They called it the King’s Cup. For them, beer is not just a beverage — it is a thirst and interest they all share.
In December 2011, the cofounders and senior members of Brew of O stood around throwing ingredients into a kettle, talking about the future and pondering what would become of their first attempt at home-brewed beer.
Lane Community College student Mykel Leon wore a smile, stretched from ear to ear as he reminisced about him and his buddies making that first batch. He remembers when co-founder Weston Zaludek came up with the name.
“You know this is what kings drink, right?” he said, followed by a moment of laughter. “No, I’m serious. This is great, it’s royalty. This is a king’s cup!”
After that first night, everything started falling into place.
Their shared interest and love for beer ultimately led to what is now the Brew of O, a nonprofit club consisting of past and present college students. The brewers operate out of the comfort of their home just off campus, in which five of the members live. Outside of brewing from their garage, they have brewed on campus, at local restaurants and even on top of Spencer Butte. Members of the club come and go, but each one who passes through brings ideas and offers something different to the group dynamic.
Zaludek, who had learned the basics of the King’s Cup blend from his father, added his own twist to the recipe. Growing up in Veneta, he gained brewing experience through his father before moving to Eugene. The younger Zaludek is now the brewmaster for Oregon Trail Brewery in Corvallis but prefers the term “Yeast Shepard.”
He also claims to have met “the beer god” in his sleep.
Through mutual friends, he met the other Brew of O cofounder, Jon Danyeur, in June 2011.
Danyeur, originally from California, moved to Eugene after being accepted to the University of Oregon. For him, brewing is a creative outlet. His passion for beer stemmed through a desire to become a chef. After observing his 16-year-old cousin brewing his first batch, he thought, “I can do that.” On his drive north from California, the name Brew of O was conceived. A digital arts and advertising major, he combined forces with Zaludek shortly after his arrival and they have been brewing since.
“Oregon is going to be the new ‘beervana,’” Zaludek said, “we are the new beer Disneyland — it’s happening right now. People will fly here from around the world just for the beer – it’s true. Oregon is the new Belgium.”
Since 2011, Brew of O has acquired countless members and entered many home-brewing competitions, bringing home five ribbons in the past year. And in the group’s two years, they’ve made between 85 to 100 different types of beers – experimenting with flavors such as jalapeño, pineapple, sage, lavender, peanut butter, coconut, squash, bourbon, rum, grape, hibiscus and passion flower, to name just a few.
“A lot of us see this as an art,” Leon said. “When we live in such a rich environment and culture that can self-sustain its passion, why not go to your local market and buy a local beer that will come back to your community? It’s much more beneficial for everyone.”
Through the group’s substantial involvement in the Eugene brewing community, he was able to obtain a position as assistant brewer at Hop Valley Brewing last year.
“More and more people in the club are getting jobs within the industry,” Zaludek said. “It’s a hobby in the first place, and a definite plus when they get something more. It’s like, ‘Hey, mission accomplished.’”
Brew of O is regularly experimenting with new flavors and yeast strands to find out what will become of its newest product. From counting yeast cells to figuring calculations of which strands produce certain flavors, science is a huge component of the beer brewing process.
“It would be awesome if we could provide students to get credit for that, while playing into their passion at the same time,” Leon said. The group hopes to offer club members credit toward microbiology or some type of “fermentology” or brewer’s science course, similar to the course available at Oregon State University.
For Zaludek and the other members, beer brings people together, whether it’s friends at a barbecue or colleagues in a workplace. Other than having inside access to the industry, being approached by people who are established in the craft brewing world who support their enthusiasm is what keeps them going.
“We do a lot of crazy experimental things around here,” Danyeur said, “sometimes they work out really well, sometimes not at all — and people are really supportive. I’ve had intimate experiences with it. It’s presented an accumulation of so many things that I never expected to do this young in my life.”
Scott Timms of Falling Sky Brewing here in Eugene has known Danyeur and Zaludek as regulars at his fermentation shop since 2011.
“They’re both so evangelical about brewing. Both just love talking about it and trying to teach people,” he said. “This hobby is very knowledge-rich, and you can learn a lot. Having their knowledge base and them being able to fill the college-age niche of teaching and sharing is what makes them so successful.”
Brew of O brews every Saturday, rain or shine. The brewing headquarters contains a garage full of equipment. Recycled beer bottles rest on shelves, award ribbons hang on the wall near tap handles and kegs as well as barrels are scattered along the walls, including one containing a cherry bourbon stout that has been fermenting for nine months.
“When we look back,” Leon said, “however far down the road, we can pinpoint our King’s Cup moment as to where we decided we were a club, when it started to feel real. A lot of chaos happens in this place. Some days are smooth, some days we’re yelling at each other — there’s crazy moments and needing to be diligent is extra important — but at the end of the day we all know it’s stemmed from love, we’re all having fun and it’s just beer.”