SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) —Four students from Augustana are making their own bit of school history by being first to take part in one of the university’s newest minors.
Gracen Juffer, Steven Asmus, Grant Pederson, and Chris Oostra are all part of Augustana’s Brewing and Fermentation minor which launched in the Fall of 2022.
“The brew and fermentation minor Augustana is split into two tracks. You have your applied side, which is like sciency kind of learning about the off flavors, how to brew the whole process. And then you have your marketing side, which is kind of business and how, a product can be distributed and made and sold to the general public,” Juffer said.
For their capstone, this crew is brewing beer with help from Big Lost Meadery.
“It’s a honey orange saison beer. Our friend Chris made the recipe, and then we all kind of just jumped in and made some modifications,” Juffer said.
“We use a grain called kernza, which is regenerative, sustainable, grain, which also helps with, like, topsoil, strong, solid roots for what the grain uses,” Asmus said.
“Look at them already, you know, making sustainable beer, which is kind of crazy, but, yeah, it’ll be interesting to see what the next generation of brewers bring to the scene. Hopefully not glitter beer or anything like that, but something cool,” Big Lost Meadery Bartender Quentin Robertson said.
These students hope people will like their beer, but it’s more than just that.
“I think it’s more about the experience of trying the Augustana beer rather than, oh, like a honey orange saison, which you could probably get anywhere,” Juffer said.
“Sioux Falls has a strong tradition to their city. And we want to make something that, like, represents what Sioux Falls would like. Which I’m so excited for them to try. I think it’s going to be a fantastic beer,” Asmus said.
The ‘Honey Orange Saison’ is having a soft launch this weekend, with the launch party at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 28.
