Alumni Association Holds Craft Beer Night

Craft brew program hosts Kwantlen Grads at Langley Brew Lab

The Kwantlen Alumni Association hosted it’s inaugural craft beer night on Oct. 13. For an entrance fee of $20 per head, KPU grads were treated to a selection of beer samples brewed right here at the university as part of the Brewing and Brewery Operations program, as well as a spread of beer infused snacks and a tour of the Langley campus brewing facilities.

Students from the brewing program were on hand to serve samples and provide info for the beer on offer. At the end of the evening, attendees each received a growler of the program’s ‘Alumni porter’ brewed specially for the event.

According to Colton Aston, director of the Alumni Association, many of the event attendees were recent KPU grads experiencing their first Alumni Association event.

“A lot of people weren’t aware of the brewery and the brewing operations program so we thought this was a fantastic way to learn about that and then also to connect with other alumni members.”

Aston says that the association opted to include the brewing program in this event partially to show off the relatively new program to KPU grads who may not be familiar with it, and partially to drive interest in the alumni association via offerings of one of B.C.’s most popular products, delicious craft beer.

“The concept [of craft brewing] is really big in the community and growing in the culture right now in Vancouver and B.C., so I saw this opportunity to help elevate the profile of a new program at Kwantlen as well as connect alumni through something that’s maybe of interest.”

The Kwantlen Alumni Association exists as part of a mandate in the British Columbia universty act that says all post-secondary institutions must support their students even after graduation. The KAA hosts alumni events throughout the year as well as providing other benefits such as an optional networking registry, an online job posting service, and discounts on various products and services.

“The KAA’s mission is really to engage with our alumni so they remain connected with the institution, because they’re the university’s greatest ambassadors,” says Aston.

The craft beer event is one of four yearly events held by the Alumni Association. The next will be the Association’s yearly general meeting, which will take place on Nov 16. At the meeting, members will network, vote on Alumni Association’s policies, and hear from a guest speaker.

All KPU grads—from any of the institution’s incarnations, past and present—automatically qualify as alumni. The association encourages all alumni to come out to its events to see what it has to offer.

“Come on out and try an event and meet with some of your fellow alumni members,” says Aston. “You really never know where those types of connections can take you.”