Prestigious Chicago beer brewing school relocating to Montreal amid U.S. regulatory changes

A prestigious beer brewing school in Chicago — the oldest in the Americas — is moving to Montreal citing regulatory changes in the United States, and the relocation is drawing attention locally.

“Everybody in the industry probably knows about the Siebel Institute,” said Julien Savoie, head brewer at Brasserie Boswell in Montreal Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.

“It’s one of the only schools in North America that offers classes on brewing.”

The Siebel Institute of Technology, operating since 1872, will relocate in January to a building on Ste-Catherine Street East. The school did not respond to an interview request but said in a statement on social media the move is strategic.

The statement says “recent regulatory changes in the U.S. have made it much more challenging for international students, who have become the majority of the school’s student body, to attend classes in person.”

John Hannafan, the Siebel Institute's general manager, said the move allows the school to maintain educational quality while making it more accessible to international students.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration enacted cuts to academic research, curtailed visas for foreign students — especially those from China — and increased taxes on elite schools.

In May, Trump alleged top U.S. universities are cradles of anti-American movements and revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll foreign students, a move later blocked by a federal judge.

Antoine Chagnon, CEO of Lallemand Inc., has owned the Siebel Institute since 2000 and plans to open a baking academy alongside the brewing school.

Some in Chicago say the move is a loss for the local beer scene. Among them is Liz Garibay of the Beer Culture Center, a Chicago-based museum and research centre exploring the social, historical and cultural impact of beer.

“Definitely a little bit heartbreaking for a variety of reasons,” she said. “But it’s also a business and if you don’t have students then there’s nothing.”

The craft beer industry in Quebec has grown in recent years, fuelling rural economies where a quarter of the more than 200 registered breweries have set up shop.

The Association des Brasseurs du Québec estimates beer accounts for 0.4 per cent of the province’s GDP, generating $3 billion in annual economic benefits.

Marie-Eve Myrand, head of the association, told CBC News the Siebel Institute’s arrival will boost Quebec’s beer scene.