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Hundreds of people waited in line to get into the Beer Fest right at 3 p.m. when the general admission opened.

Bubbles, brews and sweet potatoes: High Country Beer Fest marks 19th year [staff featured]
Sep 3, 2026

BOONE — Thousands of beer lovers filled the Watauga County fairgrounds Saturday for the 19th annual High Country Beer Fest, sampling pours from 37 breweries under cooperating skies.

Faculty and Staff, Fermentation Sciences
Tents with people drinking beer in front of them.

Beer, bubbles and Boone businesses come together for Beer Fest [faculty featured]
Sep 2, 2026

Despite the nation’s declining alcohol sales and general consumption, here in the High Country, t

Fermentation Sciences
A bunch of sweet potatoes.

Upcycling sweet potato field waste into a plant-based milk [faculty featured]
Aug 19, 2026

North Carolina grows most of the sweet potatoes in the US, which means it accumulates most of the sweet potato waste, too.

Faculty and Staff, Fermentation Sciences, Grants and Research
Incoming first-year App State student Brenda Randell, of Chapel Hill, presents tardigrade research she conducted through Summer Ventures at the American Junior Academy of Science conference in Phoenix last February. Photo submitted

Sweetpotato milk first gains big financial backing [faculty featured]
Jul 30, 2026

Will sweetpotato milk fill a gap in the dairy alternatives space?

Faculty and Staff, Fermentation Sciences, Grants and Research
Appalachian State University researchers, backed by a $1.82 million grant, have found a new use for sweet potatoes: sweet potato milk. It features a rich texture and sweet taste with a slight tint of the signature orange hue. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Buttery, sweet and orange: This milk alternative has deep North Carolina roots [faculty featured]
Jul 27, 2026

The humble sweet potato, long considered a North Carolina staple, is at the center of innovation as it’s transformed into the latest plant-b

Faculty and Staff, Fermentation Sciences, Grants and Research
Erik Martella

Fermentation Sciences lecturer Erik Martella named one of SevenFifty Daily’s 2026 Drinks Innovators
Jul 21, 2026

While the wine industry often casts Gen Z as a culprit for the current downturn, Erik Martella, a North Carolina winemaker with a foothold in... Alumni, Faculty and Staff, Fermentation Sciences

Megan Hutton '22 (left) and Alicia Roberts '03 (right)
Dr. Brett Taubman holds a glass of Rootsii.

This App State Researcher is Taking Wasted Sweet Potatoes — And Turning Them Into Milk [faculty featured]
Jun 4, 2026

North Carolina may be famous for its beaches and Blue Ridge Mountains, but the state has a lesser-known claim to fame.

Faculty and Staff, Grants and Research
App State professor Dr. Brett Taubman, left, and Fermentation Sciences Lab manager Daniel Parker have developed the sweetpotato milk Rootsii in fermentation lab facilities at App State. The locally sourced, sustainable and allergy-friendly product received $1.82 million in funding from NCInnovation, with a goal of bringing the milk from proof of concept to store shelves over the next two years. Photo by Chase Reynolds
App State alumni Masa and Seleen Al Horani. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Three individuals wearing blue jackets in a scientific lab.

From waste to taste: Fermentation unlocks protein potential
Apr 8, 2026

Modern chemistry meets food preparation practices that date to antiquity in a protein processing lab at App State.

Chemistry, Faculty and Staff, Fermentation Sciences, Grants and Research, Students
Dr. Brett Taubman is a professor and the director of the Fermentation Sciences program in Appalachian State University's A.R. Smith Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences.

Dr. Brett Taubman featured on WUNC's The Broadside
Jan 23, 2026

From bourbon to chow chow, fermentation is everywhere in Southern food and drink.

Department News, Faculty and Staff, Fermentation Sciences