Cheers to the student team whose Scottish export style ale, Caledonian Nights, winner of °”TVâ 2020 Iron Brew competition, hit the market last week.
But that was only part of the prize in this annual event. Undergraduates Baoluo Gao, Eitan Newfield, Andres Rugama and Charlie Thudium also seized the opportunity to be involved every step along the way, from the brewing to the canning, to sales and distribution â all of which they did with the assistance of the universityâs Iron Brew partner, of Davis.
- UPDATED AVAILABILITY (Aug. 4): Caledonian Nights, available in cans only, sold out in one week at Sudwerkâs Dock Store. You may be able to find the ale in limited quantities at the Nugget Market on West Covell Boulevard in Davis, the Davis Food Co-op and The Davis Beer Shoppe.
- TOP PHOTO: Baoluo Gao, left, and Charlie Thudium observe their ale-in-the-making at Sudwerk Brewing Co. (Karin Higgins/°”TV)
âThe Iron Brew competition is the only one we know of where we have support from a craft brewery to brew studentsâ recipe into a commercial beer,â said Glen Fox, Anheuser-Busch Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences, who ran this yearâs competition in Food Science and Technology 102B, his winter quarter course on Practical Malting and Brewing.
The verdict on the Gao-Newfield-Rugama-Thudium brew: best overall flavor profile and best balanced beer, as judged by brew masters from Sudwerk, Sierra Nevada and Lagunitas. âThis is a very good, true-to-style ale,â Fox said. âIt has a clean and fresh taste that is perfect as a summer beer.â
Students win with a special twist
Newfield, of the Caledonian Nights team, said: âWe really wanted to pick a unique beer style that wouldnât taste like any other beer that you can get at the supermarket.
âCharlie came up with the idea that an interesting style to encompass this notion would be a Scottish ale. I tasted that style while studying abroad in Scotland, and really enjoyed it, so I was fully on board with this idea.â
They gave their Scottish ale a twist by blending American hops and brewing creativity with Old World tradition.
Scottish export ale is not a very common brew style, Rugama explained, so the team chose a name that references Caledonia â a place name from the days of the Roman Empire, roughly corresponding to present-day Scotland â and embellished it with a riff off the Arabian Nights.
âThe profile of this beer is earthy, itâs malty, itâs got some light sweetness to it,â Rugama said. âItâs very smooth. ... I would say itâs chocolaty, or rich, but without being the same kind of richness you would expect from a porter or from a stout.â
With a deep crimson color, some people may perceive Caledonian Nights to be a âheavyâ or âfillingâ beer, but itâs quite the opposite, said Trent Yackzan, co-owner of Sudwerk. âYou will taste a robust, flavorful amber beer with a light and fast finish â it definitely tastes lighter than it looks,â he said.
Here are the stats for Caledonian Nights, as listed on the Sudwerk website:
- ABV (alcohol by volume) â 5.6 percent
- IBU (international bitterness units) â 29
- Malts â Midnight Wheat, Admiral Gallagher's Best, roasted barley
- Yeast â White Labs Scottish Ale WLP028
- Hops â East Kent Golding, Mount Hood
A âsteppingstoneâ for brewers
Sudwerk has been part of the local craft beer scene for more than 30 years. Yackzanâs grandfather, Sacramento architect Dean Unger, and a contractor friend, Ron Broward, established the brewery to make traditional German-style lagers.
The ownership has long supported the °”TV Brewing Program and has partnered with faculty for decades to give students the opportunity for hands-on experience to supplement their education.
âWeâve had a lot of interns and employees who have gone on to be head brewers across the nation,â Yackzan said. âWeâve been a steppingstone for a lot of brewers, giving them technical experience that they can put on their resumes and then start their brewing careers with a strong foundation.â
Limited production
Production of Caledonian Nights began when the Sudwerk brewer taught the team how to scale up their recipe so it tasted the same as what they made at the pilot brewery on campus, Yackzan said. Then they helped with the brewing â in an operation that yielded just over 11 barrels, or 341 gallons.
The team also worked with Sudwerk staff on the name and label (designed by Sudwerk), the canning, and sales, marketing and distribution â including how to price beer properly for the market.
âAfter the packaging we took the students to a few accounts (Nugget Market, The Davis Beer Shoppe, etc.) to tell the story and sell the beer, which also went well,â Yackzan said.
Caledonian Nights went on sale at Sudwerkâs Dock Store during a release party last Thursday (July 23), and should be available next week (the week of Aug. 3) in a number of area stores (see list below). Yackzan emphasized: Caledonian Nights is a limited run. A portion of all sales goes to the °”TV Brewing Program.
The pandemic challenge
âWe are extremely grateful to Sudwerk for working with us and allowing us to see how a commercial brewery works firsthand despite the challenges caused by COVID,â said Thudium, who plans to explore a career in the brewing industry. âWe are very proud of our accomplishments and look forward to seeing our beer on store shelves.â
This is the first year the Iron Brew winner has been canned and sold in grocery stores. Typically, the beer is distributed to restaurants, but not this year because of the pandemic.
âIt was a good opportunity for us to show the students you can always adapt and overcome unforeseen challenges if everyoneâs onboard,â Yackzan said. âItâs part of the experience and a lesson weâre teaching the students.â
Added Professor Fox: âThis is just one of the special aspects of the °”TV Brewing Program. The history of the program, our brilliant on-campus brewing staff, the state-of-the art equipment and connection with industry makes it one of the best in the ·ÉŽÇ°ù±ô»ć.â
GET TO KNOW THIS ALE
- WHAT: The Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science presents a Sips and Bites program with the students behind Caledonian Nights; their professor, Glen Fox; and Sudwerk co-owner Trent Yackzan, discussing what it takes to make a winning brew.
- WHEN: 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12
- WHERE: Online
- ADMISSION: Free
John Stumbos and Hector Amezcua work in communications for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Stumbos as a senior writer and Amezcua as a digital communications specialist. Dave Jones and Karin Higgins work in the Office of Strategic Communications, Jones as the editor of Dateline °”TV and Higgins as a principal photographer.