Additional Information
How are you going to know if you're cut out to be a brewmaster? A love
of beer is a good start. Visit a brewery to see the operation in process.
Many larger breweries offer tours. You'll have the chance to talk to brewers
about their training and experience.
Many towns have brewing clubs, and even if you don't brew your own, you
can learn from others. People who want to start a small brewery must have
a sense of commitment and entrepreneurship. Brewmasters in small breweries
must know about running a business, and setting up and fixing distilling machinery
-- in addition to knowing about brewing beer. Money management is also important
for brewmasters who look after the entire operation.
Brewmasters should enjoy dealing with the public and have good people skills.
It is also helpful for brewmasters in larger breweries to have administrative
skills.
Some brewmasters have a degree in microbiology. This helps in understanding
the yeast and fermenting process of beer.
Taking an informal apprenticeship is another route to this career. Most
breweries will take people on in this role, but you have to be there when
they need the help or else someone else will get the job.
Many people become brewmasters by starting out in quality control or as
a laborer in a plant. It is possible to become a brewmaster without formal
training. You might be able to work your way up. But education and formal
training will improve your chances.
"That is obviously up to the brewery's discretion whether they want to
hire someone with formal training or not," says Hurst. "I know breweries that
have both. I know a very successful brewery whose head brewer never brewed
a batch of beer before he walked through the door, and now he's their head
brewer."
"In North America we don't really have a lot of formal training," says
brewmaster Mike Kelly. "Most brewers have a background in science, so they'll
have an undergraduate degree in microbiology or chemistry or something, and
then... in North America there are a few different programs you can attend."
Some brewmasters, especially those at larger breweries, get their training
in Europe. In fact, some say that only brewmasters who have completed a brewmaster
program offered in Germany should use the title of 'brewmaster.'
"Technically 'brewmaster' is reserved for people who have gone through
the four-year program in Germany," says Tracy Hurst. She and her husband,
Doug, own a brewery in Chicago.
"In America we use the term semi-loosely [and] out of respect for that
we say technically Doug is the head brewer because he has not done the German
program."
Grady Hull is an assistant brewmaster with New Belgium Brewing Company
in Colorado. He started out as a home brewer.
"I liked it so I changed my major to food science when I was in college,
got my bachelor's in food science, then did an internship with Coors, and
then I've just been working for brewers ever since," says Hull. "I have a
bachelor's in food science and a master's in brewing science, and our Brewmaster
also has a master's degree in brewing science."
"For smaller brewers, maybe not, but for larger brewers I think it's pretty
common to have a master's in brewing science," Hull adds. Hull got his master's
degree from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland.
Like many brewmasters, Kelly has taken science courses to better understand
the brewing process.
"I have a degree in politics, but then I started brewing and I went back
to school and I took chemistry and organic chemistry, microbiology courses,
and I went to UC Davis and took some brewing science courses there as well,"
says Kelly. "So I have the grounding now that I need, and that allows me to
take other courses as well, specifically designed toward brewing science."
What advice does Kelly have for young people hoping to become brewmasters?
"I'd say you need a grounding in science, because it's a lot easier to
do it from the get go rather than taking correspondence courses while you're
working," says Kelly. "Every brewer I know has at least an undergraduate degree.
"People think, 'I don't really need that to drag hoses and turn water valves
on and off and stuff like that,' which is true, you don't, but if you want
to have any position of responsibility, you need to be able to learn what's
really happening," Kelly adds. "The scientific basis for what you're doing
is really important. In facilities where people don't really know what's happening
and what's sort of the cause and effect, they get into a lot of trouble, they
can send out defective product and not know how to deal with mistakes that
happen."