I recently ran across this article. There is a senior level capstone course taught at Arizona State University that embraces not only the craft beer movement but also the DIY nature of craft brewing. When I was working on my bachelors degree I took a creative thinking class as part of my senior level work. Sadly, that class had a prescribed way of presenting the information so you had to follow a pattern (takes away a bit of the creativeness … blah).
I was in Grand rapids yesterday. My main purpose for going was to visit O’connor’s home brew shop. How does this tie in (I was wondering how I was gonna do that myself)? The thing is, these guys are applying innovation to pretty much everything they do. One of the first things I noticed was the portable kegerator they were working on. It was a simple design of a food grade plastic trashcan with faucets sticking out the side. The added bonus was the quick line disconnects so you can switch from corny keg connections to commercial keg connections.
The craft beer movement is gaining a foothold. If you are already part of it, I am preaching to the choir. But for those who are just now starting to see it, a class that is outside an actual brewing curriculum that uses brewing as a teaching tool should be a key to the impact of what is going on.
Enough of this… it’s time for a pint…
