UnCapped: Craft Beer Program at the University of Vermont
May 12—In this episode of the UnCapped podcast, host Chris Sands talks with Gregory Dunkling, director of the Business of Craft Beer Program at the University of Vermont, about the details of this awesome program that teaches people how to run the business side of their brewery, from business plans to marketing. Here is an edited excerpt of their talk.
UnCapped: This is surprisingly the second time I've had someone from a university on. The first time, I talked to a gentleman who uses brewing science to teach chemistry. This is a little bit different though, what you're doing. Why don't we start by you telling us a little bit about yourself. I'm assuming you came into this position because you have a love for craft beer, as well as education.
Gregory Dunkling: Yes, that's right. I'm gonna date myself a little here. I became interested in the craft beer sector when there were not that many breweries. I started working with a group of friends in a home brewing club in the early '80s. There were a bunch of groups organized around the state of Vermont. We would get together and brew beer and had a great passion for it.
As the industry began to emerge, I started making connections with brewery owners and brewers, and that's how I got started. I had a desire to find something different from what the market was providing. We used to make runs over the border in Quebec to buy Molson Brador, because that was the good beer at the time. We couldn't find anything worthwhile unless it was an import. That's how I got involved.
UnCapped: When did the big Vermont craft breweries open?
Dunkling: Greg Noonan opened Vermont Pub and Brewery in Burlington, Vermont, and he became a well-known author for how to brew, and he was an advocate and helped establish the legal basis for it in Vermont. So lots of people flocked to Burlington to drink his beer and get to know Greg, who was a very friendly, welcoming person.
Then we had a series of breweries that became well-known. Long Trail became the first well-known brewery in the state and sort of put us on the map. Then, Magic Hat came along and expanded quickly to become well-known across the Eastern Seaboard and elsewhere, and one of their [beers] caught on at college campuses and for people who were just beginning to experiment with craft products. After that, we had a number of other breweries really put us on the map. Lawsons, certainly, was much in-demand; The Alchemist; Hill Farmstead; Otter Creek — all really highly-rated breweries people associated with Vermont.
UnCapped: And that cluster of breweries are all fairly old, as far as craft breweries go, right?
Dunkling: They've been around for about 10 to 15 years. I'm right now in the Boston market, and we have a number of breweries that are well-known here and prevalent. Any restaurant you go into, you see them. So Vermont has a reputation — not by any means the largest number of breweries in the country, but we have certainly made a mark on the industry.
UnCapped: Yeah, I don't think there's anyone who loves craft beer and loves IPAs who hasn't put effort into getting a Focal Banger or a Heady Topper [from The Alchemist]. I personally like Focal Banger better.
Dunkling: Yeah, that was my go-to as well.
UnCapped: What was the craft beer that was your gateway into craft beer?
Dunkling: I was a big fan of English-style beers. Mild bitters is what caught my attention really early on — in drinking beer and making beer. I certainly had a great appreciation for some of the German products as well. I was European-centric when I started, but then the craft sector grew in the U.S., and I gravitated toward New Amsterdam in New York, which is no longer with us, and Burley Ale at the Vermont Pub and Brewery. I had no single one, but IPAs in that age were not popular in the way they are today.
This excerpt has been edited for space and clarity. Listen to the full podcast at fnppodcasts.com/uncapped. Got UnCapped news? Email csands@newspost.com.
