L'Chaim! Students Brew Beer and Optimism
A unique collaboration has taken shape at the Technion: young members of Beit Halochem in Haifa joined a hands-on course in the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering. At the end of the semester, participants presented beers they had brewed themselves at the Carasso Innovation FoodTech center, recently inaugurated at the Technion.
The aroma of malt and hops filled the space, but it was the people who took center stage: the students and the young members of Beit Halochem, standing excitedly beside the products they had developed over an entire semester. The culminating event of the course “Bioprocess & Food Process Engineering Laboratory” was far more than a presentation of the beers they had crafted and brewed; it was a celebration of partnership, professionalism, and determination.
The course, known among students as the “Pilot and Beer Brewing Course,” is led by Professor Uri Lesmes, together with the teaching team: doctoral students Liora Berenshtein and Kayan Awawdeh, and teaching assistant Yotam Rosenblatt. Over the semester, participants planned and operated a semi-industrial-scale production process at the newly inaugurated Carasso Innovation FoodTech center. The process encompassed all stages of development and production, from recipe formulation, brewing, and fermentation to quality control and results analysis, within an advanced technological environment.
“This is one of the faculty’s unique courses,” said Prof. Uri Lesmes. “This year, the course gained an additional dimension with the integration of Beit Halochem members into the practical sessions, in close collaboration with Sharon Koren Kadmi, the faculty’s Certification Studies Coordinator, and Yael Danin Peleg from the Technion Social Incubator. The joint work created diverse teams that combined academic knowledge with life experience, perseverance, and an exceptional team spirit. Alongside the engineering challenge of developing a high-quality product, a deep human connection was formed, and I am proud of this successful collaboration.”
According to Sharon, young adults coordinator at Beit Halochem in Haifa, “The integration of Beit Halochem members into the brewing process was meaningful and moving. The students welcomed our participants warmly, and the shared experience contributed greatly to both sides.”
At the concluding event, the groups presented the beers they had developed throughout the semester. First place in the blind tasting competition, led by teaching assistant Yotam Rosenblatt and a panel of professional tasters, was awarded to “Ahuva,” an Irish Stout developed by students Moran Marvid, Nadav Dvir, Gal Isbi, Michal Zeevi, Aya Simchi, Shir Peer, and Gal Shamis.
Particularly meaningful was the beer “HEROES,” an English IPA dedicated to the memory of five soldiers who fell in battles in the Gaza envelope and the Gaza Strip. It was brewed by students Ido Peleg, Or Peretz, Stav Azulay, Linoy Nachoom, Sharon Simhi, Yehonadav Haim, and Jonatan Lesmes. The students shared: “From the very first moment, it was clear to all of us that this beer would commemorate heroes who fell in the war. The name HEROES was quickly suggested and unanimously chosen.”
The soldiers whose photos appear on the beer bottles are: Staff Sgt. Oz Yeshayahu Gruber, Stav’s cousin, who fell in battle in Rafah; Staff Sgt. Yahav Hadar, a friend of Jonatan Lesmes, who fell in battle in northern Gaza; Staff Sgt. Guy Simchi, Tomer’s brother and Sharon’s brother-in-law, who fell defending the residents of Kibbutz Re’im, where he grew up; Master Sgt. (res.) Adir Mesika, who fell while protecting his friends at the Nova music festival; and Master Sgt. (res.) Tal Filiba, who fell in battle in southern Gaza, a friend of Or.
Both the HEROES and Ahuva groups included students currently serving in active reserve duty.
