UCF students use real-world lessons to make a better beer

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Students at the University of Central Florida have been working to make the school a big name in beer by working with local microbreweries to help improve the product.

Microbiology graduate student Andrew Ketting said the UCF program is not something many other schools are doing.

“How unique is this?” he asked. “You get to drink beer for part of your degree.

“Oh, we love it; wouldn’t do anything else.”

Microbreweries are starting to become a big business in Central Florida but one bad batch of beer can turn customers off to a brand forever, Red Cypress spokesman Garrett Ward said.

“People can have one sip and really write you off, and never buy your beer again,” he said. “So you, first impression is huge.”

Microbes are the culprit behind a sour brew and UCF students are working on developing ways to produce better cleaning solutions so the quality remains the same no matter when the beer goes from vat to glass.

Cox Media Group