Pennsylvania College of Technology’s brewing and fermentation science instructor shared his expertise at Susquehanna University earlier in the Spring 2020 semester as part of its yearlong Honors Sophomore Colloquium.
Timothy L. Yarrington presented “The Piracy of Brewing: How Brewers Exploit Natural Systems for Personal Pleasure and Financial Gain” at the colloquium, which has focused on the topic of alcohol as part of the centenary of Prohibition.
Pennsylvania College of Technology’s brewing and fermentation science instructor joined three other academic colleagues in delivering a talk at the three-day Master Brewers Conference, held recently in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Timothy L. Yarrington presented “Brewing Education and Industry: Evolving Together” along with Katie Fromuth, fermentation science and technology lab manager, Colorado State University; Kaylyn Kirkpatrick, brewing extension associate, Cornell University; and Peter Johnston-Berresford, brewing instructor, Olds College, Alberta.
Career Day brought hundreds of ninth-12th graders to campus on Thursday to explore more than 30 activities offered by employees and students to help high-schoolers learn about the wide variety of career options available to them. The event is coordinated by the College Transitions and First Year Initiatives Office.
Penn College’s 2-year-old brewing and fermentation major is featured in the October issue of Mountain Home, an award-winning monthly publication focused on Pennsylvania and New York’s Finger Lakes. “One thing about Penn College, among others, is that they’re really focused on industry trends,” instructor Timothy L. Yarrington says in the article by Melissa Farenish. “Consumers are starting to expect and demand consistent quality. So, brewers need education and the understanding of the science of brewing to maintain this quality. The curriculum is designed so that students not only get hands-on experience, but also the science education background that goes into understanding how to maintain quality in the brews.”
A bipartisan group of state legislators, all present for President Davie Jane Gilmour’s budget request to the Senate Appropriations Committee in February, got a follow-up look at Penn College during a trip to main campus on Tuesday. Touring a number of instructional labs with Sen. Gene Yaw (chairman of the college’s board of directors), administrators, faculty and staff were Sen. Art Haywood (D-Cheltenham), minority chair of the Health and Human Services Committee; Sen. Thomas H. Killion (R-Middletown), who chairs the Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee; Sen. Daniel Laughlin (R-Erie), chair of the Game and Fisheries Committee; and Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia), minority chairman of the Banking and Insurance Committee. Along for the visit were H. Fred Walker, director of Erie County Technical School; Kendall Alexander, Haywood’s communications director; and three members of Street’s staff: policy assistant Micah Mahjoubian, legislative aide Angel Betancourt and special assistant Kenneth Carter. Some members of the Senate contingent, who collectively represent highly populated areas from Erie in the northwest to Philadelphia in the southeast corner of the commonwealth, also enjoyed lunch in Le Jeune Chef Restaurant.
The first graduating class of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s brewing and fermentation science major is fully employed and ready to share its talents with employers and beer lovers.
The six graduates are among more than 800 students participating in Penn College’s commencement exercises May 17-18 at the Community Arts Center in downtown Williamsport.
“I am very proud of the hard work this group has put in over the past two years of rigorous study,” said Timothy L. Yarrington, instructor of brewing fermentation and science. “I am also happy to have them joining the community of educated professional brewers. I look forward to following their successes as their careers take shape.”
Among the recent capstone presentations held across campus, graduating students in Penn College’s brewing and fermentation science degree presented their culminating brews to an audience that included natural sciences and hospitality faculty. Two presentations were conducted, with the soon-to-be-professional brewers offering small assessment samples of their two final brews. “The primary goals of these events were twofold: one benefit to the students was to add feedback and commentary on their capstone beers from a random group of consumers to the feedback they received from the professional panels I assembled earlier in the semester,” said Timothy L. Yarrington, instructor of brewing and fermentation science. “Another was to expose the students to the challenge of engaging consumers about their beers and explaining the history, processes and rationale that inform their characteristic color, flavor and aroma. Brewers rely on professional and consumer feedback to inform their choices. We are also continually in a position to increase the beer IQ of the consumer through educational dialogue.” Six students will graduate May 17 with Associate of Applied Science degrees in brewing and fermentation science.
An article about the Happy Valley Brewery in State College – including a Q&A with Christopher P. Good, an employee who soon will be among the first graduates of Penn College’s brewing and fermentation science major – is featured in the latest issue of Provisions magazine. “Part of the program is required internships, so all of us are graduating with some hands-on experience in a production brewery,” Good says of the major. “Then we have our hands-on labs where we’re taking recipes through full production, through peer review and analysis, and then we’ve actually rebrewed them for our capstone work.” Provisions, published in State College, is dedicated to “stories from Pennsylvania’s food scene.”
Two papers presented by Pennsylvania College of Technology employees at the annual conference of the Applied Business and Entrepreneurship Association International were selected “Best Session Paper” and will be invited to be published in the Journal of Business Leadership.
Penn College’s unique associate degree in brewing and fermentation science, one of the few programs recognized by the Master Brewers Association of America, prepares students for a variety of rewarding careers in the growing brewing industry. The hands-on program is led by master brewer Timothy L. Yarrington, who has more than 25 years of industry experience. “I want to have some influence on the next generation of brewers and make sure that we never lose that pleasure and that joy of the hard work of learning and the discipline of brewing,” Yarrington affirms in a video added to the college’s YouTube channel. “It’s special, for sure.” One member of that new generation is Eric J. Tuller, a brewing and fermentation student from Montoursville, who has high praise for his academic mentor: He’s “not a guy who’s just sat and learned everything from books without ever pursuing it,” Tuller says of Yarrington. “He’s actually out there in the field doing it. His knowledge has a lot more weight than someone who’s just reading up on it.”
Penn College and its brewing and fermentation science major were well-represented Tuesday in Harrisburg, where faculty and an administrator attended a “Tapping Into Pennsylvania’s Beer Industry” event at the Governor’s Mansion. Among those on hand were several employees instrumental in development of the two-year degree, including D. Robert Cooley, associate professor of anthropology/environmental science; Justin M. Ingram, assistant professor of biology; and David R. Richards, professor of physics. “The experience provided us the opportunity to collaborate with industry leaders, share insight about our program and discuss internship opportunities,” said Michael J. Reed, dean of sciences, humanities and visual communications, who accompanied faculty members and provided the photos. The group watched the “Poured in PA” documentary, which outlines the opportunities and challenges associated with the multibillion-dollar craft beer industry. The film includes a pre-Penn College segment about Timothy L. Yarrington, a professional brewmaster, highlighting the importance of education and high standards within the field. (Yarrington, an instructor of brewing and fermentation science at the college, was unable to attend the event.)
Penn College’s brewing and fermentation science major was again featured at Saturday’s Billtown Brewfest in Pine Square, organized by the Lycoming County Visitors Bureau and the Brickyard Restaurant & Ale House in celebration of craft beers. The second annual event offered two three-hour tastings from among an impressive range of regional brewers, and included musical entertainment on the stage outside Trade & Transit Centre II.
“Poured in Pennsylvania,” a documentary that explores the commonwealth’s thriving craft beer industry, will be screened Friday, July 27 – the eve of The Billtown Brewfest in downtown Williamsport. The film features Timothy L. Yarrington, instructor of brewing and fermentation science at Penn College, and is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. in the Michael Ross Center at Trade & Transit Centre II (144 W. Third St.). From America’s oldest brewery to taprooms popping up in small towns, GK Visual’s film follows Pennsylvania’s storied beer past, delves into recent growth and aims to capture the full tale of the beer industry in The Keystone State. Filmed throughout 2017 from Philadelphia to Erie, “Poured in Pennsylvania” visits breweries old and new, large and small … and a few that are still on the path to opening. Sponsored by the Lycoming County Visitors Bureau, Penn College and Straub Brewery, the free showing is limited to the first 240 people who register online. Penn College will staff a table at the Pine Square event from noon-7 p.m. Saturday, July 28, greeting alumni and sharing information about the college and its brewing and fermentation science major. Using the “PCTBrewfest” code when registering will reduce the ticket to $30 ($10 off).
The Master Brewers Association of the Americas has recognized Pennsylvania College of Technology’s brewing and fermentation science degree as one of only 12 approved programs – and the only approved program in the U.S. Northeast.
Established in 1887, MBAA is a nonprofit, professional, scientific organization dedicated to advancing brewing, fermentation and related industries. A globally recognized authority on brewing, the international association has more than 4,000 members in over 50 countries.
“The Master Brewers Association of the Americas is the standard bearer for the ‘success through knowledge’ foundation on which we have built Penn College’s brewing and fermentation science program,” said Timothy L. Yarrington, instructor of brewing and fermentation science. “It is extremely gratifying to have our efforts validated by such a venerable and esteemed association of professional brewers and brewing scientists. As we continue to grow and develop this program, I look forward to helping ensure that our work aligns with the MBAA’s high standards.”
A visit to America’s oldest brewery was on tap for brewing and fermentation science students on Wednesday. Along with their instructor, Tim Yarrington, the students received an in-depth tour of D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc. in Pottsville. John Callahan, Pennsylvania brewing manager for Yuengling, gave the Penn College contingent an inside look at the plant’s modern operation and historical artifacts. Students on the tour were Luke H. Brown, of Beaver; Ian M. Miller, of Williamsport; Ryan J. Hampton, of Williamsport; and Eric J. Tuller, of Montoursville.
Photos by Tom Speicher, writer/video editor