{"id":1540,"date":"2026-01-01T00:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T08:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/crimsonpineapple\/?p=1540"},"modified":"2026-01-16T14:11:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T22:11:44","slug":"battle-of-the-bubbles-brew-fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/crimsonpineapple\/2026\/01\/01\/battle-of-the-bubbles-brew-fest\/","title":{"rendered":"Bubbles, Brews, and Bites Spike Community Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"People
Battle of the Bubbles was a sold-out event during Apple Cup. Guests sampled ciders, sparkling wines, and Ol\u2019 Crimson beer, along with food pairings. WSU Photo Services<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Battle of the Bubbles, a new event in the School of Hospitality Business Management\u2019s<\/a> (SHBM) new beverage lab, scored big points with students, parents, and community members attending Apple Cup on the Pullman Campus this fall. Prior to kickoff, people gathered in the lab to sample ciders, sparkling wines, and Ol\u2019 Crimson beer along with food pairings by Chef Matt Morgan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHBM students gained practical experience in event management. About 35 people purchased tickets, resulting in $1,395 to support student opportunities and help maintain the lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe hospitality department wanted to test the concept of outside events in the new beverage lab,\u201d says Jessica Murray<\/a>, SHBM assistant professor. \u201cWe sold out in two days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beverage lab helps elevate program reputation<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Guests
Jason Shaw and Katt Lewis raise a glass at the Battle of the Bubbles event in the new beverage lab. WSU Photo Services.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Murray led the design of the beverage lab and manages the space, which is located in the Center for Undergraduate Education near Todd Hall. She teaches the beverage management class and other experiences related to wine and beverage business management. Meghan Miller<\/a>, a new SHBM adjunct instructor, also teaches in the lab. She specializes in direct-to-consumer wine industry logistics, relationship management, and wine curation and has professional experience in the wine, craft beverage, and hospitality industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA dedicated beverage lab that serves as an event space not only gives students valuable event management experience but also reinforces our program reputation and community engagement,\u201d says Jim Harbour<\/a>, SHBM director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brew Fest makes a comeback at Family Weekend<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After a temporary hiatus, Brew Fest returned to the campus festivities during Family Weekend in October. Forty-five people attended and enjoyed music, local brews including craft beer, cider, and ale tastings, and delicious local bites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sigma Iota, the premier hospitality business management club at WSU, hosted the event in the Marriott Culinary Innovation Center in Todd Hall. Combined with ticket sales, a silent auction raised about $2,200 to support club programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBrew Fest is a great opportunity for hospitality students to get a jumpstart on event planning, working with vendors, and hosting guests,\u201d says Cristy Eyre<\/a>, Sigma Iota events coordinator. \u201cWe received many compliments throughout the night from guests about how much they were learning from the tastings and how much they enjoyed our offerings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognizing the power of interdisciplinary teamwork, Sigma Iota works collaboratively with other campus clubs to create engaging student-focused events as well as fundraising events such as Crimson Cheers & Beers during Family Weekends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis partnership reflects our commitment to fostering a supportive, diverse, and creative community that values professional development,\u201d Eyre says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a hiatus, Brew Fest returned during Family Weekend, hosted by Sigma Iota in the Marriott Culinary Innovation Center. The Battle of the Bubbles event in the School of Hospitality Business Management\u2019s new beverage lab drew students, parents, and community members ahead of the Apple Cup. Guests sampled ciders, sparkling wines, and Ol\u2019 Crimson beer with food pairings by Chef Matt Morgan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":[561],"featured_media":1591,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[539,570,550],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/crimsonpineapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/crimsonpineapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/crimsonpineapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/crimsonpineapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/561"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/crimsonpineapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1540"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/crimsonpineapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1727,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/crimsonpineapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540\/revisions\/1727"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/crimsonpineapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/crimsonpineapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/crimsonpineapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/crimsonpineapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1540"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/crimsonpineapple\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/author?post=1540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}