Eric Bassett/ Pomona, CA

 

Crafting an Education

It’s a good time to be in the craft beer business on a college campus. Eric Bassett, Brewery Operations Manager for Innovation Brew Works at Cal Poly Pomona, says college students appreciate the quality and culture of craft beer despite the more appealing price of watered-down domestic beer.

Innovation Brew Works keeps customers entertained with its ever-changing menu of beers made on-site. In September, when the campus fills up with students, seasonal releases come with playful names. Magic School Bus is a fruited kettle sour (8.5% ABV) brewed with unique combinations of fruits for every batch. Study Buddy and Math Tutor feature juice made from watermelons grown on campus. The brewpub serves signature “craft” and “craft-you-own” pizzas, salads, fresh sandwiches and simple desserts. As one of the busiest food establishments on the Cal-Poly campus, it’s always buzzing and maintains a consistently booked campus catering schedule. The brewery and restaurant are staffed by part-time Cal Poly students.

Along with managing the brewery, Eric runs Innovation’s Assistant Brewer Training Program, which he developed in 2019. This seven-week certification course equips students with the skills to apply for entry-level positions in the craft beer industry. The brew lab attracts students of all ages from California, the U.S. and abroad.

“We get people who are at their first jobs and people who are on their seventh career change,” Eric says. “Before the pandemic, we had a waitlist. Since then, we’ve cut back and differentiated the program with less lecturing and a hands-on format. They have their hands on pretty much all my beers that hit the draft system.”

The format makes for some mistakes on brew day, but that’s part of the learning process. “If we compare ourselves to the local brewery down the street, we have more room for errors, but how do we turn that error into success? How can you salvage a product?” Eric asks.

Students also have the opportunity to enter into beer contests. In 2018, students helped Innovation win one gold and two bronze medals at the San Diego International Beer Competition. They also won a silver medal at the Los Angeles International Beer Competition that same year. In 2019, Innovation continued its success at beer competitions by winning a silver medal at the California Craft Brewers Cup and a bronze medal at the Los Angeles International Beer Competition. With that level of success, it is no surprise that Four students have gone on to open their own brewery.

Innovation Brew Works Crafts Quality Pours

Eric chooses The Perfect Purée because he knows his predominantly college-aged customers. A beer’s color and aroma are half its appeal. “For us, the color of the beer is important. I try to go with a bright color because you see them whipping out their phones and taking a million pictures before they even take a sip,” he says. “That’s all beer sales are right now, which is good and bad.”

The previous batch of the Magic School Bus (8.5% ABV) featured The Perfect Purée Coconut Puree and The Perfect Purée Cherry Puree. It boasted a hazy ruby color with tart tropical aromas and flavor to match. The sweetness of the cherry and coconut balances the tart profile of the kettle sour. The newest batch of the Magic School Bus (8.5% ABV) features The Perfect Purée Raspberry Puree and red zinfandel grapes grown at Cal Poly Pomona. This iteration of the Magic School Bus demands your attention with a beautiful red rose color and a sweet and sour aroma. It starts out sweet and ends with a mouth puckering sourness. The wild yeast and sweetness from the campus grown red zinfandel grapes complete this unique flavor profile.

Eric grew up cooking and baking with his mom and attended culinary school, where he decided he wanted to make a career in hospitality. He graduated from Cal Poly Pomona’s prestigious Collins College of Hospitality Management. The same year, Innovation opened as the first campus brewpub in the nation to brew and serve its own beer. Eric worked his way up from scrubbing floor drains to production manager in less than two years.

In 2019, when Eric began brewing fruited styles, he knew exactly where to go. “The flavor and color of our beers when using The Perfect Purée has no comparison to any other brand we’ve used. Such a high-quality product allows our beer to stand out,” he says.

When Eric’s students ask, “Why do you use this [purée]? There’s a bazillion other ones,” he credits the quality. “Yes, you can get more volume at a cheaper price from other fruit purveyors, but the natural flavor and aroma, the smell and taste, it just doesn’t compare,” he says. “I like to sacrifice the extra dollars for better flavor and quality. I’m also using less volume in the beer because the flavor is so pure. It’s not so sugar-dominant like some other purées.”

Eric adds purée at the end of fermentation, so there’s still some active yeast to ferment the sugars. “It’s not too sweet, but you get all the flavor.”

It’s important for a beer’s flavor to match its color and aroma. “I’ve had to sacrifice and get some off-brand purées and the color wasn’t there, the aroma wasn’t there. You’re like, ‘OK, is it artificial?’ ” he says. For instance, finding a purée that doesn’t smell like Jolly Ranchers has proved difficult.

Eric and his students have also made beers incorporating The Perfect Purée White Peach Puree, Passion Colada Blend, Key Lime Concentrate, among others. All of Innovation’s beers are made with barley grown on a nearby ranch by the College of Agriculture. The grist, or spent grain (the malt and adjuncts left after the sugars, proteins and nutrients have been extracted from the mash) is fed to cows managed by the agriculture students. Oranges and other seasonal produce grown on and around the campus are used in the brewery and brewpub.