NCC Brewing Program Launches with New Instructor
With the launch of Nash Community College’s Brewing, Distillation and Fermentation (BDF) Associate Degree program this semester, students are enrolled in classes such as BDF 111 Sanitation and Safety and BDF 114 Craft Beer Brewing. Instructor Thomas Clawson says he is excited to be at the forefront of this grassroots movement engrained in flavor, creativity and devotion.
“Developing and teaching the BDF curriculum at Nash Community College gives me an opportunity to utilize all my experiences in the midst of a burgeoning industry as American consumers move away from industrially processed light lagers to the literal infinite number of possibilities that are being created daily by basement brewers and entrepreneurs alike,” Clawson said. Instructor Clawson is conducting graduate research related to yeast fermentation under the direction of Dr. John Sheppard, a North Carolina State University Professor in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences as part of his Master of Science degree program in Food Science with emphasis in Fermentation. He holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology, Food Science and Bioprocessing, all from North Carolina State University.
“I never found my passion until I was exposed to the ideologies within the Bioprocessing, Biomanufacturing and Food Science curricula,” he said. Clawson’s studies examine increasing the available micronutrients for yeast to consume from grain. “Think of this in terms of increasing their available dietary vitamins,” he explains. “Although it is just one component of yeast diet, it is a very important piece to consider when producing enormous quantities of beer, since yeast byproducts can provide up to half of the flavor of the final product. Using locally produced and naturally occurring proteins, industrial fermentations of brewing could produce a more robust product.”
Nash Community College is among the first community colleges in North Carolina to offer the Brewing, Distillation and Fermentation degree. Other community colleges offering the degree include Rockingham Community College, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College and Blue Ridge Community College. “The conceptual idea of having a direct training program offered at community colleges for fermented adult beverages, paired with the revolutionary incubator concept spearheaded by Bull Durham Beer Company’s Executive Brewmaster Sebastian Wolfrum is a selling point that brought me to Nash Community College,” said Clawson who commutes to NCC from Raleigh each day.
The timely new degree program comes to the Twin Counties on the cusp of revitalization efforts at the Rocky Mount Brewmill. The College has worked alongside the Brewmill to align the program’s offerings with local efforts as part of the College’s expanded offerings in its Hospitality Curriculum. Not only does the Brewing, Distillation and Fermentation curriculum open doors with an entrepreneurial track, but it offers value added certificates that will enhance the already popular Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management degree programs at the College.
Clawson attributes his interest and much of his success to his family whom inspired him – from his parents, brother, aunts, uncles and even cousins – he says he has always been inspired and involved with education in some form or fashion. “My father was a middle school science teacher, so I believe my love for communicating and demonstrating scientific ideas has been passed to me,” he said. “I have loved all forms of applied science since I can remember.” Clawson is certified in Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points, a food safety management system using analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material to finished product and consumption. He is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists and the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering. For more information, email tclawson@nashcc.edu.
