Autumn is upon us with all its colors and aromas and traditions. And in this country of ours with so many nationalities sharing their favorites, one tradition that seems to cross ethnicities is the consumption of beverages.

The month of October actually is part of the word that is one of the most celebrated traditions, Oktoberfest. The Oktoberfest in Munich, Bavaria is the largest folk festival in the world.

Keeping it closer to home, craft breweries are located all over Orange County. Also, many individuals make their own craft beer for their enjoyment and creative invention. So it is with Professor William Istone who first started thinking about making his own brew after experiencing several he liked during visits to Europe.

Having achieved a B.A. in Chemistry from LaSalle University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh and his subsequent forty-four years as a working chemist in both private industry and academia, he has put to use his deep understanding of chemistry to make his own. With the assistance of his wife Lynn, he has made a wide variety of beers, ciders, and mead in the last fifteen years.

On Thursday, October 19 at 7pm Dr. Istone will present The Chemistry of Beer - an Introduction. This event is free and open to the public and will be held in the OBTC Great Room 101, Kaplan Hall.

Dr. Istone will start off the presentation with a little history of beermaking explaining that in “the year 1516, Grand Duke Wilhelm of Bavaria proclaimed the Reinheitsgebot, an edict that restricted beer making to four ingredients:  water, grain, hops, and yeast.  It is by a series of chemical reactions that we can turn these four simple ingredients into the wide variety beer types and their myriad of flavors, aromas, and colors.”  “In this introduction to beer chemistry, we will examine one or two chemical reactions that each of the four principal ingredients undergoes that has a major impact on the properties of the beer that is produced.”

Come to Kaplan Hall on the SUNY Orange Newburgh campus and learn the chemistry behind one of the most universal beverages in the world. 

The college garage in Kaplan Hall offers free, secure parking. GPS: 73 First St, Newburgh. Questions may be directed to cultural@sunyorange.edu

Hover over beer for explanation.