Joseph Owades
Joseph Lawrence Owades | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 July 1919 Manhattan, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | 16 December 2005 (aged 86) Sonoma, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Biochemist, brewer |
| Known for | Pioneer of light beer; development of brewing analytical methods and quality assurance |
Joseph Lawrence Owades (July 9, 1919 – December 16, 2005) was a prominent American biochemist and brewer recognized for his groundbreaking work in the creation of light and mass-produced beer. He advanced brewing analytical methods and quality assurance, significantly contributing to the invention of the first contemporary light beer and launching multiple successful specialty brews. Owades is widely regarded as the pioneer of light beer.
Early life
Owades was born in Manhattan to Jewish parents and spent his childhood in the Bronx. His father, Shmuel, worked as a dressmaker. He completed his undergraduate studies at City College of New York in 1939, followed by a Master's degree and a PhD in biochemistry from New York University Tandon School of Engineering (1944, 1950). His doctoral thesis focused on cholesterol, titled Sterol Sulphates: A Study of αCholesterylene and Other Decomposition Products. After serving in the US Navy during World War II, Owades held positions at Fleischmann's Yeast, taught brewing at Schwarz Laboratories in Mount Vernon, New York, and worked at Rheingold Breweries in Brooklyn, where he advanced to Vice President–Technical Director.
Development of light beer
While at Rheingold, Owades formulated the recipe for Gablinger Beer, among the earliest beers with reduced calories. The brewing process was originally developed by chemist Dr. Hersch Gablinger from Basel, Switzerland. It involved adding the enzyme amyloglucosidase during fermentation to convert starches that normally would not ferment into fermentable sugars. This method removed carbohydrates from the final product, lowering its calorie content by approximately one-third and making it less heavy. After Rheingold executives tasted the beer in Europe, they secured exclusive rights to Gablinger's technique. Utilizing this innovation, Owades launched Gablinger Beer through Rheingold in late 1966.
Craft brewing consultation
Following his tenure at Rheingold, Owades worked with K. Fix Brewery in Greece before joining Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis and later Carling Breweries in Boston. In 1975, he established the Center for Brewing Studies in San Francisco, providing consulting services and hosting annual seminars tailored for microbreweries and medium-sized brewers. This earned him the nickname "Godfather of the Brewing Industry." Among his clients were New Amsterdam Brewing (NYC); Anchor Brewing Company (San Francisco); Boston Beer Company, where he helped develop the acclaimed Samuel Adams lager; New Century Brewing (known for Edison light beer); the Olde Heurich Brewing Company; and Rheingold Brewing, where he recreated the original Rheingold lager.
Later life and death
Owades held multiple patents related to brewing technologies. In 1994, he was awarded the Award of Merit by the Master Brewers Association of the Americas. Additionally, he received the Sesquicentennial Medal as a distinguished alumnus from NYU Polytechnic University. He authored entries on beer and alcohol metabolism for the Encyclopedia of Food Science and Technology and served on the board of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science. In 1999, he established the Joseph and Ruth Owades Chair in Chemistry at the institute.
Owades passed away at his residence in Sonoma, California on December 16, 2005. His final resting place is Home of Peace Cemetery located in Colma, California.
Further reading
External links
- 'Brewing Legacy: A Portrait of Joseph Owades' by Jaime Jurado (PDF)
- The Science of Beer – Lecture from March 1999 (RealAudio required)