Summer 2017

W&J alumni around the country are taking part in the rise of craft breweries, wineries, and distilleries over the last few decades. Some Presidents have spent their careers in the industry, while others are just starting out. They are committed to using their knowledge, whether it be scientific or entrepreneurial, to create quality products and …  

When Yianni Barakos ’08 graduated from W&J with a degree in business administration, he envisioned a long and successful career for himself in construction project management, after which he would start a distillery as a working retirement project. But life had other plans. A car crash sidelined Barakos in 2012, leaving him in a state …  

When Ed Belfoure ’67 retired as a chemistry instructor at the Naval Academy, he and his wife planned to spend their time traveling. But after visits with their children out-of-state and a lengthy vacation abroad, Belfoure realized he needed something else to fill his days. With his wife’s support, he started a distillery in downtown …  

Joel McClosky ’00 and his business partner had the unusual distinction of opening the first brewery in a city that has only allowed alcohol sales since 2008. McClosky’s search for a teaching job led him to Asheboro, North Carolina, where he met Andrew Deming, the husband of a co-worker. When McClosky learned that Deming was …  

During an early midlife crisis, Craig Boyd ’82 thought making wine sounded like a fun job. He knew very little about wine and almost nothing about what being a winemaker entailed, but he took the leap and has now spent almost three decades in the wine business. Boyd majored in chemistry at W&J and started …  

Gia Nigro ’15 is still adjusting to how quickly her future has taken shape since her junior year at W&J. The chemistry major who had planned to go to medical school is now working for a large Scottish brewing company in Ohio. Nigro first became interested in beer while taking brewing-related chemistry classes with Professor …  

W&J students with an interest in brewing can start learning the tricks of the trade in the chemistry lab. As part of Professor of Chemistry Robbie Iuliucci’s Chemical Measurements (CHM 385) course, students perform sensory analysis and lab experiments to test basic beer characteristics. “I wanted to have science fun with my hobby of brewing …  

Glenn Rice ’78 owns Quantum Limit Vineyards (pictured above) in Napa Valley. After decades of living in the Bay Area and visiting wine country when friends and fellow alumni came to visit, he decided to make the leap and become a vineyard owner. Quantum primarily sells its grapes to another vineyard for production but makes around …