Brewing Innovation Team’s Collaboration Brew Release Party Set for April 10

Tickled Peachy Keen, an unusual fruity, sour beer designed by students as a capstone project and made in collaboration with commercial brewers, will be on tap at Claim 52 Brewing

BRIN students in brewery
Students from the second cohort of the Knight Campus Brewing Innovation program during a collaboration brew day at Claim 52 Brewing on Feb. 27, 2026.

What happens when undergraduate students apply design thinking principles to the centuries-old craft of brewing? You get Tickled Peachy Keen. On Friday, April 10, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., visitors to Claim 52 Brewing can taste the beer for themselves and learn more about the Knight Campus’ Brewing Innovation (BRIN) program.. 

The collaboration brew grew out of a capstone project by a team from the program’s first cohort, made up of students Bailey Cain, Kieran Galvin and Claire Schwanauer. BRIN leverages the craft brewing process as a means of teaching students across a range of majors about innovation and user-centered design.

The student team behind Tickled Peachy Keen was inspired by the novelty of “pickle” beers but aimed to transform that concept into a more approachable option for a broad audience, creating a playful and unique experience that would keep people coming back for more as part of their capstone project. The resulting beer was compelling enough to capture the attention of local brewer Claim 52, which brewed a version of the students’ beer on their full production system.

Tickled Peachy Keen is light-bodied and low in alcohol (just 3% ABV). It pours a rosy pink, offers peach and raspberry aromatics and uses a hop variety known for its stone fruit character. The beer finishes with a snap of acidity and spice — the product of a dual-yeast fermentation using both a traditional ale yeast and new age lactic acid producing yeast strain. . 

"It's not something you would necessarily think to put together," said BRIN Program Instructor  Lindsey Rubottom. "But it works — low ABV, spritzy, fruity on the nose, with this fun spice. Members of the brewing community are really excited that it's going to be on tap."

For the students involved, seeing their idea scaled up and poured at a real taproom is exactly the kind of validation the program is designed to produce and an example of what thoughtful, intentional design can create, Rubottom says. 

 

The event is free and open to the public with beer available for purchase. Claim 52 is located at 232 Lincoln St. in Eugene.