Biologists hop into beer science

Considering the scientific process that goes into making beer, it’s only fitting that biologists Erin and Brandon Baerwald have made it their business to create Deadfall Brewing Company.

Open since June in the Nicholson Centre, Deadfall is the third microbrewery in a relatively untapped Prince George market and its roots are spreading as more customers discover what’s in store for them to sample in a Deadfall can or tapped into a glass.

Brandon, 41, got his undergraduate and masters degree in biology at the University of Calgary and went on to earn his doctorate in ecophysiology at the University of Regina. He met Erin while they were studying bat biology in Alberta, where they first got bit by the homebrewing bug. Their passion for making beer grew exponentially when they moved to Regina in 2015 and discovered the Ale and Lager Enthusiasts of Saskatchewan (ALES) Club, which introduced them to a group of professional brewers.

That led to jobs for both of them, Brandon as a brewer and Erin serving customers in the taproom at Nokomis Craft Ales in Nokomis, Sask., a small town halfway between Saskatoon and Regina. They worked there for nearly three years until they moved to Prince George late in 2019 when Erin was hired to teach animal behaviour and conservation biology at UNBC. Brandon continued to refine his craft at Trench Brewing & Distilling, where he worked for about a year before branching out to start Deadfall.

“It hit us the other day, we’re now small business owners in Prince George and we’ve worked real hard to create something really nice,” said Erin. “Because we’re friends with Trench and CrossRoads we’ve built something that looks very different and we’re brewing different styles of beer, so there is no competition. If one of us does well, we all do well.”