Keg stands, beer pong and beer bongs: three things that sound all too familiar to any college student here at Sacramento State. What these three things all have in common is a four-letter word: beer. Yes, beer, the alcoholic beverage that is cheap and affordable for everyone, even broke students.

Beer is an easy alternative for hard liquor, which is usually a little more expensive, and can be found virtually anywhere from mini-marts to supermarkets. Since beer is such a common drink in the college community, don’t you think it would be interesting to know how it’s made?

Senior business major Joseph Ross and junior philosophy major Joseph Keller thought learning how to make beer would be fascinating, especially for students on a budget. This is why they decided to establish the Brewery Appreciation Society in November 2008.

“This will give students an opportunity to save money by making their own beer,” co-founder Keller said.

Both students noticed that there was a small percentage of students active in clubs and wanted to create a club that would be fun and out of the ordinary. They also wanted to create a club that would attract a lot of people.

“Many people do not know that there are many different types of beer, and this club will let them learn all about them”, Keller said.

So far, the club has 30 participants and welcoming many more, even those under 21.

“The club will deal with making beer, learning to appreciate it and learning to make a good-tasting beer,” Keller said. “We encourage young students to come and learn how to drink safely when they turn 21,” he said.

Ross, the club’s president, hopes to better familiarize the club with the students at Sac State.

“We want to get our name out there and encourage students to join. We want to connect to local micro breweries and for people to have fun and learn at the same time,” Ross said.

Students in the club will be taken to local brewing companies, such as Hoppy Brewing Co. and Brew it Up, to learn about the brewing process and how to make different beers.

“Our goal is to meet biweekly, in order to get people really involved with the whole beer making process,” Ross said.

Senior finance major and club member John Ortelle said the few meetings they have had have been really attention grabbing.

“I have always been interested in the process of brewing beer and it is interesting to learn what goes into it. The second meeting we had a guest speaker come in and show us the process of making beer,” Ortelle said

Ortelle said that with beer, there is so much more than just the flavor and the calories.

“There is a lot of science that is connected to beer as well as history,” Ortelle said.

The presenter let group members know that some types of beer go back as far as ancient Egypt,

Students who are interested in getting involved with the club can e-mail the founders at [email protected] or attend one of the meetings. Information about the club can be found online at www.csus.edu under Sac State Student Activities.

Vanessa Johnson can be reached at [email protected].