Helping Craft Brewers Make Great Beer

The Centre for Craft Brewing Innovation (CCBI) at Durham College (DC) offers access to expertise, state-of-the-art technology and micro-analytical services, allowing craft brewers to experiment with new recipes and flavour profiles, propagate and maintain yeast strains and conduct scientific analyses to ensure the analytical and microbiological integrity of the beer, supporting this growing sector of the local economy.

Facilities

Located at the Whitby campus, CCBI consists of a pilot brew line and brew lab. The 50-litre pilot brew line, similar to a production brew line, includes a mini brewing kettle, mini lauter, heat exchanger, fermenters, wort chiller and low-pressure steam boiler. When developing the brew lab, the college tapped into its strong academic programming and infrastructure. The lab includes a freezer, refrigerator, autoclave, centrifuge, stereo phase contrast microscope, PCR system, ultraviolet spectrophotometer, digital water bath, hemocytometer, aerobic incubator and peripherals.

Expertise

Under the direction of an experienced microbiologist and an experienced brewmaster, CCBI can help craft brewers address challenges they are currently facing, ultimately leading to a better product within this growing industry.

DC offers leading experts to help you and your team expand your knowledge and skills. We can:

• Support craft brewers with innovation services including product development, testing, and optimization to enhance productivity and competitiveness.
• Access relevant training opportunities.
• Connect craft brewers with a skilled workforce to grow your business.
• Provide students with valuable experience and exposure by working directly with brewers.
• Challenge students to apply classroom learning to real industry problems.
• Strengthen our local economy by helping small, medium and large companies drive their businesses forward.