In response to these pressures, wine grape researchers are evaluating more climate-resilient varieties and developing improved forecasting systems and disease management techniques. Meanwhile, research programs on hops and malting barley remain primarily focused on breeding climate-resilient cultivars.

Wine grapes and polar vortex events

Few sectors have felt the effects of climate instability as sharply as the Canadian wine industry. There have been devastating crop losses from “polar vortex” events, which occur when a normally stable pool of cold air over the Arctic is disrupted and plunges southward.

The Okanagan Valley, which accounts for 86 per cent of British Columbia’s vineyard acreage, experienced two consecutive polar vortex events in December 2022 and January 2024. These events were crippling, with some estimates putting the total 2024 losses at 97 to 99 per cent of all grapes in the region, amounting to an economic loss of $440 to $445 million in revenue.

Across wine grapes, barley and hops, Canadian researchers and growers are confronting the same reality: climate change is reshaping every stage of crop production.

Darien Temprile, executive director of the Canadian Grapevine Certification Network (CGCN) says that they are overseeing national research projects to look into superior grape vine material with the potential to withstand Canadian climates. This involves evaluating different Vitis cultivars, as well as clone and rootstock selections, for their vine performance, fruit composition and cold hardiness.

While CGCN does not currently manage any grape breeding programs in Canada, it ensures its certified clean repository is stocked with the best grapevine propagation material to withstand Canada’s cold temperatures.

Growing uniform barley in an unpredictable climate

For barley farmers, the main challenge is climate volatility. The Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission (SaskBarley) has between 40 and 60 research projects going on at any given time. Mitchell Japp, the research and extension manager at SaskBarley, notes that while weather variability has always existed, growers have been dealing with extremely hot, then dry, seasons. This year, farmers were still dealing with spring runoff in mid-May, leaving fields too wet for planting.

When breeding barley for climate resilience, SaskBarley funds testing sites for different varieties “across a network of sites that range from southern Manitoba, where it’s warm and wet, to southern Saskatchewan, southern Alberta, where it’s hot and dry, and up into northern Saskatchewan, northern Alberta, where it’s cool and wet. Generally, the varieties that get selected are the ones that perform and are stable across all those environments,” said Japp.

“If they can be stable across all those environments, we think they have good stability against whatever climate change might throw at us in the short term, and that’s all we can manage for. We can’t manage for what’s going to happen 50 years from now.”

Japp notes that most of SaskBarley’s investment goes into breeding new barley varieties with improved yield potential and agronomic characteristics, such as increased resistance to disease and lodging. Lodging occurs when the barley falls over from its vertical position, typically due to strong winds, heavy rain or overgrowth. It makes harvest recovery more challenging.

“We’re using a plant growth regulator to help the crop not grow so tall and have stronger stems. We’re trying to find the conditions where that’s most helpful because it’s not efficient for growers to grow their crops and then have them be difficult to harvest or lose quality because they’re lying on the ground,” said Japp. Ideally, all crops will be at the same stage at harvest, so researchers are exploring different fertility management methods to determine whether they can manipulate the development of late barley heads.

Heat waves and the future of hops

Canada’s craft beer industry exploded from approximately 400 breweries in 2010 to over 1,200 in 2025, according to data from IBISWorld, which spurred growth of the hops sector. However, only relatively small regions have suitable environmental conditions for growing high-quality aroma hops, and there is a serious risk that heat waves and droughts will stunt plant growth, shorten crop development cycles and reduce acid levels.

A research article published by Nature Communications in 2023 found that hop production in European regions is projected to decline by four to 18 per cent, while alpha content is projected to decline by 20 to 31 per cent. Hop farmers have responded by relocating hop gardens to higher elevations, changing the orientation and spacing of crop rows and breeding more resistant varieties.

At Kwantlen Polytechnic University in B.C., the NextGen Hops team says that current hop varieties grown in the province were bred and trialed in U.S. or Germany and are not adapted to grow in the B.C. climate. This is why the team is working to develop new, unique hop varieties that are proprietary to the province. At NextGen Hops, they are crossing locally adapted male hop plants with existing commercial varieties. They have also been able to transfer heat and drought-tolerant traits to their varieties by using wild hop plants collected from extreme growing environments throughout North America.

The breeding project began in 2018 and is unique in that it uses genomics to identify and mark desirable traits, then tracks those markers through successive DNA tests. Instead of waiting for a full growing season, a small leaf sample can be used to immediately identify the presence of a trait, freeing up field space and other resources.

Excessive rainfall and the rise of crop diseases

Excessive rainfall leads to a higher incidence of diseases such as powdery mildew, downy mildew and grey mould in grape vines. Viral diseases such as grape vine red blotch and leafroll are also becoming more common. Temprile says that vine infection can reduce winter hardiness by up to four degrees Celsius in some varieties. “This presents a huge gap for potential vine injury or death with Canada’s volatile temperature fluctuations,” she said.

Infected vines require more money and resources to manage, making it more difficult for wine growers to turn a profit. Ultimately, the best long-term vineyard management decision is to remove the infected vines and replace them with certified clean vines. CGCN maintains a clean vine repository that includes samples of healthy, virus-tested grape vine material. This repository is vital in protecting the global viticulture economy as it ensures that Canadian vineyards always have access to healthy vines.

Harrison Wright, PhD, an academic researcher from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, says climate adaptation pressures and consumer preference for fewer pesticides will push the wine industry to be more accepting of hybrid grapes (hybrids are crossings between two or more grape species).

In Canada, these crossings are usually between the European Vitis vinifera and hardy North American vines. They are naturally more resistant to diseases and pests, and can survive long-lasting cold temperatures. “Quebec would not have any wine grape industry if it wasn’t for the fact that [they] had hybrids,” said Wright.

Forest fires and smoke-tainted wine

In 2023, Canada experienced an extraordinarily destructive wildfire season. Fires consumed 16.5 million hectares – nearly seven times the historical average, according to Natural Resources Canada. Drier, hotter summers put more stress on grapes, while increased forest fires make wine grapes more susceptible to developing smoke taint.

Smoke taint occurs when grapes absorb pungent airborne compounds called volatile phenols from wildfire smoke. Once absorbed into the ripening grape tissue, these compounds bind to one or more carbohydrates found within ripening grapes. These carbohydrate-bound volatile phenols, in contrast with their smelly “free” forms, are odourless. However, when yeast is added during fermentation, it may break down the carbohydrate chain, unmasking the original smoky molecules.

Wesley Zandberg, PhD, professor at the University of British Columbia, focuses his research on better understanding the mechanisms by which smoke molecules are absorbed into the grape and how the addition of yeast unmasks these smoky aroma compounds. Zandberg stresses that smoke exposure does not necessarily mean smoke taint. “To know you have a tainted wine, it’s still a subjective thing … an oaked wine will have the same markers as a smoky wine, just at different concentrations and different ratios,” he said.

In proper concentrations, the wine would be said to have “peppery” or “oaky” notes, which are desirable, versus being smoke-tainted, where the same smoky aromas are present at too high a concentration. Currently, most wineries send samples of their wine grapes for smoke taint testing. If the concentrations of volatile phenols are too high, they can apply for crop protection insurance. In this case, they would have to destroy their crop to collect insurance for the smoke-damaged crop.

However, there is ongoing research into using sprays to create a barrier between grapes and smoke. “I’ve tested some products. In one year, it works really well, and in the other year, it doesn’t work at all. So, you know, these aren’t easy experiments,” said Zandberg.

The challenge of breeding climate-resilient barley varieties

Gina Feist, executive director of the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute (BMBRI), is particularly concerned about the erosion of public funding for barley breeding programs. “To breed a new variety really takes eight to 10 years, and so the dollars that are going in at this time will be funding those varieties coming out in the next decade,” said Feist.

Since climate‑impact research requires many years of data to yield meaningful insights for farmers and maltsters, long‑term investment is essential. “Farmers have a choice of growing several different crops, and they need to be profitable. We need to continue to invest in [barley] research so that it remains a profitable cropping option,” she said. Japp is quick to praise farmers for their quick adoption of new technologies such as “zero tillage,” which prevents soil erosion, and “variable rate applications,” which optimize the use of fertilizers, herbicides and fungicides in each area of the field.

Japp says the biggest barrier to adopting these climate-resilient varieties is the slow uptake by maltsters and brewers. He believes that outreach by organizations such as the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre is central to raising awareness of new barley varieties and driving industry demand. Across wine grapes, barley and hops, Canadian researchers and growers are confronting the same reality: climate change is reshaping every stage of crop production.

While each industry faces distinct challenges, all are racing to develop climate-resilient varieties, technologies and management strategies needed to sustain Canada’s alcoholic beverage industry.

Located adjacent to Molson Coors’ Fraser Valley Brewery, the site will facilitate field trials of hop varieties developed through the B.C. hop variety development program, led by KPU’s Applied Genomics Centre (AGC) since 2019 in partnership with the BC Hop Growers Association and its members. It will also serve as a living library of genetically diverse hop plants and a dedicated space to advance applied research, supporting B.C.’s hop growers while providing students with hands-on learning opportunities.

“We’re excited to work with Molson Coors in supporting local farmers through this multi-year project,” said Paul Adams, PhD, director of KPU’s Applied Genomics Centre. “Partnerships like this really illustrate how cutting-edge research and innovation can address industry challenges and meet the needs of our local communities.”

Over the past year, researchers and students have been establishing the hop yard from the ground up, from prepping the field to planting the first experimental varieties developed at the AGC. Beyond testing new hop varieties, the field will also serve as a space to research best irrigation practices and more.

“Hops are a critical ingredient in brewing, and the Fraser Valley remains one of the country’s most important hop-growing regions,” said Graham Kendall, general manager, Molson Coors Fraser Valley Brewery. “We’re excited to partner with KPU on this initiative to support applied research and innovation while strengthening connections with local growers and providing students with hands-on experience that will help shape the future of agriculture and brewing in B.C. and beyond.”

“This project gives us a dedicated research field where we can grow things outside of the commercial scope and explore challenges that growers are facing in order make better-informed breeding decisions,” said AGC researcher Mathias Schuetz, PhD, who is leading the project.

Hops, which are the female flowers of the plant species Humulus lupulus, are used to provide flavour and aromas to beer while also functioning as a natural preservative. The Fraser Valley has a longstanding history of hop production, once having ranked as the largest hop-growing region in the Commonwealth in the 1940s. Using state-of-the-art DNA analysis and chemical techniques, KPU researchers are helping local hop production thrive again by creating new, climate-resilient varieties.

“We’re crossing different plants to create varieties with desirable traits, which we are then planting and evaluating in the field,” said Schuetz. “The idea is to create something that is resilient against heat and drought, while also being profitable and desirable for brewing.”

Hops research fueling hands-on opportunities for students

The hop yard also serves as a living classroom, with KPU students from multiple disciplines – including horticulture, biology and brewing – gaining hands-on experience each step of the way.

“I do a mixture of lab work and field work, which includes prepping the field, managing the irrigation system and collecting data on new varieties we’re trying out,” said Spencer LePage, an AGC student research assistant and third-year horticulture student at KPU. “I’ve had a really great experience so far, and feel like this work really helps bridge that gap between just learning about concepts in classes and actually doing them in real life.”

At the same time, KPU Brewing and Brewery Operations students are helping test how new varieties perform by transforming experimental hops into small-batch beers, one of which was served at the unveiling.

Supported by Genome BC and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the AGC is Canada’s first and only Technology Access Centre focused on applied genomics, and is nationally unique in its focus on serving the agriculture sector through direct, hands-on research support.

Poured Canada spoke with five Canadian colleges and universities about the different educational opportunities they offer for those interested in a career in the beverage-alcohol industry. Here’s what they had to say.

Brock University

The Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute was established at Ontario’s Brock University in 1996. The institute was formed in conjunction with the southern Ontario wine industry. Its three main mandates are to conduct research, provide outreach services to the local wine industry, and offer professional and continuing educational opportunities.

As part of its educational program, the institute offers more than 20 professional and continuing studies courses for people who want to enter the industry or upgrade their skills. These short-term courses, accredited through the province with micro-credential certification, range from foundations in winemaking, introduction to grape growing and using effective social media in marketing wines.

Additionally, Brock offers Canada’s only four-year university degree program in Applied Grape and Wine Science through its Department of Biological Sciences that focuses on winemaking, viticulture and marketing, including subjects such as wine chemistry and plant physiology.

For students with prior scientific training with a bachelor of science in a related field, a one-year certificate in grape and wine technology is also an option, where students take grape and wine-specific courses to be industry-ready. Both program options serve upwards of three dozen students in any given school year with a 96 per cent placement rate of graduates into the industry upon graduation.

Jennifer Kelly, the institute’s senior scientist of oenology, says part of what makes the school’s four-year degree program unique is the fact it’s been designed to be very hands-on. After gaining background education in relevant scientific disciplines such as chemistry and environmental biology in Years 1 and 2, students are given their own grapes as part of a wine processing course in which they will take those grapes from vine to wine. That includes everything from planning how they want to make their wine at the institute’s pilot winery to designing a label and bottling the finished product.

The institute also offers a co-op education stream as part of its four-year degree program, where students are provided three four-month work terms at wineries in the region and other parts of the country. “Students at the fourth-year thesis level get to engage in applied research projects, often partnered with industry members. The experience of solving real-world problems gives them an opportunity to work with different growers or winemakers. That sets them up for great success going forward with their careers,” Kelly said.

The institute’s first graduating class was in 2000. While many of those students have gone on to succeed in southern Ontario, British Columbia and other parts of Canada, a large number are now employed in other parts of the world, including Australia, New Zealand and across the U.S. The best part, Kelly says, is that it’s a tight-knit group and they often share industry opportunities with fellow alumni.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s (KPU) Brewing Program was launched in 2014. Hundreds of its graduates have gone on to work in the craft brewing industry in southern B.C., where the school is based, as well as in other parts of the country and around the world. The program accommodates up to 35 students per school year. The majority come from B.C., but the program also attracts learners from other parts of the country and even as far away as Switzerland, South America and Asia. They range in age from 19 to 60 years-plus.

Students receive a diploma in brewing and brewery operations as part of a two-year, full-time program or a three- or four-year, part-time program. The school also offers a one-year certificate program in brewing as well as micro-credential courses on subjects such as brewing science, beer sensory evaluation and the business of brewing, which are popular with people working in the industry seeking to upgrade their existing skills. The three foundational pillars of the program are: to provide students with the hands-on skills needed to work in a brewery, to teach them the science behind brewing, and to furnish them with the foundational information needed to operate or own a brewery.

Alek Egi, program chair and brewing instructor at KPU, says one of the things that makes the school’s brewing program unique is the emphasis it places on the science of brewing. The school has rigorous science-based requirements for student applicants. Meanwhile, instructors Egi and Dominic Bernard have master’s degrees in food science and brewing, respectively, while colleague Martina Solano Bielen holds a master’s in microbiology.

Another factor that sets the KPU brewing program apart is its standalone, registered manufacturing brewery located right on campus that was designed for teaching. It features a state-of-the-art, four-vessel pilot system that was donated by a local brewing equipment manufacturer, giving students the opportunity to work directly with professional-grade tools. It’s also home to a tap station, where the finished products from the program’s practical brewing courses are sold by students to customers every Friday afternoon, providing real-world experience in both production and customer-service aspects of the industry.

Kwantlen’s program has received numerous accolades from the brewing industry, including multiple B.C. Beer Awards and being named Brewery of the Year in 2019. It also won the U.S. Open college beer competition that same year.

Acadia University

Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., launched its Applied Bioscience program in fall 2024. A total of 12 students are currently enrolled in the program, and school officials expect that number to double in 2026. Students receive a bachelor of science upon graduation from the four-year degree program. Matthew Lukeman, an assistant dean and a professor of chemistry, says the program is a mix of biology and chemistry that aims to provide students with real-world work experience and research opportunities in the beverage industry as well as the biopharma sector.

“The program was actually created in response to economic demands within our province in two sectors,” he said. “One was beverage, not just wine, but also beer, craft drinks and all sorts of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. People from industry had been coming to us over the years, saying they would love it if we could have a program that would help people develop the skills that would aid in fuelling the growth of that industry.”

If you think of the top wineries in the province … like Stratus, Tawse, Inniskillin, these are all run by graduates of ours.

Craig Youdale, Niagara College

The program’s Science and Business of Beverage stream emphasizes beverage production, marketing and analysis. There is a heavy focus on biochemistry and organic chemistry, including cell and molecular biology. An embedded business minor provides students with an appreciation for the business realities that go along with the science side of things and includes a minimum of six courses in various business disciplines, such as marketing and accounting.

Part of what makes Acadia’s program unique is its built-in co-op placement component, Lukeman says. Students receive up to 12 months of co-op placements at local vineyards and craft breweries, where they work alongside experienced industry professionals to gain practical experience. They get to work side-by-side with researchers at the university on a variety of projects, including a study of grape varieties and chemical analysis of different wine products. The program also offers a course on sensory analysis, which is taught through the university’s Nutrition and Dietetics department. As part of the course, students learn how the different components of a wine can influence an individual’s sensory experience.

In addition to the Applied Bioscience program, the university is home to the Acadia Laboratory for Agri-Food and Beverage (ALAB), which is an ISO-accredited, fee-for-service lab that provides chemical testing of beverage products. Each school year, the lab employs three co-op students who receive an opportunity to work with the lab’s three technicians using an array of state-of-the-art instruments.

“What’s unique about it is that in bigger labs, the students often only ever work on one instrument. But in our lab, because it’s so small, most students have the opportunity to work with and be trained on ALAB’s instruments,” said Katrin Sommerfeld, Acadia’s manager of industry and community partnerships.

Niagara College

Niagara College’s School of Wine, Beer and Spirits is located on the institution’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. About 100 students take part in the program’s three disciplines each academic year. It has the distinction of being one of the first academic institutions in Canada to offer training specifically for the beverage-alcohol industry.

The school’s three core programs are its two-year Winery and Viticulture Technician program, the two-year Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program and the one-year Graduate Certificate in Artisan Distilling program. It also offers a one-year Beverage Business Management certificate program that provides an education on all aspects of the global alcoholic beverage industry, including business, retail, export, marketing and navigating a highly regulated environment.

Each of the three core programs has its own commercial production facility located on the university’s 125-acre campus. That includes:

• The Niagara College Teaching Winery, which was established in 2000 and offers students a chance to learn from industry. professionals and create up to 5,000 bottles of wine annually.
• The Niagara Teaching Brewery, a 1,500-square-foot micro-brewery facility.
• The Niagara Teaching Distillery, a 2,500-square-foot facility that features five stills, four mash tins and 10 fermenters used for on-site production of a variety of distilled spirits that produces 500 bottles of spirits each year.

The school is also home to a 40-acre, on-campus vineyard. In addition, it grows its own botanicals, hops and tender fruit for use in its distilling and brewing programs. Craig Youdale, the college’s dean of culinary, tourism and beverage, says what makes the School of Wine, Beer and Spirits unique is the fact that it provides students an opportunity to be involved in every aspect of production, from growing the grapes used in wine production and hops used in brewing to bottling the finished products and creating marketing campaigns for them.

“They are all really unique programs,” he said. “There aren’t any others in the country … like them that have the level of hands-on education. When I say hands-on, it’s the real deal. We’re even showing people how to drive a tractor.”

The school has also developed close relationships with several wineries, breweries and distilleries in the region and other parts of the country. That includes Labatt Brewing and Molson Coors on the beer side, and several of the most respected wineries in the region. As a result, students in the program are regularly placed at those facilities where they receive valuable, first-hand experience that can help propel their careers down the road.

“It’s actually pretty tough to find a winery in Niagara that doesn’t have one of our grads,” Youdale said. “If you think of the top wineries in the province … like Stratus, Tawse, Inniskillin, these are all run by graduates of ours. We have tons of graduates that have started their own brewery and they’re owner-operators. We also have a lot of head brewers in different operations across the system.”

Youdale says one of the school’s future priorities will be providing more people access to its programs. That could include opening it up to more people from other parts of the country as well as offering some form of online programming. Beverage Business Management is expected to become an online offering in 2026. Several courses within the School of Wine, Beer and Spirits are also open to part-time students – including Wines of Europe, Wines of the Americas and Southern Hemisphere, and History of Brewing and Beer for the Winter 2026 term.

Durham College

Durham College’s Whitby campus in southern Ontario is home to the Centre for Craft Beverage Innovation (CCBI), which collaborates with both established and novice craft beer, hard cider, kombucha and seltzer makers on everything from formulating new recipes to testing new ingredients and production methods. The centre’s mandate is to share its technical knowledge with beverage makers and provide entrepreneurial expertise to help industry partners turn technical innovation into business success.

Even though the CCBI is located on a college campus, it’s not a brewing school per se. Most of the people who work at the centre are paid staff. However, a small number of Durham students do take part in research projects at the centre each year. Those students receive instructions on lab protocols and how to conduct proper testing. The idea is to provide them with hands-on experience so they can learn to interpret test results.

With hands-on training, strong industry partnerships and impressive graduate placement rates, one thing is clear: the path to a career in beverage alcohol increasingly begins in the classroom.

For this year’s collaboration, KPU’s Brewing and Brewery Operations program has crafted the Shared Path India Session Ale, which will be available for public sales at the KPU Brew Lab and at Farm Country Brewing.

“Seeing students take the lead this year has been incredibly inspiring, as it reflects the motivation and leadership skills they will carry into the workplace,” said brewing instructor Martina Solano Bielen. “We’ve been participating in this collaboration for eight years now, and each time it creates a fun, meaningful and collaborative space for women and non-binary individuals to learn from one another, work together and support each other.”

The brewing team, consisting of students, instructors and staff, crafted a recipe that showcases vibrant aromatics and a balanced flavour. The final product is a soft, juicy, hazy India Session Ale with bright tropical and fruity hop aromas and a smooth, refreshing finish. Students had a hand in every stage of the process, from recipe development and production to packaging and release planning, with one student even taking the lead.

“As a brewing student working in commercial production, leading the recipe development for Shared Path was both exciting and meaningful,” said KPU brewing student Maria Yun. “This collaboration highlights how supportive the brewing community is for women working in the industry. The name Shared Path reflects how we continue to learn, grow and support one another throughout our brewing journeys.”

Shared Path will be available to the public for purchase in growler fills at the KPU Brew Lab on Friday, March 6, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

It will also be available on International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8, at Farm Country Brewing in Langley, B.C., for the brewery’s Tap Takeover event. This event celebrates the talented women and non-binary members of Langley’s craft beer community, with a portion of proceeds going to the Pink Boots Society Canada and the Ishtar Women’s Resources Society.

The new one-year Certificate in Brewing is designed to meet the needs of students who may find the current two-year Diploma in Brewing and Brewery Operations a significant time commitment. By offering a shorter credential using existing courses, the program creates an accessible entry point for students looking to gain practical brewing skills and industry-ready knowledge.

“The Certificate in Brewing gives students a strong foundation in the science of brewing, along with valuable hands-on experience in KPU’s state-of-the-art, award-winning teaching brewery,” said Dominic Bernard, a brewing instructor and program chair. “To further support student flexibility, we’ve also introduced four micro-credentials – in brewing, brewing science, beer sensory evaluation and the business of brewing. All of these initiatives aim to give students more options in the education they wish to pursue.”

The new credential could appeal to students seeking a shorter path to a job in the brewing industry.

Each year, approximately 20 students graduate from the program, having learned theory in the classroom and practice in the lab with over 950 hours of instruction. Class time covers everything from sales and marketing to reading a malt certificate of analysis. Lab time covers everything from brewing to operating quality assurance equipment. The first year is focused on the science of brewing while the second is focused on the beer and brewing industry. It is a comprehensive program, the only one of its kind in B.C., and the only one in Canada to be recognized by the Master Brewers Association of the Americas.

The program came about over 10 years ago, after KPU’s president and dean recognized that the craft beer industry was growing and would be in need of skilled people. Since then, the KPU Brewing & Brewery Operations program has added about 200 such skilled people to the industry, having learned from two full-time faculty, three contract instructors and three full-time laboratory instructors.

“The nice thing about our diploma program is we touch on everything,” said Dominic Bernard, brewing instructor and chair of the brewing department. “The first year is science-based, covering brewing and laboratory work, and the second year covers the brewing industry; everything from the Canada Revenue Agency to the Liquor Distribution Branch and regulations all the way to brewery management.”

Each semester involves improving the students’ brewing skills. The first sees students brewing one of KPU’s core beers, practice consistently make the same beer, learning the process and hitting original gravity, finishing gravity and other brewing targets. In the second semester, students are exposed to different beer styles, and in the third, they develop their own recipes. “Make your big mistakes on a small scale,” said Bernard of the program’s approach.

The two-year program culminates in students working in small groups in their last semester, releasing beers that will be commercially sold under KPU Brew Lab’s Student Signature Series. The beers are made on a two-hectolitre brewery donated by Newland Systems Inc. of B.C. (NSI has since been acquired by DME Brewing Solutions of Charlottetown, P.E.I. and then König Brewing Systems of Abbotsford).

Although it is a physically small brewhouse, it is a scaled down version of a four-vessel brewhouse, with touchscreen and other bells and whistles, not unlike those found at much larger breweries. KPU Brew Lab also has a 50-litre manual brewing system. “We teach for all sizes of systems,” said Bernard.

The nice thing about our diploma program is we touch on everything. The first year is science-based, covering brewing and laboratory work, and the second year covers the brewing industry; everything from the Canada Revenue Agency to the Liquor Distribution Branch and regulations all the way to brewery management.

Dominic Bernard, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Students must not only brew their Signature Series beer, but also design the label, develop a sales and marketing plan, register the beer and ensure everything is in accordance with regulatory requirements. The beer is then sold through the brewery taproom on the Langley Campus, in growlers or in cans filled through a Wild Goose Gosling 2.0 canning line. That canning line, obtained in September 2024, includes modern technology such as nitrogen dosing, allowing students to make lower carbonation, nitrogenated beers.

Given the small size of the brewery, the vast majority of its sales occur through the brewery taproom, which is open only on Fridays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The ever-evolving list of available beers sells quickly, and those interested in the program or seeing the brewery can pre-book a tour.

International exposure

Students in the Brewing & Brewery Operations program come from all walks of life and often come from abroad. Fifty per cent of the class is international students, hailing from China, Korea, Taiwan, Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Hungary. It speaks to the reputation of the program that students from around the globe come to learn at KPU, and diverse perspectives also enhance the learning experience for all.

“We have everyone, from 19-year-olds that are just of legal drinking age to 55-year-olds starting a second career. We have students with bachelor of science degrees, and we have students with just their high school diploma,” said Bernard. “It makes for interesting discussions in the classroom.”

A decade of influencing the beer world

In its 10 years, the KPU Brewing & Brewery Operations program has produced about 200 graduates. Those graduates have gone on to various careers in beer, from joining existing breweries as brewers or lab technicians, to starting their own breweries, to working at Molson Coors.

“I’m very passionate about sustainability and I try to put that lens into our projects,” said Bernard. “We talk about how climate change is impacting the malting industry, and brewing is a water-intense industry, so we make sure that is part of the conversation.”

Make your big mistakes on a small scale.

Dominic Bernard, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

The department of which the Brewing & Brewery Operations program is a part of is also trying to increase diversity in an industry which has historically been dominated by white males. “We are accepting of all,” said Bernard. “We have awards and scholarships tailored to under-represented groups. We are trying to encourage more diverse applicants – [people] from all over the globe.”

Diversity in the student body exposes all students to different ideas. Bernard says students have made beers with special varieties of rice, hops and other unique ingredients because diverse students have brought their individual backgrounds and knowledge to the program. It makes for better beer and understanding of different manners of thinking.

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the program, KPU Brew Lab made a collaboration beer. Students from every year came together to brew Odyssey Fresh Hop Pale Ale. The 5.2 per cent ABV beer was spearheaded by alumnus Sebastian Peterson, co-founder of Curious Creatures Beer, and made with Krush hops, a newly-named variety officially released in 2024 after 17 years of development.

“The most exciting thing is seeing graduates in the industry doing cool things. I’m very proud of our graduates,” said Bernard. “What I’m most proud of is to see how students build the industry after graduation. The most important thing to teach is a love of learning so that our students can continue to grow themselves and the community.”

How Beer Canada helps

“I think it’s great to see Canadian breweries united and having a unified voice,” said Bernard. “The challenges breweries are experiencing are across Canada and it’s important to see what breweries in other provinces are doing and what governments in those provinces allow.”

Through Beer Canada, Bernard is able to learn about the regulations in other provinces and what works and does not work in those other provinces. Empowered with this knowledge, Bernard and KPU Brew Lab can work with other B.C. breweries to affect change in local rules.

“By pointing out what is working in other provinces, it gives our voice more strength when speaking on behalf of our industry,” he said.