Nash Community College

Nash

Community College

Teaching the art of brewing takes class

By Corey Davis Photography by Adam Jennings

Part of the redevelopment project of the Rocky Mount Mills, is 1,000 square feet of space occupied by Nash Community College’s Brewing, Distillation and Fermentation associate degree program.

The college’s Brewing, Distillation and Fermentation curriculum was launched in fall semester of 2015. The program is part of NCC’s expanded Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management group.

Dr. Trent Mohrbutter, vice president for instruction and chief academic officer at NCC, said the program was approved last year by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It’s one of only three Brewing, Distillation and Fermentation programs in the state.

Greg Quintard, professor of hospitality management at NCC, said the program was implemented in anticipation of the Rocky Mount Brewmill. Quintard teaches a class within the program heavy on human resource management with students learning about the legality and marketing side of the brewing industry.

Before the college’s Brewing, Distillation and Fermentation program launched, NCC began offering training for brewers through the Continuing Education program’s 360 Degree Brewer classes. The 10-course series provided instruction in occupational safety and health administration safety, stainless steel welding, fermentation, chemistry, plumbing, equipment maintenance, electrical systems, entrepreneurialism, microbiology and marketing.

Chris and Erin Flora, owners of a startup brewery called Sweet Taters in the Rocky Mount Brewmill, were among the students to go through the program.

“We wanted to take advantage of the booming craft beer industry in the state and see breweries populate in Eastern North Carolina and specifically in Rocky Mount,” Ouintard said. “We anticipate this program growing like our culinary program and hopefully becoming our flagship program.”

The degree program offers students in the region the chance to hone their craft beer skills and hobby into a career. Mohrbutter said through the program, students can earn certificates such as an online business brewing certificate, which

will be offered by NCC in the near future. But to earn an associate degree, students must complete a five-semester program, Mohrbutter added.

The significant connection between the NCC’s Brewing, Distillation and Fermentation program and Rocky Mount is the number of small business development courses installed in the curriculum, Mohrbutter said.

“This is not just about the making of the beer, but also about the marketing, sale, business startup and business sustainability,” he said. “Most of the students in the curriculum already have a passion for craft brewing and starting their own business. The small business piece is a very important component of that, and that’s why we specifically built our program around that entrepreneurial piece, so students will be able to know how to start their own business and open their own craft brewery.”

NCC’s partnership with the Rocky Mount Brewmill is to help startup breweries. Thomas Clawson, Nash’s Brewing, Distillation and Fermentation instructor, said students will go to the incubator at the Rocky Mount Brewmill, consisting of classroom and lab space to receive more complex level of brewing instruction after students complete the beginning level classes at the college.

THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE MAKING OF “ THE BEER, BUT ALSO ABOUT THE MARKETING, SALE, BUSINESS STARTUP AND BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY” - DR. TRENT MOHRBUTTER

“We will teach them the same thing, just on different equipment,” Clawson said. “On a small scale, the students are making about 5 to 10 gallons in class at NCC. When they get to a larger scale, they’ll be making anywhere between 50 to 100 gallons or more.” e bushy beard and long-haired Clawson said developing and teaching the curriculum has given him an opportunity to utilize all of his experiences in the midst of a burgeoning industry as American consumers move away from industrially processed light lagers to the literally infinite number of possibilities that are being created by basement brewers and entrepreneurs alike.

“Brewing is a multiple science discipline, and you kind of need to know a little bit about engineering, biology and chemistry,” Clawson said. “When you are credentialed and have a solid foundation of knowledge from a credentialed institution, it increases the likelihood of success. However, nothing is guaranteed, but what we know with any credential is that the more specific a degree and credentialed a student, the more likely he is to be successful in the field.”

Mohrbutter said part of the attraction and uniqueness of

the Brewing, Distillation and Fermentation program is drawing people from beyond the Twin Counties to take classes. Josh Albreacht, 25, of Raleigh, is one of several first-year students in the pilot program, learning the nuances of making craft beer. “BREWING IS A MULTIPLE SCIENCE DISCIPLINE, AND YOU KIND OF Albreacht said his roommate piqued his interest in home brewing. After finding schools only in Asheville with brewery programs, Albreacht happened to stumble on Nash Community College and went on to register for the program.

NEED TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT He said he didn't know Rocky Mount existed until coming to the college. “ ere are such significant differences ABOUT ENGINEERING, BIOLOGY AND between brewing at home and professional brewing, and we’re continuing

CHEMISTRY” - THOMAS CLAWSON to learn a lot in the classses,” Albreacht said. “ ere is so much chemistry behind it that I didn’t know about. It’s an awesome thing to make beer, but it’s a process, and I didn’t know it was such a process. My goal is to finish the program and hopefully start my own brewery and seeing what they’re doing at the Rocky Mount Brewmill would be great because I anticipate this really being a huge success and growth happening in the future for this area. is program by the college is going to play a big part in it.”