Rogue Ales’ Jack Joyce Scholarship awards $70,000 to future fermenters at Oregon State University

Jack Joyce was a pioneer. The one-time Nike exec, lawyer and beer buccaneer co-founded one of America’s greatest modern breweries — Rogue. Today, his son Brett Joyce brings a fresh generation of innovation and insanity to Rogue Ales and Spirits (as it’s called today). The brewery currently sits No. 34 on the Brewers Association’s top craft breweries of 2015 by volume, but that success doesn’t mean the Newport, Ore.-based brewing brand has forgotten its community.

On Oct. 28, five Oregon State University Fermentation Science students received a combined total of $70,000 from the Jack Joyce Scholarship (Jack sadly passed away in 2014). The fund, created by the good folks at Columbia Distributing and Rogue Ales, is a tribute to Joyce’s community focus and giving spirit; it’s actually awarded $185,000 since its inception.

And we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the additional Jack Joyce scholarships that were made possible this year by generous donations from industry leaders like Hop Valley Brewing, the Beer Institute, KG Specialties, Crux Fermentation Project, Coleman Agriculture, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Great Western Malting Co., Saxco International, Fremont Brewing Company, Gilgamesh Brewing, Indie Hops and JVNW. Enjoy these photos interspersed with cool quotes from folks.

“We’re honoring the legacy of my dad while helping to build the next generation of world class craft beer,” said Rogue President Brett Joyce. “It’s a privilege to be involved in some small way with the financial contribution to the students’ educational goals.”

“My end goal is to make an impact on the brewing scientific community, to use what I have learned in school and from brewing — whether it’s growing hops, transporting hops, creating hoppy flavor in beer, or another challenge,” said Kaylyn Kirkpatrick, who was awarded $20,000 from the Jack Joyce Scholarship fund.

“In one word, this year was inspiring. Nearly every student admitted to starting their college education down a path other than fermentation science, but, in the end, there was this passion that couldn’t be ignored,” said Mark Walen, President of Columbia Distributing’s Oregon business. “Their drive to make their dreams come true is what makes this scholarship program a success. It’s truly in the spirit of Jack Joyce.”