The brewing club, formed in 2016, is among the largest clubs on campus. Members must be 21 or older, so most members are juniors or seniors. Garth Patterson, assistant professor of chemistry and advisor to the MSMU Brewing Club, teaches a university course as well as community classes on the science of beer. During a 
day-long brew, he talks about topics such as the enzymatic pathway to the production of beer; chemical causes of specific flavors from hops and other ingredients and the impact of water pH.
“Students enjoy academically engaging with beer,” said Patterson, who has been brewing his own beer for six years. “We greatly appreciate Smoketown’s hospitality in opening its doors to us for our brew and in showcasing the result.” On campus, Patterson oversees undergraduate research on vapor phase analysis of a variety of targets including detection of explosives and the aroma generated by hops in beer.