MORRISVILLE, NY -- The teaching brewery at Morrisville State College, which just opened last fall, has won the title as Grand National Champion brewing school in North America at the 2018 U.S. Open College Beer Championship.

The contest was based on the quality of beers produced by student brewers and submitted to a judging panel. The contest, open to any college or university offering brewing courses, is "held to help determine the best future brewers in North America."

Morrisville's teaching brewery opened last year inside the Copper Turret, which also serves as the college's teaching restaurant. The courses are currently offered as electives to students enrolled in agriculture or food technology programs.

A glass of a Belgian Tripel-syle beer at the Copper Turret Restaurant & Brewhouse in Morrisville, N.Y. The brewhouse is part of the new brewing science degree program at Morrisville State College.

Morrisville hopes to have its full brewing curriculum developed for the fall of 2019, said Micheal Coons, the brewmaster who heads up the program. At that point, students should be able to enroll in what would be the first 4-year brewing program in the State University of New York system.

Coons was still trying to process the school's win when reached today.

"This is still pretty fresh,'' Coons said of the 2018 contest results, which were announced today. "I'm sure we'll have some kind of celebration, but we're still working that out."

To secure its win as top brew school, Morrisville won three medals for its submitted beers:

* Gold for The Crop Pilsner in the Bavarian beer category

* Silver for The Arsenal IPA in the IPA (India Pale Ale) category

* Bronze for Belgian Draft Horse Belgian Tripel in "open" category.

Under Coons' direction, the two Morrisville students who helped brew those beers were Mary Cosenza, of Colden, N.Y. and Josh Alley, of Liverpool, N.Y.

The Copper Turret Restaurant & Brewhouse in Morrisville, N.Y. The brewhouse is part of the new brewing science degree program at Morrisville State College. The brewery officially opened in October 2017.

The No. 2 college beer ranking went to Central New Mexico Community College while Metropolitan State University of Denver finished third.

If you're interested in trying beers made by the students at Morrisville, you'll find them at The Copper Turret on Route 20 in Morrisville and at the 4 Corners Tap Room, on Route 20 in Nelson. It is also operated by the college.

Here are the full results from the 2018 U.S. Open College Beer Championship:

Top 3 Brewing Schools in North America

1. SUNY Morrisville - New York

2. Central New Mexico College - New Mexico

3. Metropolitan State University of Denver - Colorado



Category 1 - Belgian

Gold - Gisele - Cincinnati State College - Ohio

Silver - Praise the Sun Witbier - Niagara College - Ontario

Bronze - KPU Wit - Kwantlen Polytechnic University - British Columbia



Category 2 - Bavarian

Gold - The Crop - SUNY Morrisville - New York

Silver - American Harvest Pils - Schoolcraft College - Michigan

Bronze - BC Dunkel - Kalamazoo Valley Community College - Michigan

Bronze - Herr Wilhelm Dunkel III - University of the Sciences - Pennsylvania



Category 3 - Stout

Gold - Milky Way Stout - Metropolitan State University of Denver - Colorado

Silver - 1st Place Stout - Central New Mexico Community College - New Mexico

Bronze - Tucan Sam's Milk Stout - Michigan State University - Michigan

Bronze - Oat of this World - Colorado State University - Colorado



Category 4 - IPA

Gold - Galazy Smash IPA - Central New Mexico Community College - New Mexico

Silver - The Arsenal - SUNY Morrisville - New York

Bronze - Hop Sauce IPA - Auburn University - Alabama

Bronze - Cosmic Tea Pot - Niagara College - Ontario



Category 5 - Open

Gold - Dark Matter - Appalachian State University - North Carolina

Silver - KPU Dubbel - Kwantlen Polytechnic University - British Columbia

Bronze - Belgian Draft Horse - SUNY Morrisville - New York

Bronze - Dubble Buck - Central Michigan University - Michigan

Don Cazentre writes about craft beer, wine, spirits and beverages for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.