Grant helps craft beer innovation centre at Ontario college upgrade

Craft brewers’ best friend in innovation received a major boost from a federal agency this week with a $118,000 grant that will enable the Centre for Craft Beverage Innovation (CCBI) at Durham College to purchase an Anton Paar Animo 3100 Mobile modular beer analysis system.

The funding, announced Wednesday by the Natural Sciences and Research Council, will bolster the centre’s research service with the fully mobile and flexible process monitoring device giving clients the “best possible insights” into brewery performance.

The grant is part of a $29.2 million investment by Ottawa to strengthen the role of colleges, CEGEPs and polytechnics in driving cutting-edge advancements.

Since 2018, CCBI has partnered with numerous craft breweries and artisanal beverage makers to foster innovation, not only for craft beer but also for seltzers, kombuchas, and other beverages. The CCBI’s pilot brew line and lab equipment enable successful applied research projects, where companies can tap into the expertise, state-of-the-art technology, and micro-analytical services. This allows craft brewers to experiment with new recipes and flavour profiles, yeast strains, and conduct scientific analysis, supporting the growing beverage sector of the local economy.

“The beverage industry is changing, and so must the services that support our homegrown innovation,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, Associate Vice President, Innovation and Research. “The Applied Research Tools and Instruments grant is allowing Durham College to advance its ability to support beverage businesses with innovative services that grow the economy and develop Canadian-made products, further underscoring the Centre for Craft Beverage Innovation as one of Ontario’s key beverage research hubs.”

This federal grant will help bring more science to the work of the centre’s clients work by “significantly” enhancing the ability of small craft breweries to experiment and refine process controls, resulting in improved quality, reduced costs, increased sales, and enhanced financial performance.

The Centre for Craft Beverage Innovation is located at Durham College’s Whitby campus within the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food. The centre, features a 50-liter pilot brew line, focuses on helping craft beverage producers with product development, recipe refinement, and problem-solving to provide tangible and transformative solutions to real-life beverage business challenges.

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