Some Spartans just enjoy going out and drinking beer, others enjoy the process of brewing it. Alumnus Devon Ferris said he spent a good portion of his time as an undergraduate making beer.
“Oh, it’s fun,” Ferris said. “But the best part isn’t even drinking your own beer. It’s sharing it with others and seeing the look on their face after.”
Ferris’ dad bought him a brew kit when he turned 21, so they could brew together.
“So when my dad and I see each other, we always like to drink each other’s beer and talk about what we did and give each other tips,” Ferris said.
Ferris said he just brews with his dad and doesn’t know other brewers at MSU — but he’s not really the only one.
Brewing brothers
Food industry management senior Joseph Schaul said he and his brother, alumnus Justin Schaul, both brew.
“I have my brew kit up here and my brother has one set up at home, so we kind of text each other back and forth like, ‘What are you making this week?’” Joseph Schaul said.
Unlike Ferris, Joseph Schaul said he and his brother started brewing without a kit.
“We went straight into it,” Joseph Schaul said. “We just did some research off of Reddit and various websites like homebrewtalk.com and you see pictures.”
Growing up, they helped their father with his concrete business, so they’ve always been hands-on people.
Joseph Schaul said they cut off the top of a keg to make a kettle for brewing. Underneath, there’s a burner to boil water.
Joseph Schaul said they enjoyed the whole process, from mashing the grain to putting the hop plants, or hops, into the mix.
“We started really liking hops and the smell of hops ... the aroma hops gave,” Joseph Schaul said. “We also started liking the hop beers, real hoppy beers like (India Pale Ale).”
The idea
This past summer, Joseph Schaul took an agribusiness management class and shadowed a farmer at one of the largest hop farms in Michigan, Hop Head Farms.
Joseph Schaul brought his brother along, and that was their first time seeing a hop farm. Joseph Schaul was drawn to the tall vines that grew thick and bushy.
“From there, we were like, ‘We should do this,’” Joseph Schaul said. “We could definitely see ourselves working on the farm.”
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The beginning
Using 20 acres of land in their hometown, Benton Harbor, Michigan, the brothers decided to give the hop business a try. They set up a tenth of an acre on their farm as a hops nursery, and a trellis and irrigation system.
“We haven’t sold any hops to any businesses yet because it takes three years to get a maximum yield,” Joseph Schaul said.
The dream
It will take some time for The Hop Brothers, as they’ve named their start-up, to grow.
“We’d like to have all 20 acres set up as hops within, hopefully, the next five to six years,” Joseph Schaul said. “We’d like to have the whole field filled.”
In addition, they will create a brewery in the barn they renovated.
“We want to set up big kettles inside the barn and then have a tap room, so when people come up to check out the farm, or the hop yard, they can come try our beer as well,” Joseph Schaul said.
If the business takes off, he said their long-term goal is to have a restaurant in the neighboring town, St. Joseph.
In the meantime
While he’s at school, Joseph Schaul spends his time brewing in his garage in East Lansing.
“We have a little storage for our bikes and I just go in there listen to some music, hang out, talk and brew,” he said.
Like Ferris, Joseph Schaul said he hasn’t met many people at MSU who brew at home. He said he thinks it’s because they have limited space to do it.
“Not everyone has a garage like me,” Joseph Schaul said. “That’s why I was I thinking I would love to start a homebrew club.”
He wants others to experience the feeling of accomplishment he receives after the brewing process is complete.
“It’s just the satisfaction out of doing something with your hands that you get out of your final product,” Joseph Schaul said.
