John Bryant and Chris Cindric have partnered together to offer a new Craft Beer program Eastern.
CHENEY- What started with a few beers and good conversation has turned into a Craft Beer Industry Professional Certificate program at Eastern Washington University (EWU).
Senior lecturer Chris Cindric came up with the idea in 2017, and a podcast interview with the right people in October 2021 brought it to life.
"It was kind of back in 2017 that I started to look into starting a craft beer program," Cindric said. The first one that existed took off about two years ago, but it doesn't compare to the scale of the new certificate.
"We created the craft beer appreciation class which people could sign up for. I got connected with Mountain Lakes Brewing Company and that's where it all kind of started."
The program classes are hands-on and interactive.
With wheat and hops from local farmers and breweries offering their facilities as an avenue for education, the certificate and its curriculum have a lot of room for growth and greater involvement.
It is open to students at EWU and people not actively enrolled in the university. Anyone over 18 with a general interest in the craft can complete the certificate.
"This has been a community effort," Cindric said. "Once I started to move forward and people started to understand that No-Li was backing the certificate and curriculum development it started to get some wheels."
John Bryant, the owner of No-Li Brewhouse, was ready to dive into this project with Cindric to give Eastern a new program that might help Bryant pay the university back for an opportunity afforded his father and pay it forward to the community.
"Eastern gave my family a chance, which gave me a chance," Bryant said.
Bryant's parents, Bill and El Wanda, graduated from EWU in the 1950s. The football program offered his dad a scholarship and Bryant attributed some of his success to that.
Bryant is passionate about this new opportunity, specifically for how he sees it benefiting the students by allowing them the chance to try their hand at creating something and potentially discovering a passion.
"The craft beer community will be activated to help Chris," Bryant said. "There's a lot of meaning and purpose behind this. It [The certificate] will be a huge recruiting tool for students."
Bryant and Cindric said the local brewing business is growing and this program will help it unfold right in our backyards.
The certificate, meant to be completed in 9-12 months, will have courses open for the fall semester.
Michaela is a former newsroom intern at the Cheney Free Press. She covered stories on education, city government, cops/courts/fire departments and local businesses.
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