Durham College (DC) research partner Partake Brewing (Partake) has been recognized on the global brewing stage, after being named the best low-alcohol pale beer by a panel of international judges at the 2018 World Beer Awards. The title was bestowed upon the company’s pale ale, a recipe which the college’s Centre for Craft Brewing Innovation (CCBI) helped develop.

Partake’s collaboration with DC and its Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE) began in October 2016. Funded through a $25,000 Engage grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, ORSIE researchers and the CCBI’s brewmaster used its brew lab and line to work with the company in developing the winning recipe.

This honour is the latest in a line of achievements for the growing craft brewer; Partake also recently secured a deal on CBC’s Dragon’s Den, again using a recipe – an India Pale Ale – developed in partnership with the CCBI. Its products can now also be found at select Beer Stores and LCBO locations across Ontario.

In all instances, the centre’s team has worked to help develop the recipes for the locally made, non-alcoholic craft beers that have the taste, variety, authenticity, creativity, and passion of their full-strength counterparts.

The World Beer Awards select the best in internationally recognized styles, awarding and promoting the world’s best beers to consumers and trade across the globe.

The CCBI, which is located at the Whitby campus, was officially launched in spring 2018. Consisting of a pilot brew line and brew lab, which were purchased using a $150,000 Applied Research Tools and Instruments grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, it offers craft brewers access to expertise and state-of-the-art technology, as well as micro-analytical and research services.