Capstone crafts beer into community impact

Steam curls into the air as stainless steel tanks hum softly in the background. A group of college students measure grains and check temperatures at Big Lost Meadery and Brewing, their voices cutting through the clatter of the five-barrel brewing system. Here, students are carving out their place in the world of brewing, one batch at a time. 

Augustana’s Brewing and Fermentation minor is preparing for its second annual capstone project. The launch party will kick off at 5 p.m., on April 17 at Big Lost Meadery and Brewery, where students of the program and the Brew and Gold club will debut the drinks they’ve crafted over the semester for the public to enjoy.

The heart behind this year’s recipes stems from the 20th anniversary of the Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum. Built on the belief that people need a space to reconnect with nature, history and themselves, the Arboretum helped shape this year's mission for the brewing and fermentation program. 

Led by seniors Gracen Juffer and Madelyn Sliper minoring in brewing and fermentation, this year's capstone project features a Maple Cream Ale — a brew to reflect Mary Jo Wegner’s admiration of trees, art and the quiet magic of being outdoors. 

After considering a range of ideas, including floral IPAs and honey wheats, the pair landed on a style they hoped would resonate widely. 

“We wanted something that everybody would enjoy,” Juffer said. “We were the most proud, I think, of the maple cream ale and how that came together.”

Unlike more polarizing styles, cream ale is often valued for its approachability, extending a hand to reach what they hope will be a larger crowd.        

“Cream ale is super easy to drink,” said Sliper. “Sometimes drinks like IPAs are for a very specific group.” 

The ale will make its debut at the launch event before appearing again on April 24 at the Arboretum’s anniversary celebration.  

Alongside the capstone project, the Brew and Gold club will debut their own creations at the launch party. The club will offer two blackberry-flavored drinks to tie in with the Arboretum's appreciation of nature. The drinks featured are “Ole’s Ginger Gold,” a mead mule, and a mocktail called the “North Sipper.”

The club' s board members — sophomores Kenzie Atwood, Paige McAreavey and junior Brooklyn Schroeder — said their goal is to raise awareness about alcoholism and offer inclusive options. While they recognize alcohol as an important part of culture, they emphasize the importance of understanding its risk.

The club plans to donate proceeds from sales to an organization supporting individuals struggling with alcohol and substance addiction. A specific organization has not yet been chosen.

The work happening within the club intersects with a larger industry conversation. When Atwood toured local breweries during her Introduction to Brewing and Fermentation class, she noticed a pattern she couldn’t ignore: every owner she met was male.

“That’s just something that’s very common in the industry right now,” Atwood said. “So it’s really awesome to see how we’re fighting gender norms.” 

That observation reflects a broader trend in the brewing industry. A Stanford University study found that only 4% of breweries have a woman as brewmaster. Of those, only 2% consisted of all an all-female crew. Though Augustana’s program is still in its early years, it is working to change that narrative. 

Within the program itself, that effort is paired with a growing emphasis on community partnerships and hands-on experience.

Following collaborations with Big Lost Meadery and Brewery and the Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum, the students of the program are eager to see what’s to come for the capstone project. 

For program advisor and coordinator Stephanie Bruggeman, one of the most rewarding aspects of the job has been watching students build connections within the Sioux Falls community.

“To have a third party come in and say, you know, it’d be really cool to have the Augustana Brewing Program make us this, an anniversary commercial beer — it’s really nice,” Bruggeman said. 

The opportunity to create an experience for the public to enjoy is part of what keeps the passion of the program alive for these students. 

“We’re used to delayed gratification in education, you know, working towards a career down the line,” Juffer said. “But to brew a beer and to have your friends, family and the greater Sioux Falls community come together to enjoy each other's company with a beer we made, that’s my favorite part.” 

The capstone event itself demonstrates how the program blends science, community partnerships, business and leadership. 

“There’s so much room to grow in this club, and so much more we can do on our campus,” Schroeder said. “Just to be a part of that, and to set it up for the future years to come, I think is awesome.” 

As glasses are raised on April 17, the result won’t just be a finished product — it will be a reflection of a program still fermenting its identity, one collaboration at a time.