Art Oestrike teaches students about brewing equipment at Jackie O’s Brewpub on West Union Street.
This fall, students in a new course—CAS 4413 The Art of Craft Brewing: The Athens Case Study—are learning about the craft brewery movement, specifically in Athens, OH, from alumnus Art Oestrike, owner of local brewery Jackie O’s.
The students come from a variety of majors, and several of them are earning the Food and Society Certificate.
Learning about Athens’ breweries, students are gaining business skills about topics such as outlining a sustainability plan, recognizing potential local ingredients, calculating the production cost of a new beer recipe, product promotion, effective labeling and packaging, and so on.
Oestrike is also a lecturer in the Linguistics Department at Ohio University.
Students sit at Little Fish Brewery and listen to owner and head brewer, Sean White, explain the process of opening a brewery and its role as a community space.
The class also explores beyond business strategies and looks at the role Athens breweries have in economic and community development, as well as their historical, cultural and social significance.
The first few weeks of the course included visits to Jackie O’s BrewPub and Little Fish Brewery. Future class trips are planned for Devil’s Kettle Brewery, the Jackie O’s Taproom and Farm, and Cider House.
Hearing from local entrepreneurs and touring local sites, the students are directly engaging with Athen’s brewery scene, and the community, learning that the impact of brewing in Athens goes far beyond just the beer itself.
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