PERSONALITY PROFILE
A brewing legacy
The story of Joseph Owades
A career spanning beyond Joseph Owades with his
45 years, and still going son Stephen, at home in
strong…is a remarkable the hills above Sonoma,
California.
feat in the world of
brewing. Joseph Owades
has offered the world of
brewing an extraordinary
gift for the future after
many years of
development and
innovation in the
field…these are explored
in this Festschrift.
By Jaime Jurado
Academic and early career weekends and at night. (1953-1960), the Lab offered its “For his M.Sc.
Joseph Owades was born in 1919, the For his M.Sc. research, he studied famous Brewing Course. research, he studied
son of a Schmutter, a dressmaker, in compounds that could not be He also worked on interesting compounds that
the Bronx. As a youth, it was through a crystallized: oily materials. His M.Sc. projects involving diacetyl and sulphur could not be
chemistry experiment kit which his Thesis was, “The Synthesis of compounds in beer. There was in crystallized: oily
mother bought him as a gift that his Sulfanilamino Guanidine”, completed development a methodology to materials. His M.Sc.
interest in chemistry blossomed. He in 1944. His Ph.D. research was in quantify diacetyl, and the yeast origin
Thesis was, “The
would be the first member of his crystallising sterols. Cholesterol could was then unknown. At Stroh of Detroit,
family to attend college. He attended Synthesis of
be crystallised, although its function in a recurring diacetyl problem became
City College of New York, a respected Sulfanilamino
the body was not known. In the course Owades’challenge, and he determined
institution that taught to a high of his research, a new compound was that the use of the local malt from Guanidine”,
standard. When he completed his discovered and identified by the young Rickel Maltings was the problem. The completed in 1944.
undergraduate education in 1939, as a investigator. malt had low soluble nitrogen, and His Ph.D. research
member of Sigma Xi (Honours The dissertation was submitted and with a change in malt, the diacetyl was in crystallising
Society for science graduates), he accepted in 1950, entitled, Sterol problem disappeared. sterols. Cholesterol
went on to advanced studies at Sulphates: A Study of αCholesterylene could be crystallised,
Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. and Other Decomposition Products, Schwarz Labs and Rheingold although its function
His first job was at a Kosher winery and what stands out are the approving memories…and the birth of in the body was not
in Brooklyn, owned by the Schleppian Reviewers who signed the Light beer known. In the course
family. Joe ran the ebulliometer for Dissertation: Dean R. Kirk, Head and The Schwarz Brewing Course was of his research, a new
alcohol distillation measurements and D. Othmer, Professor. They are favoured by brewing families and compound was
other analyses at the Fruit Wine reknowned for their collaborative suppliers made sure their new discovered and
Company of America. During masterpiece, The Kirk-Othmer representatives were educated there. identified by the
graduate school, he taught chemistry Dictionary of Chemical Technology. Owades remembers one class where young investigator.”
courses in the evening division of City Peter Stroh, Peter Liebmann and Hal
College…and learned first-hand at the Post-doctorate yeast research Cowles were the memorable attendees.
meagre compensation found in Cortisone had recently been isolated, Stroh committed to brewing after
universities. and because yeast has ergosterol (and attending the course, turning away
During the war years, poor eyesight the double-bond which suggests a from a career he established in
precluded his enlistment in the potential source of cholesterol), intelligence for the US government
military, so Owades took employment Owades was hired by Fleischmann’s where he lived in Washington, D.C.
at the Department of the Navy, as Yeast (part of Standard Brands) to Liebmann offered his professor a
Chemist at the Naval Clothing Depot. investigate synthesis from yeast. He position at his famous brewery,
His work there was analyzing food next took a position working on yeast Rheingold. At the time he commenced
and a diversity of non-ordnance items. for Schwarz Laboratories, and gained his work, the brewery lab consisted of
He spent five years in the laboratory, his first exposure to brewing there. a pH meter and hydrometers. Hiring
doing his academic research at During his seven years at Schwarz Owades, Rheingold now had the only
The BREWER International • Volume 4 • Issue 12 • December 2004 • www.igb.org.uk
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PERSONALITY PROFILE
Ph.D. in the brewing industry in the agency assigned young staff to Busch, after August Busch III had told
USA. shepherd through the novel product. It Chyba that Owades would be a good
During his ten years there, the lab failed in the market, after being resource. During his two years as
grew and routinely analysed samples marketed as beer for diabetics. The Coordinator at the A-B Technical
from the New York area Rheingold brewery in New Center (1970-1972) in St. Louis,
breweries, including Schlitz, Bedford, MA made the beer Owades noted that the brewing
Ballantine, Piels, Anheuser- for three years before it was department spoke German in
Busch. Owades recalls calling dropped. preference to English, and were nice
Ken Merton at A-B Newark one A the closure of Rheingold people who kept to themselves. Besides
day to advise the brewmaster in 1969, Owades was Vice daily tastings of beer samples, Owades’
that his beer had diacetyl. The President-Technical Director. team worked on can linings, and
St. Louis brewmasters did not He decided to find an Owades takes pride that he elucidated
pick it up, but the newly-started interesting placement the role of the famous beechwood
Tech Center with young through the US Government chips, at the request of Mr. Busch.
microbiologist Dr. Bill Executive Service Corp. An
“In 1967, the new
Hardwick started looking into opportunity arose to move to Consultant career launched
low-calorie beer
the issue. The brewing Greece with his new wife and A South African friend who knew the
called Gablinger’s company had recently undertake modernization of owners of Carling Breweries Ltd.
was on the market, purchased Rahr’s the Karols Fix Company. The advised Owades that Tuborg beer was
with a marketing Maltings…and its malt had organization was near the end to be brought to the States. Owades
campaign prepared featured low soluble nitrogen. of its 99-year monopoly on was hired to oversee brewing
by the famous firm of In 1963, the Rheingold brewery was beer, wine, and glass. The Fix brewing operations at Carling Brewing
Doyle, Dane and sold to two former Pepsi bottling operations had to be upgraded, as Company, Inc. and to realize success
Birnbach. executives. One day, Rheingold co- Heineken was planning for its Greek with the new brand. The position
Unfortunately, the owner Bernie Relin was approached Amstel brewery. allowed him to move to Boston, and
agency assigned by Owades to see if he was interested breweries were in Fort Worth, Atlanta,
young staff to in a beer that had fewer calories than a Light Redux Boston and Baltimore (where Owades
shepherd through the standard beer. He said he was, The Peter Hand brewery (also known as hired Ray Klimovitz into the brewing
novel product. It pointing to his waistline. Owades Meister Brau) of Chicago contacted profession). In 1975, Carling closed its
failed in the market, realised that if he could get rid of the Owades to learn about production of US breweries, and requested that
after being marketed real extract in a beer, which he thought low-calorie beer, and they launched Owades move to Toronto, but he
as beer for diabetics. he could if he found an enzyme that Meisterbrau Lite. The brewery was in decided then to make a go at
The Rheingold could break the 1- and 6- bonds in its last throes, so was forced to close consulting, reminded of his positive
brewery in New starch which neither the amylase in because of lack of funds. But in 1971, experience in Greece as a principal
Bedford, MA made malt nor the yeast could, he could Philip Morris Companies bought Miller consultant to the Fix organization. He
make a low-calorie beer. He found Brewing Company, and expended effort commenced his consulting career
the beer for three
such an enzyme, amyloglucosidase. to identify and study everything that from Boston.
years before it was
Devoting a year to this project, he was new and novel in brewing. The An early problem he faced in some
dropped.”
wound up with the first low-calorie organisation bought the Meisterbrau breweries was the vegetable flavour of
beer. Brewmaster Anton Keis Lite brand. It took non-brewers to DMS. Energy-saving practices were
followed his formulation in the realise success with the concept, and of the norm then, so kettle boils had often
commercial production. course Meisterbrau Lite led to the been reduced to simmers. Owades
In 1967, the new low-calorie beer establishment of Miller Lite. remembers the French brewers would
called Gablinger’s was on the market, refer to the practise as a ‘laughing
with a marketing campaign prepared Anheuser-Busch period boil’. Despite the fact that alpha acids
by the famous firm of Doyle, Dane Owades was recruited at an EBC were being isomerised, the DMS was
and Birnbach. Unfortunately, the meeting by Gus Chyba of Anheuser- not being driven off.
How the success of ‘Lite’ is owed to a little town in Indiana
After Rheingold Brewing launched its low-calorie Gablinger’s beer, president John Murphy committed to the brand, and approved of a
Peter Hand Brewing (also know as Meister Brau Brewing Co.) of concept to use celebrities who beer drinkers would be
Chicago consulted with Owades and then developed its Meister comfortable having a beer with.
Brau Lite. It did not succeed. Bob Lenz, the ad executive managing Miller’s account realized
In the early 70’s, Miller Brewing Co. purchased the rights to that advertising codes then prohibited the use of active athletes
Meister Brau’s brands, which included Lite. Miller’s advertising (federal law prohibited use of professional athletes in beer ads), so
executive Jeff Palmer discovered that Lite was popular in a steel they chose to use popular retired athletes instead.
town called Anderson, Indiana. Investigating, he recalled: “The Esquire magazine published in 1978: “When Joe Frazier, Buck
workers drank Lite, they said, because it didn’t fill them up as much Buchanan, or Bubba Smith stroll into a bar and order Lite, you know
as drinking regular beers. As a result, they felt they could drink you can too.”
more. And drinking more without having to pay more penalty in Lite was introduced nationally in 1975. Three years before, Miller
feeling filled up, is beer drinker heaven.” volume was 5.4 million barrels of beer; three years after the
Further research ascertained that male beer drinkers were introduction, it was 32 million barrels (Anheuser-Busch was at 41
interested in light beer with good flavor but were demonstrably million at that time). By 1985, light beers comprised 20% of the
negative that a ‘low-calorie beer’ was feminine and negative. Miller market, and 10 years later it was 35% of the market.
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Unfermented, sweet, dark, filtered, and alcohol consumed, and could serve as a
carbonated wort, known as malta in the natural anti-intoxicant. The researcher
Caribbean, were brought into the USA by continues to develop new beverages and
Publications and patents
Owades on project work for Caribbean explore novel ideas. by Joseph Owades
brewers, who understood that many
“Determination of Volatile Sulfur “Determination of Oxidizable
among their countries’expatriots were Publication path Compounds. I Hydrogen Sulfide”, Substances in Beer”, Proc.
living in the Eastern US. There was a ready Owades has always limited his publication Proc. Amer.Soc. Brew.Chem., p. Amer.Soc. Brew.Chem., p. 68,
market for their familiar brands, and for to practical, fundamental issues of 83, 1953. 1960.
the unique, sweet flavor of malta . The importance to his clients and to himself. A “Determination of Volatile Sulfur “Analyses Simplified: I. Chlorides
Compounds. II Further Notes on II. Pasteurization III. Diacetyl”,
production of malta kept several regional customer was concerned about the Hydrogen Sulfide in Beer”, Proc. Proc. Amer.Soc. Brew.Chem., p.
breweries on the East Coast alive. consequences of admixture of enzyme- Amer.Soc. Brew.Chem., p. 81, 63, 1960.
treated beer and regular beer, so Owades 1954. “Measurement of Amino Nitrogen
Speciality brewing and the birth of investigated and published on this topic in “Determination of Volatile Sulfur in Beer by a Copper-Bonding
Compounds. III Determination of Procedure”, Proc. Amer.Soc.
contract brewing 1978. His 1981 publication was based on a Mercaptans”, Proc. Amer.Soc. Brew.Chem., p. 69, 1961.
Owades was the person behind the early fundamental primer that he perceived was Brew.Chem., p. 88, 1954. “Soluble Nitrogen in Mashing”,
contract brew New Amsterdam Ale which needed. At a seminar given in Miami with “Determination of Volatile Sulfur Proc. Amer.Soc. Brew.Chem., p.
he arranged in 1981 to be brewed at F.X. simultaneous translation into Spanish, Compounds. IV Further Notes on 13, 1962.
Matt brewing in Utica, NY. The brand Owades recognized that some attendees did Mercaptans”, Proc. Amer.Soc. “Microdetermination of Diacetyl in
Brew.Chem., p. 125, 1955. Beer”, Proc. Amer.Soc.
suffered over time because the marketer not understand what osmotic pressure was.
“Determination of Volatile Sulfur Brew.Chem., p. 22, 1963.
and company founder, Matthew Reich, Important fundamental questions Compounds. V Sulfur Dioxide”, “Cryoscopic Determination of
focused solely on Manhattan, and did not underpin the focus of his research career. Proc. Amer.Soc. Brew.Chem., p. End-fermentation”, Proc.
look to Brooklyn, New Jersey, or other Considering that most of his energy and 133, 1955. Amer.Soc. Brew.Chem., p. 60,
areas to expand sales. time has been committed to working for “A rapid Method for the 1964.
Determination of Calcium in
When Owades moved to California two clients or managing corporate aspects of Beer,” Amer.Brewer, p.42, August
“The Determination of Volatiile
Acids in Beer”, Proc. Amer.Soc.
years later, he was contacted by Jim Koch his positions, one must wonder what other 1954. Brew.Chem., p. 157, 1965.
to make practical a recipe for beer created questions would have been explored had “A Study of Hop Bitters in Beer”, “A Study of Beer oxidation with
by Koch’s great-grandfather. The old the investigator spent more of his working Proc. Amer.Soc. Brew.Chem., p. O18”, Proc. Amer.Soc.
48, 1956.
recipe called for long-gone Atlas barley time inside the laboratory. Brew.Chem., p. 180, 1966.
which had to be changed to a high-quality, “Further Study of Isohumulones in “A Simple and Rapid
Beer”, Proc. Amer.Soc. Determination of n-Heptyl p-
available supply; the hops also had to be The Joseph and Ruth Owades Brew.Chem., p. 121, 1957. Hydroyenzoate in Beer”, Amer.
changed. Owades is pleased he was able to Endowed Professor of Chemistry “Total Sulfhydryl Content of Beer Brewer, December, 1966.
deliver unique characteristics: krausening, Professor Jacob Anglisher, Department of I. Analytical Method”, J. Inst. Of “Simultaneous Determination of
dry-hopping and hop varietals. Besides Structural Biology at The Weizmann Brew. 63; p. 408, 1957. Volatile Acids and Sulfur Dioxide
Boston Brewing, he consulted at a key Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, is the “Total Sulfhydryl Content of Beer in Alcoholic Beverages by
II. Changes During Brewing”, Microdiffusion”, J. Assoc. Official
stage with Pete’s Brewing Company when Joseph and Ruth Owades Professor of Proc. Amer.Soc. Brew.Chem., p. Anal. Chem. 50(307), 1967.
it moved to an increased brew size from Chemistry. The Weizmann Institute is a 104, 1958. “Determination of Volatile Acids in
one brewery to another. And he was the famed institute of scientific and graduate “Reducible Disulfides in Beer I. Wine by Microdiffusuion”, Amer.
technical mind behind many other start-up research. Its 2600 staff are comprised of Analytical Method”, Proc. Eur. J.Enol. Vitic. 19; p. 47, 1968.
Brew. Congress, p. 239, 1960.
contract brewers. scientists, technical support staff, “A New Direct Colrimetric Method
“Reducible Disulfides in Beer II. for Determining Aldehydes in
He puts this in a contrast to some early postdoctoral fellows, M.Sc. and Ph.D.
Changes During Brewing” Proc. Alcoholic Beverages”, J.
microbreweries he visited. One now- students, visiting scholars, and Amer.Soc. Brew.Chem., p. 56, Assoc.Official Anal. Chem. 41, p.
famous person in the ranks of specialty administrative staff. It was founded in 1959. 148, 1968.
brewing proudly showed Owades his 1933 by Dr. Chaim Weizmann, a scientist “Hops Evaluation and Changes “Note on Cryoscopic
special yeast, which Owades realized were famed for his contributions in fermentation During Storage”, 71st Conv. Determination of Grape Juice
Proceedings, MBAA, 1958. Characteristics”, . Assoc.Official
protozoa in the microscope slide. He and in organic chemistry, who had a vision Anal. Chem. 41, p. 651, 1969.
“Colorimetric Determination of
recalls facilities with open fermenters and that the 400,000 Jewish residents of British Isohumulones in Beer”, Amer. “A Study of the Admixture of
black mold. mandate Palestine would benefit from the Brewer, Feb 1959. Amyloglucosidase-Treated Beer
What he was doing, bringing high- opportunities of science and technology, “Determination of Food Tannins with Other Beer”, MBAA Tech.
Quarterly, 15(1); p. 38-42, 1978.
quality contract brews as well as novel, but and this was sorely needed because of the by Ultraviolet
Spectrophotometry”, J. Agric. “The Role of Osmotic Pressure in
beer-related beverages, to struggling anticipated immigration of thousands of Food Chem. 6; p.44, 1958. High and Low Gravity
regional breweries, represented vital refugees from Naziism. Fermentations”, MBAA Tech.
“Determination of Tannins in Beer
additional income for old, regional The objectives of the Structural Biology and Brewing”, Proc. Amer.Soc. Quarterly, 18(4); p. 163-165, 1981.
brewing companies during the early days department’s work leads one to learn that Brew.Chem., p. 66, 1958. “Beer and Giardiasis”, Brewers
of speciality brewing’s growth in the USA. the tools of the physical chemist are “Action of Gibberellins on Digest, p.18, June 1985.
married to the biologist to ascertain Brewers Yeast”, Amer. Brewer, “The Influence of Brewing
July 1958. Processes on Volatile Sulfur
Current explorations biological structures at the smallest Compounds in Beer”, MBAA
“Nitrogen Metabolism during
Owades has been intrigued by the measurable scale to their more-familiar Fermentation. I. Fate of Tech. Quarterly, 25(4); p. 134-136,
phenomenon of first pass metabolism, macro scales. Ammonia”, Proc. Amer.Soc. 1988.
which is at greater activity in young men, When asked why extraordinary funds Brew.Chem., p. 18, 1959. United States Patent No.
4,622,224 November 11, 1986:
but of reduced activity in older men and were contributed to establish and secure “Nitrogen Metabolism during
Preparation of Wort Extracts
Fermentation. II. Mechanism of
women. Younger men have a greater this academic post, Owades is clear: he Diacetyl Formation”, Proc. United States Patent No.
quantity of alcohol dehydrogenase, which and Ruth Owades believe it represents an Amer.Soc. Brew.Chem., p. 22, 4,765,993 August 23, 1988:
can act in the stomach to convert appropriate way to give a lasting 1959. Preparation of Alcohol-Free
Barley Malt-Based Beverage
consumed alcohol to acetaldehyde, which contribution to as many people as “Study of Lead Precipitation and
does not go to the liver, and is subsequently possible, that solid contributions and Spectrophotometric Methods of United States Patent No.
Hop Analysis”, Proc. Amer.Soc. 4,837,034 June 6, 1989:
converted to acetate. Alcohol advancements in human knowledge will Brew.Chem., p. 32, 1959. Preparation of Low Calorie Beer.
dehydrogenase can convert 25-35% of the result. ■
The BREWER International • Volume 4 • Issue 12 • December 2004 • www.igb.org.uk
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Jaime Jurado
