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By: Lateesha Gloston

The Big Blue Brew Crew is a new club at ODU created by Jess Ourand for people who both enjoy beer and are interested in learning more about the art of beer.

The club’s purpose is to learn about brewing and the brewing business. The club also focuses on the selling, marketing, distributing, and the appreciation of beer. The Big Blue Brew Crew allows members to be able to connect with others who share their interest of beer and the brewing industry. Founder and ODU student Jess Ourand feels that ODU’s brew crew is special because “it would be great for fellow beer geeks to have means to share their passion for beer and that there is also a creative side of beer brewing that is often overlooked that needs to be explored.”

The club has faced its fair share of challenges, such as getting started because it is a school organization and its focus is on beer. However, the club is now fully recognized by the ODU administration. The advisor of the Big Blue Brew Crew, Dr. Eddie Hill, says, “We worked very hard to get it approved as a legitimate club, not to abuse alcohol, but for educational purposes and to understand the business of brewery.”

The club is currently working on raising money for supplies such as club t-shirts, which will be $10,  and to offset the cost of ingredients for future batches, group events, tastings, and brew kits. The crew plans to have fundraisers and wants to charge students as little as possible so that everyone with a passion for beer craft is able to join the Big Blue Brew Crew. Dues are currently $5 for the semester or $10 for the year, including fall semester and spring semester.

The Big Blue Brew Crew is very excited to get started and welcomes new members. Big Blue Brew Crew member Jess Ourand said “Spread the word and let your friends know because we would love to have you here.” He also added, “There is no reason that this can’t be the most successful club on campus.”

Meetings are held every first and third Thursday of the month in the Student Recreation Center Activity Lab, which is in room 1009, at 12:30 p.m. The club plans to have “after” meetings at The Birch Bar on Thursday evenings at 8p.m. to sample beers discussed in the Big Blue Brew Crew meetings.

The Birch Bar is a bar that focuses on the craft of beer. It is located in the Ghent area at 1231 W. Olney Rd. in Norfolk.

Currently, the club has plans to visit and take tours of breweries. The Big Blue Brew Crew also wants to learn the art of brewery hands-on by actually brewing beer. Additionally, the club will be working on having its on beer, a Pumpkin Ale special, by Thanksgiving.

To see what the club is all about for yourself and share your own ideas, attend the next meeting on Thursday, Nov. 3. For more information, email info@bigbluebrewcrew.com.