The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Issue date: 9/5/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Katie Stevens President of Sabco Bob Salier stands with brewing equipment donated and paid for by Odell Brewing Company for the use in FTEC 460, Brewing Science and Technology. Salier paid for major shipping costs for the pilot brewing system.

Odell Brewing Company donated a $5,590 "pilot" brewing system to the Department of Food Science and Nutrition Thursday. The brewing company announced the gift to the program last week.

The small-scale, professional "recipe development" system will be used by students taking Brewing Science and Technology, an upper-division food science course.

The brewing system, called "Brew Magic," is an original and technologically innovative design produced and distributed by Sabco Industries out of Toledo, Ohio. The 750-pound unit was delivered to the university yesterday afternoon; Sabco paid transportation costs, totaling almost $1,000.

The system, used by pubs, microbreweries and brewing labs, is a "mini version of a technologically high-end, commercial level product," Bob Sulier, president of Sabco, said.

Student enthusiasm over Odell's donation runs high.

"It's going to be pretty amazing to see how advanced this technology is," senior biology major Dan Koogle said.

Each system is produced one at a time and takes six to eight weeks to handcraft.

Every piece is completely original ­- from the internal electrical system down to the kettles, which are imported from Germany and modified by the designers.

Twelve years ago, Doug Odell, founder and brew master of Odell Brewing Co., forged what he called "a public-private enterprise cooperation," with CSU and brewing sciences professor Jack Avens.

It all started when Avens invited Odell to speak in several food science and processing courses, and the symbiosis flourished when the Brewing Science and Technology course was added to the food sciences program four years ago.

"I have always valued our association with CSU," Odell said. "We sat down and asked ourselves how we could step up our contributions, and this was an excellent opportunity to do so."

Continued...

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