College brews up support for causes

Students at Niagara College’s teaching brewery have joined a “bevolution.”

The brewery is releasing several beers this spring in support of good causes.

The school has lent its support to the Brave Noise movement, which wants to make the beer industry safe and free from discrimination toward women, Black, Indigenous, people of colour and LGBTQ communities.

“As an initiative that promotes safe and discrimination-free breweries, Brave Noise is relevant to a broad range of NC brewing students,” said fourth-term brewmaster student Angela McCallum, who co-ordinated the college’s involvement in the program. “Also, with its focus on inclusivity, it encourages all brewers to feel like they are part of the collaboration, rather than singling out certain groups.”

Brave Noise pale ale was released at the end of March. Classmate Alex Moruzi said Brave Noise is an important movement for the industry.

“It’s anti-sexist, anti-racist and anti-homophobic and it felt like something I should be a part of,” said Moruzi. “The industry is ready for a change and this is just the beginning.”

To back up their words, the college submitted its codes of conduct to Brave Noise, and QR codes linking to those codes and related resources have been placed throughout the brewery and the college’s Canadian food and wine institute.

“Projects like Brave Noise remind us, as educators, of the importance of imparting the skills and attitudes necessary to create a respectful and inclusive workplace as well as expert knowledge of brewing,” said Maija Saari, associate dean of the food and wine institute.

The school will be launching its third collaboration with the Pink Boots Society, which supports gender equality in the beer industry.

Pink Boots Brew will be a 6.5 per cent ABV double IPA using a special hops blend. It is expected to be available on April 25.

At the same time, the school is brewing a special beer to support the people of Ukraine. It’s an effort that holds a special place in the heart of brewmaster professor Jon Downing, who helped launch two microbreweries in the Ukrainian cities of Dnipro and Haivoron in the 1990s. The result is Resist – Ukrainian Anti Imperial Stout, developed by Ukrainian brewers, and a yet-to-be released Ukrainian Golden Ale that uses a recipe from Pravda Brewery in Lviv. That brewery halted beer production to start making Molotov cocktails.

“Having seen the country being rebuilt once, I know it’s going to be rebuilt again. I know that the strength of Ukrainian people will make it happen,” Downing said.

The beers will raise money for the Ukrainian people and is a show of support for the citizenry.

For more information, visit ncteachingwinery.ca or stop by the store at the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus, 135 Taylor Rd.