The Barometer Online

Issue date: 3/10/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Curtis Barnard Jeff Clawson, the Pilot Brewery manager and head brewmaster at OSU, lectured Monday at the Old World Deli in downtown Corvallis.

On Monday night, more than 150 Corvallis community members, Oregon State faculty and students crammed into the tables at the Old World Deli downtown for the first-ever Science Pub Corvallis.

Attendees were warned to arrive early but 30 minutes before the lecture was scheduled to begin, the deli was standing room only.

Last night's presentation was called Beer: A Tasty Blend of Art, History and Science. It was part of a new collaboration between Oregon State, OMSI and the Downtown Corvallis Association which are working together in order to provide varied and interesting scientific findings in an informal way to a local scene.

Science Pub Corvallis is the third event that OMSI helped to launch in Oregon, along with one in Portland and another in Eugene.

Science Pubs are part of a global, grassroots "science café" movement that originated in the U.K.

Attendees learned new trivia, such as the fact that beer is not always vegetarian and is often made with fish bladders or gelatin and that the first official brewery opened in the year 1040.

Jeff Clawson, who works with the fermentation sciences program on campus, lectured. He is involved in research and instruction within the program and is also the manager of the campus pilot brewery.

The fermentation sciences option is part of the food sciences and technology department on campus.

Oregon State and UC Davis are the only two universities in the country that offer a fermentation degree. Clawson said the program has been traditionally small, averaging between 30 and 50 students.

After Clawson began, he offered a brief introduction to the world of beer. His lecture was completely informal, despite the large audience.

Clawson then described the history of beer and the sciences and technology that have developed along the way.

"Before there was a science of beer, it was a craft and an art," Clawson said. "We've been making beer and bread since the beginning of civilization."

Clawson allowed the audience to smell a beer he reproduced following a 1754 recipe from George Washington.

Cody Speaks, a community member and brewer, said he came to the event to learn more about beer.

"You can never learn enough," Speaks said. "I find it really interesting and I learn something new each time I brew."

Clawson said he gave this particular lecture because he wanted people to understand and appreciate the science that is underlined with a certain craft and finesse.

The beer industry is especially important in Oregon, with 73 currently operating breweries in the state.

"There's a wonderful meld of art and beer in Oregon," Clawson said.



Makenna Bishop, senior reporter

news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231

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