While most people haven’t met a true wizard in real life, the thing most Corvallisites don’t realize is that there’s been one in their midst for over 20 years: Meet Jeffrey Clawson, the Pilot Brewery Manager for OSU’s College of Food Science and Technology.
Since 1996, Clawson has worked to build a brewing program at OSU that is among the best in the country. In fact, OSU and UC Davis host the world’s most advanced pilot brewing research labs in the world — thanks in large part to Clawson himself and the many Oregon brewers who stepped up to help in the past 25 years.
While he started as a homebrewer, Clawson eventually found himself heading up an experimental program that would ultimately morph into the amazing setup he has today. And even ten minutes with the man will show why — his sheer passion for what he does is palpable.
Hopping between an interview and conversations with faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students alike seemed like second nature for him. No problem was too small, nor any task too great to ask him to do himself.
“One second, I’m working on a Helles,” said Clawson, “and the next, I’m helping a grad student cut wood for an assignment.”
He began the interview by giving a brief tour and instructing a pair of students, both still new to the program, on preparing a hopped Märzen for fermentation. As he finished up, he told them to taste their work and grabbed a handful of glasses. Even though the beer wasn’t “finished,” so to speak, he said it was vital that they recognize the minor aspects of their work.
And this wouldn’t be the first or last time that he’d tasted a beer with others during the interview — after all, it’s an integral part of the work. Researchers need to research, right?
What made the interview special was the sense of community that he and his students brought to what was, in essence, a factory. With AC/DC’s “All Night Long” blaring in the background, he and his students discussed the finer points of the Helles Lager they’d just finished over still-warm pretzels from the food science program. As they spoke, students relaxed and conversed, faculty coming in with excitement.
A few asked, “Can you spare one for me?” as they joyfully grabbed a glass and plate, already knowing the answer.
And that minor interaction should tell one as much as they possibly need to know about the man — he’s not interested in frills or fame, just the beer itself and the community it creates.
As he broke down the technically finer points of brewing on such a large scale, one thing popped out more than the rest. It was the air of an artist anxiously showing off their work — fitting, as Clawson compared brewing to painting.
“Depending on how big your paint pallet is, you can make art,” he said in relation to the simple ingredients that make the brew.
While the technical discussion he had about the finer points of each vital ingredient would likely go over most people’s heads, that’s what makes the wizard description so apt. With a handful of simple ingredients, he and his students created artful potions that varied widely in their end result.
In his mystical, massive setup, yeast, hops, malt, and water come together in endless combinations to create, well, magic. But making beer isn’t all that Clawson does — it’s a research lab at the end of the day.
Sustainability is one of the largest focuses that Clawson has in the Pilot Brewing program. While everything they make eventually is poured into the drain — a crying shame, but a necessity due to their funding situation, he’s intent on teaching his students the best ways to use their knowledge.
“We can teach the tech, but the size and focus of the program make it hard to say it’s really sustainable,” he said.
Clawson added that the techniques they teach allow young brewers to cut energy and waste as much as possible at their future breweries. After all, as he said, “We’re focused on education, not just food and beer.”
Among the other techniques they teach is flavor-matching, though that’s one of the more challenging points. Clawson said he still hasn’t found the right match for Guinness.
“It’s like the Colonel’s secret recipe,” he said. “I just can’t quite get it down.”
Though it’s clear that he will, at some point, find his elusive Guinness golden egg. And that’s because of one thing, and one thing only — the magic in the environment he’s created. It’s unlike any classroom setting you’ve likely ever experienced, and for the better.
With John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” rambling in the background, Clawson and his students’ excitement and love for what they were doing were unmatched. Their sheer passion for food, drinks, and the science that create them could be felt in every square inch of the Brewhouse. Perhaps it was the beer and pretzels, but it seems clear that whatever magic Clawson is working over at OSU deserves greater recognition from the community.
“I always thought this was a stepping stone to greater things,” said Clawson, “but this is a place to thrive. There’s lots of opportunity to grow here.”
And that environment coincidentally creates some incredible beer. And as much as chefs may love to say that food is art rather than science, after seeing what Clawson does — you can’t argue that there’s either science or magic at work in that program.
That’s because, as Clawson said, “First things first, [we’re] food scientists. That means being creative with our background and not afraid to experiment.”
Yet as much as he insists that science is to thank for the work he does, Clawson is clearly a warlock of the highest order. Nothing other than magic could create the incredible work that he and his students do every single day.
By Ethan Hauck
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