New services are brewing at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Food Innovation Center.
Partnering with American Beer Equipment in Lincoln, the university’s Department of Food Science and Technology is bringing a 3.5 barrel, semi-automated brew house online in the Food Innovation Center pilot plants. The equipment, which will be available in the spring, will be used for research into craft beer and other fermented products, developing/testing related products with industry partners, and student instruction.
“This brew house will open new doors for the university to expand research and extension work into fermented beverages,” said Steve Weier, general manager of the pilot plants. “It’s also good timing because there is an increased interest in this area, particularly with craft beer, which is a growing Nebraska industry.”
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The university has also recently expanded research and outreach efforts to Nebraska brewers, launching a hops growing project and offering conferences related to craft beer production. Researcher Heather Hallen-Adams also recently helped identify the wild yeast strain used to develop Boiler Brewing’s new all-Nebraska craft beer.
Along with the brewing system, American Beer Equipment partners also provided a chilling system and grain mill.
“The idea of this system to to replicate the industrial brewing process, just on a smaller scale,” said Adam Kosmicki, director of engineering for ABE. “We’re excited about this new partnership and believe the university will become a valuable resource for brewers in Nebraska and across the Midwest.”
The university’s Food Processing Center offers a variety of equipment that can be used by researchers, students and industry partners to produce food-related samples and test product formulas and food ingredients. Providing access to the equipment allows producers to develop and bring finished products to the marketplace.
For more information on the Food Processing Center and equipment available in the pilot plants, click here.
