SUNY Morrisville named best beer-brewing college in North America at U.S. Open College Beer Championship
SUNY Morrisville has been named Grand National Champion of the 2018 U.S. Open College Beer Championship, taking home the honor of the college that brews the best beers in North America.
The U.S. Open College Beer Championship, now in its third year, is a competition among student brewers at colleges and universities that offer brewing courses to help determine the best future brewers in North America.
“We are honored and humbled by the results of the U.S. Open College Beer Championships,” said Micheal Coons, SUNY Morrisville’s head brewer who oversees the college’s brewing curriculum. “The students that have been working in the campus brewpub are a testament to the value of practical education. This is the cornerstone of what it means to be a student at Morrisville, and the philosophy around which we are developing the brewing curriculum.
“I’m incredibly proud of the work that they have done, but more so I am proud of the passion with which they approach the brewing industry.”
This year’s competition was based on five categories: Belgian; Bavarian; Stout; IPA; and Open, where students could enter any style of beer they brewed. SUNY Morrisville claimed the gold medal in Bavarian for its German-style pilsner, The Crop. Morrisville also won a silver medal for The Arsenal, a Madison County Hopped IPA, and a bronze for its Belgian-style tripel, Belgian Draft Horse, en route to placing first overall.
The winning beers, submitted to the competition by Coons, were brewed by SUNY Morrisville agricultural business development BBA students Mary Cosenza, of Colden, New York, and Josh Alley, of Liverpool.
The champion beverages can be found on tap year-round at the Copper Turret Restaurant & Brewhouse, which serves as a teaching facility for Morrisville students. The brews, which incorporate local products and whose names pay homage to the college and community, are three of the brewery’s four flagship beers along with the oatmeal-coffee stout Cherry Valley.
“We derive our beers from the raw materials of the region we brew in, and by utilizing local barley malt and local hops, we showcase the agricultural fertility of the central New York region,” Coons said. “Each of the beers which won medals were produced with 100 percent Madison County, New York hops and 90-100 percent New York malt. We take great pride in developing beers that highlight the bounty of New York agriculture.”
Any college or university that offers courses in brewing could enter the U.S. Open, with 17 such institutions participating this year. All beers were submitted by one of the school’s brewing professors or instructors, and the beers could be brewed on any system on or off campus, as approved by the submitting professors.
Full results from the competition can be found below.
Top 3 Brewing Schools in North America
1. SUNY Morrisville – New York
2. Central New Mexico College – New Mexico
3. Metropolitan State University of Denver – Colorado
Category 1 – Belgian
Gold – Gisele – Cincinnati State College – Ohio
Silver – Praise the Sun Witbier – Niagara College – Ontario
Bronze – KPU Wit – Kwantlen Polytechnic University – British Columbia
Category 2 – Bavarian
Gold – The Crop – SUNY Morrisville – New York
Silver – American Harvest Pils – Schoolcraft College – Michigan
Bronze – BC Dunkel – Kalamazoo Valley Community College – Michigan
Bronze – Herr Wilhelm Dunkel III – University of the Sciences – Pennsylvania
Category 3 – Stout
Gold – Milky Way Stout – Metropolitan State University of Denver – Colorado
Silver – 1st Place Stout – Central New Mexico Community College – New Mexico
Bronze – Tucan Sam’s Milk Stout – Michigan State University – Michigan
Bronze – Oat of this World – Colorado State University – Colorado
Category 4 – IPA
Gold – Galazy Smash IPA – Central New Mexico Community College – New Mexico
Silver – The Arsenal – SUNY Morrisville – New York
Bronze – Hop Sauce IPA – Auburn University – Alabama
Bronze – Cosmic Tea Pot – Niagara College – Ontario
Category 5 – Open
Gold – Dark Matter – Appalachian State University – North Carolina
Silver – KPU Dubbel – Kwantlen Polytechnic University – British Columbia
Bronze – Belgian Draft Horse – SUNY Morrisville – New York
Bronze – Dubble Buck – Central Michigan University – Michigan