MEDIA ADVISORY: CSU, local breweries to hold Iron Brew Challenge on campus Thursday, May 2

Contact for reporters:
Mark Gokavi
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Colorado State University and several local breweries will host the second annual Iron Brew Challenge on campus May 2 in a multidisciplinary competition that pairs CSU students with alumni brewers to develop new beers using a secret ingredient.

The Tasting and Judging Event will be held outdoors from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, May 2, between the Gifford Building and the Nancy Richardson Design Center.

The Iron Brew Challenge is a capstone assignment for students in CSU’s Fermentation Science and Technology Brewing Science 2 course in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. The intent is to give the students real-world experience developing and brewing at three commercial breweries in Fort Collins: New Belgium Brewing, Odell Brewing and Sweetwater Brewing.

This year students were assigned the “secret ingredient” of flowers to be showcased in each of the brews. Last year, the ingredient was spruce tips.

The students were divided into three brew teams, and each team worked with an FST alumni mentor at each brewery to design, develop, scale and brew at each location. The beers created by the students will be available at the event, and attendees will receive one complimentary sample of each of the three Iron Brews. There will also be beer available for purchase from each of the breweries, and the Ramskeller Brewhouse will have two beers available as well. 

During the challenge, judges from the Fort Collins brewing community will taste the three Iron Brews and will award first-, second- and third-place trophies. 

Interdisciplinary effort

The challenge went beyond brewing beer. Students in the areas of design and printmaking in CSU’s Department of Art and Art History joined with the brewing teams and collaborated with the FST students on beer names, beer taglines, art for beer labels and marketing. Beer names and artwork were vetted in class with beverage lawyers, so students learned about trademark and copyright law as they pitched their ideas in class.

Students, faculty and staff from CSU’s Hospitality and Event Management program were also involved. They planned and permitted the event and will provide light snacks.

As part of the event, each of the departments will host open houses with student tours available for the Nancy Richardson Design Center’s design labs, the FST’s BrewKitchen and Innovation Hub, and the art department’s printmaking shop. Each department will also have activities for the community to engage in, including screen printing and block printing. Pre-ordered T-shirts designed by the art department will be available for pick-up at the event.

There has been a history of doing a special brew at a commercial brewery with a commemorative T-shirt at the end of the semester since the first brewing technology course was offered at CSU about 17 years ago.