A Decade on Tap: Innovation Brew Works Celebrates Milestone Anniversary
Cal Poly Pomona’s Innovation Brew Works (IBW), the nation’s first educational brewery-restaurant that brews and serves the public on a college campus, will toast a decade of brewing excellence with a celebration on Saturday, April 26.
“Seeing the evolution of IBW has been a fun ride,” said Brew Master Eric Bassett (’16, hospitality management). “Our unique school-themed branding of our brews helps connect with our students and customers. The craft brew industry is an ever-changing market; people can be choosy. What makes us different is that we serve, we teach, and our profits go back to the campus community and students. We’re a one-of-a-kind college experience.”
The celebration is open to the public and will run from 5-9 p.m. at its Innovation Village location, 3650 W. Temple Ave., and will feature live bands, campus student clubs, special deals and promotions, and the IBW 10th Anniversary Beer Releases:
- 10 Year, a Guava cream ale
- Regenerative Studies (named after the university’s pioneering sustainability graduate program), a Saison with campus-sourced wild sage and wildflower honey
- Book Fair, a Citrus IPA that uses citrus from the university farms
Merchandise at the event will display the winning student-designed logo from the 10th anniversary logo contest launched on social media in late January.
After opening its doors in 2015, Innovation Brew Works quickly established itself as a beloved community fixture that offers students, faculty and beer enthusiasts a place to enjoy craft brews, foster connections, and receive training for those aspiring for careers in the brewpub industry.
The professionally managed brewpub sources ingredients for many of its beer and food offerings — salads, hot sandwiches and craft pizzas — from the university farms operated and managed by the Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture. Among them: Dr. Ortiz Orange, a Belgian-style Witbier that uses university-grown oranges; and the seasonal Math Tutor wheat ale and nitro beer Class Clown watermelon milkshake both incorporate university-grown watermelons.
In addition to employing students from across all majors, Innovation Brew Works is also where the university’s learn-by-doing and become-by-doing ethos can be seen in action. Students enrolled in the Assistant Brewer Training Program train as interns to gain hands-on experience in the rapidly expanding craft beer industry. Learned skillsets are based on actual commercial brewery standard operating procedures, and students receive a one-of-a-kind opportunity to be involved in the production and handling of the finished beer served to the public. More than 100 students have graduated in the program since its inception in 2018. Alumni have gone on to advance as head brewers, and several have opened their own breweries in California.
Accolades Innovation Brew Works has earned for its craft beers over the years include medals and ribbons from the San Diego International Beer Competition, the Los Angeles Beer Competition, and the Brewer Cup of California, where Lunch Lady, a dry-hopped Saison claimed four medals.
Innovation Brew Works is operated by Cal Poly Pomona Enterprises (CPPE), the university’s business operations division and the largest employer of students on campus. Last year, the brewery produced more than 1.25 million ounces of beer onsite — amounting to about 78,000 pints. Profits from its beverage, food and merchandise sales help advance CPPE’s mission of supporting students and educational programs.
