Cooper brewing is an interdisciplinary project where I teach a small course to 4-5 students from Art, Architectue and Engineering about the Science and Art of Brewing.
Brewing is a really perfect collaboration between science, art and design. To start, there is so much engineering in brewing, from the chemistry involved in mashing and fermenting, and the electrical systems to control all the temperatures and pumps for those processes. There is a great natural collaboration between chemical and electrical engineering there.
But clearly, it is not purely a scientific endeavor. Brewing of a great beer is truly an artistic design process, but it is one that must be informed by the science behind it. For example, we will look at questions such as: what pH level should we mash at, or what temperature do we ferment at, and how does that affect the overall final qualities of the beer, like how it looks, smells and tastes. It seems obvious that we should have artists and architects in the same room with scientists and engineers.
This project has been completely supported by alumni donations, and all of the beer we have brewed has been given back to Cooper.
If you are interested in supporting this project, please go to Support Cooper and follow us on Instagram