CofC Students Learn the Chemistry Behind Brewing Beer
Students in the College's Chemistry of Alcohol course learn about the chemistry behind fermentation and even get the opportunity to intern at Holy City Brewing, where they brew their own beer.
Above (l–r): Beer creation interns Tom Tran, Lexi Boutin, Cameron Clark and Bill Lazzaro at Holy City Brewing, where they designed their own IPA, Hoptimus Prime.
In this video, Tom Tran, a biology major from Los Angeles, and Cameron Clark, a chemistry major from Summerville, South Carolina, discuss their beer creation internship experience at Holy City Brewing in Charleston as part of their Chemistry of Alcohol class (CHEM 261).
“The internship ties nicely with the academic presentation of the class,” says instructor Mike Cohen, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Plus, he adds, “the students love the involvement in the community.”
With the help of Holy City Brewing co-owner Chris Brown ’05, who majored in geology at the College, the students participating in the class internship (CHEM 281) were involved in every step of the beer-creating process, from selecting and fermenting the grains to adding the yeast and keeping track of chemical details like dissolved oxygen and pH levels.
They were also involved in designing the packaging and labeling of their IPA, Hoptimus Prime.
