Aggie Lager 'carries our name with pride'

by Dave Jones
August 18, 2011

UC Davis, a world leader in brewing science and education, and Sudwerk Restaurant & Brewery of Davis have entered into a licensing agreement that will offer Aggie Lager on tap at Davis eateries and generate an estimated $25,000 a year for scholarships, campus officials announced Aug. 16.

Sudwerk, which boasts a UC Davis-trained brewmaster, is making the lager. It is on tap at the Sudwerk restaurant and at The Davis Graduate, Hallmark Inn, "Original" Steve's Pizza, 3rd and U Café, and Woodstock's Pizza. UC Davis and Sudwerk are looking to put the lager at other Davis establishments, too.

Under the one-year agreement, UC Davis has licensed the use of its name and athletics trademark for Aggie Lager to Sudwerk, which has a long association with UC Davis' brewing programs and the Department of Athletics, not to mention awards for its lagers.

The agreement provides the equivalent of one full year's scholarship for an in-state student-athlete at UC Davis — support that interim Director of Athletics Nona Richardson said is critical to recruit and retain top players as the Aggies develop their program in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Campus officials said the agreement also will help to build awareness of the university in general and its world-class brewing programs.

Cindy Spiro, senior associate athletics director for External Affairs and Resource Development, said: "The Aggie Lager project is an innovative collaboration between campus and community that highlights a distinguished academic program through the broad portal of intercollegiate athletics."

Lager 'carries our name with pride'

Teaching and research in brewing science have been integral components of the Department of Food Science and Technology since 1958. Charlie Bamforth, the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences, said hundreds of students have progressed from the undergraduate and master's programs to senior technical positions in the brewing and brewing-supply industries in North America and beyond.

"Aggie Lager is an exceptional lager that shows off the brewing talents of our alumni and carries our name with pride," Bamforth said. "I am delighted that the sales of beer will support sports on campus.

"In all my teachings, I stress the role that beer can play as a worthy component of a well-balanced and healthy lifestyle when treated, as in all things, mindfully."

UC Davis Extension also offers popular and respected brewing programs, including an eight-week Professional Brewers Certificate Program, an 18-week Master Brewers Program and short courses in home brewing.

Sudwerk brewmaster Jay Prahl graduated from the Master Brewers Program in 1995 and is a guest speaker for "Introduction to Brewing and Beer," the second-most popular course at UC Davis. He and Sudwerk's other brewers, who graduated from the same program, support the teaching of UC Davis Extension brewing courses, which are held in a classroom above the Sudwerk brewing facilities.

Prahl described Aggie Lager as "a rich golden lager, complex and artfully balanced and reminiscent of Bavaria's most popular style — the Munchener helles or the Munich light lager." The 100 percent malted beer is mildly hoppy, crisp and clean, he said.

The lager was first presented under the Aggie name nine years ago at the athletics department's Aggie Auction, and cases of bottled lager continue to be offered in the annual fundraiser. Aggie Lager also has been poured at some small VIP events before or during halftime at football and basketball games.

University urges responsible consumption

Although the association of a university's name with beer is not unprecedented, it is also not without controversy at institutions that work to reduce high-risk drinking among their students.

"UC Davis is proud of its academic programs in and contributions to brewing, winemaking and viticulture," Spiro said. "We are using the utmost care in the association of the university's name with alcohol."

Michelle Famula, executive director of Health and Wellness at UC Davis, said she appreciates the university's long commitment to excellence in fermentation science, viticulture and enology, while adding that she joins the university community "in the expectation of safe and responsible consumption of Aggie Lager and all alcohol products."

"For those who choose to drink, UC Davis advocates that they do so legally and safely," Famula said.

UC Davis continues to promote its Safe Party Initiative, a collaboration with the city of Davis to reduce problems associated with drinking among college students and to support party safety. UC Davis' Student Health and Counseling Services offers assessment and intervention services for alcohol, tobacco and other drug issues. The campus provides leadership to the community's Davis Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Group.

UC Davis does not sell alcohol at regular concessions at its athletics facilities; the consumption of beer and wine is permitted in some designated tailgating areas before Aggie football games.