When Brewmaster and Brewery Operations student Bentley Vass began concocting his entry into Spring 2018’s Project Brew, he started with the inspiration of another, unlikely beverage – tea.
“I wanted to recreate the flavours and textures you’d find in a London Fog,” said Vass, referring to the tea latte beverage traditionally made with sweetened Earl Grey tea, steamed milk and vanilla. The result of that experimentation was Niagara Fog, a tea-infused Blonde Ale that captured the TAPS Magazine’s Golden Boot Award. The Award honours the top brew in each edition of Project Brew with a $4,500 scholarship for its brewer. The award was announced at the Canadian Brewing Awards last month.
Vass wrapped up his final semester in the Brewmaster and Brewery Operations program this spring, and will graduate at Spring Convocation June 19. Following graduation, Vass will return to his hometown of Peterburough, Ontario, where he has already begun establishing his own craft brewery.
“We are grateful for the continued support of Taps Magazine and the Canadian Brew Awards who continue to recognize excellence in brewing by these future leaders of the industry. Bentley’s beer is indicative of the innovation and creativity he has and also of the quality of the applied hands on skills he received in The Teaching Brewery and all his professors in the Brewmaster program. We wish Bentley continued success in his future endeavours,” said Gary Torraville, associate dean of food and wine sciences.
Project Brew is a student-run beer festival showcasing the graduation projects of the Niagara College Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program. Held downtown St. Catharines, the event allows Niagara beer-lovers to sample the innovative brews devised by NC students, meet the brewers, and enjoy food, live music and other entertainment.
“It is great when I know that the student is going to use the award to further their personal dreams, in Bentley’s case his own eco-friendly partially ‘off the grid’ brewery project,” said NC Brewmaster Jon Downing. “The generosity of Rob Engman will lead to a more vital and interesting industry by helping future brewers get their start.”
