Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Gives $2 Million To UC Davis Brewing Program

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. founder Ken Grossman and his wife, Katie Gonser, recently gave $2 million as a gift to the University of California, Davis, one of the top schools for brewing science in the United States.

The generous donation will allow the brewing program to fund a full-time brewing position that will focus on mentoring and managing students, maintaining brewery equipment, and assisting classes in the UC Davis department of food science and technology program, according to the UC Davis website.

"This Endowed Brewer position will allow us to provide outstanding practical brewing experiences for our students as we continue to align hands-on training with the best theoretical education," Charlie Bamforth, the Anheuser-Busch endowed professor of malting and brewing sciences, said in a statement. "Students don't get that combination in most other brewing programs."

The first endowed brewer will be Joe Williams, who has served as a staff researcher. He will also act as a liaison to the brewing industry for the university and host visitors at the campus brewery.