Patrick TrautfieldEl Corral bookstore is a resource many students use to get their books and other Cal Poly related items, but this week the store will also be displaying something else – beer.
The Brew Crew, an Associated Students Inc. sponsored club, has set up two seven-gallon glass carboys where the beginning stages of the brewing process will take place.
“We want to educate people about the brewing process and we want to raise people’s appreciation for beer,” said Brad Hurvitz, the Brew Crew president and psychology senior.
Hurvitz and vice president Jeff Freitas began working on approval for the display a few weeks ago. Since Cal Poly is a dry campus, the crew had to write a mission statement explaining what they wanted to do, what the display would look like, why it would be beneficial to the campus and get a final approval from Cal Poly President Warren Baker.
“It’s a zymurgy (the science of brewing) experiment,” Hurvitz said.
“A lot of the beer that people drink nowadays is made in giant factories in huge kettles and very little attention is paid to them, especially to detail, and they don’t turn out as good,” Hurvitz said. “When people actually see what’s going on in this carboy, when people see this process, part of our overall goal is for them to really appreciate and kind of be astounded by what goes into brewing. Then, they’ll be able to have one or two great beers a night like us, instead of several shitty beers a night.”
The two beers will be Champagne Supernova and Blonde Cal Poly Dolly, both named by Hurvitz and Freitas. The Champagne Supernova will include jalapeno peppers and champagne yeast, which gives it about a 12 percent alcohol level. “It’s kind of crazy, but we’re gonna give it a shot,” Hurvitz said. Blonde Cal Poly Dolly is an ale and includes Cal Poly crops. The fruit, which was grown on campus, was donated by The Food Science Enterprise Project.
During the time the beer is displayed, the yeast will slowly eat the sugar at the bottom of the carboy and the fermentation process will begin. Each carboy contains five gallons of beer and will be displayed until Friday.
“We want (people) to know that there’s delicious, amazing beer, and this is the way they’re made,” Hurvitz said.
“The Brew Crew is an organization that brews beer and educates the student body about how beer is made and what goes into it and the brewing process,” Hurvitz said.
The club is able to be sponsored and use school funding because they do not purchase actual alcohol with the funds, they just purchase the ingredients and everything is made off-campus, although that will likely change next quarter, said Freitas, a civil engineering senior.
“People will pound Natty Lights like it’s fast food,” Freitas said. “What they don’t realize is that beers have a variety much in the way of food, in that you can have fast food at McDonald’s or you can have mamma’s home cooking. That’s what home brewing is.”
The club brews a large variety of beers and uses everything from fruits to spices. “You name it, we make it,” Hurvitz said. “Any wild ingredient that might cross your mind, we have thought about at one point to throw in our beer and make it unique.”
The club also donates some of their kegs to local bars and ask the bars to give the proceeds to a charity of their choice. They recently gave a keg to Spikes which donated the money to a Parkinson’s charity.
“We like to bring attention to different bars that are associated with the Brew Crew,” Hurvitz said. Anyone can join the club, but must be 21 or older to drink. Membership is $15 per quarter, and all members receive happy hour prices anytime at three downtown bars: Frog and Peach Pub, Downtown Brewing Company and Spikes.
“In one heavy night of drinking at Downtown Brew, you’ll save yourself the membership fee,” Hurvitz said.
The club meets the first and third Sunday of every month at Central Coast Brewing Co. where they have a 10-minute lecture on some type of beer and then begin the brewing process. The keg that was made that night then takes a month before it is fermented and ready to drink.
“They were saying that this (the display) is gonna change the alcohol policy on campus,” Hurvitz said. “This is a step, this is an absolute step, and in my opinion, it’s in the right direction.”