon Downing of Niagara College and U.S. Open. Because of the growth of both of these competitions, Scoggins asked Gesell-Streeter last year if she (along with Cincinnati State) would be interested in taking over the U.S. Open College Championship.
Niagara College and Kalamazoo Valley Community College have already offered to help with this year's competition.
A college can enter only one beer per category and they are:
Category 1: Belgian
Sub-Categories
Witbier
Belgian Pale Ale
Saison
Category 2: Bavarian
Sub-Categories
Pilsner
Munchner Helles
Munchner Dunkel
Weizen
Category 3: Stout
Sub-Categories
Oatmeal
Dry/Irish
American Stout
Cream Stout
Imperial
Category 4: IPA
Sub-Categories
American IPA
English IPA
Session
Imperial
Category 5: Open
Sub-Categories
Any one of the 123 styles recognized by the U.S. Open Beer Championship
All beers must be submitted by one of the school's brewing professors/instructors. The beers can be brewed on any system on or off campus that is approved by the professors/instructors,” says Gesell-Streeter.
“At Cincinnati State, we are proud to have won two medals in past years. While our students have won medals in home brew competitions in the past, these two are special since they are competing against fellow brewing students. They are especially happy when they medal ahead of a four-year brewing science program,” says Gesell-Streeter. “While we were the first brewing science degree program in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, there are definitely more popping up. But the same way that one brewery doesn't fit all beer drinkers, having a variety of brewing science programs is a good thing. And the more we work together, the more the programs can learn from each other.”
Each school may enter a maximum of five beers with an entry fee of $25 per beer. The medal winners and Grand National Collegiate Champion will be announced on May 7.
Full information, including how to register and other details, can be found at http://usopencollege.com/