F E AT U R E
and product development, and get them
to apply their skills in a brewing processing
environment so they become much
more valuable entry-level employees as the
industry grows,” he said.
CCBI champions madein
Canada brews
Beer isn’t the only beverage being brewed and
tested at CCBI. Dubbed “millennial soda,”
kombucha has gone mainstream. According
to a report by Grand View Research, Inc.,
the global kombucha market is expected to
reach USD$4.46 billion by 2024.
CCBI is currently working with a company
that caters to millennials’ insatiable
thirst for kombucha and other low-alcohol
“lifestyle” beverages. One of the purported
health benefits is that the fermented tea
supports gut health. When brewing up a
beverage with potentially billions of microorganisms
research and development of the beverage
is essential.
used in Canadian craft brews usually
come from the U.S. CCBI wants to correct
applied research project yielded promising
with the Ontario Craft Brewers and the
Ontario Hops Growers’ Association that
helped the partners to identify whether
Ontario-grown hops have a distinct and
desirable terroir (characteristics) compared
U.S.-grown hops.
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per bottle, having an experienced
microbiologist involved with the
Industry insiders know that hops
that and the Ontario Hops Terroir
findings. CCBI worked on a collaborative,
industry-led project, funded by NSERC,
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The sensory evaluation, led by Master
Cicerone Mirella Amato and a handpicked
panel, evaluated samples based
on 17 characteristics. Although the sample
size was small and the project just
scratched the surface, the findings suggest
that Ontario hops are just as good as
U.S. hops and there is the possibility that
Ontario hops exhibit a slight terroir effect.
“The sensory evaluation of hops was
done using the most current American
Society of Brewing Chemist method. Two
commonly used hops varieties (Cascade
and Centennial) were studied using five
Ontario hops samples and five U.S. hops
samples, from as varied geographical
regions as the team was able to obtain,”
said Gillis.
Craft brewers who are interested in
exploring local hops are encouraged to
work with local growers to take advantage
of both the local ingredient story and
any possible terroir effect showing up in
the beer.
“There is obviously a huge benefit to
Canada if more Ontario hops are used in
brewing,” explained Gillis. “When Durham
College held its annual Harvest Dinner,
tasting samples were provided for the
guests; they really liked the beer. They also
loved the whole story of local craft beer
made from Ontario hops.”
CCBI will continue to champion local
hops. It will also act as a research and
development extension to local breweries
and small beverage companies that can’t
afford these facilities. “Because we are an
academic institution, we have access to
government grants others do not. We can
help companies go through the process to
see if they are eligible, and if they are, we
work with them collaboratively to fill out a
grant application,” he said.
If the grant is successful, CCBI
will administer the funding, source the
team of experts and students, ensure
the project meets its objectives and then
provide a final report to the funder to
show objectives were achieved. Partake
Brewing is an excellent case study
in how the applied research led to
mainstream commercialization.
“Canada is a country of small businesses.
The craft-brewing industry makes
our economy ‘hop.’ We will share our
expertise about craft brewing, including
our findings about Ontario hops, not just
with our region, but across the country,”
said Gillis.
With a focus on
applied research,
CCBI partners
with craft brewers,
giving them access
to a state-of-theart
pilot brew
line and lab with
microanalytical
research services.
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