Brewer
The craft of brewing is steeped in centuries of tradition. This role encompasses everything from home brewing to overseeing enormous production facilities at global titans like AB InBev, Heineken and Molson Coors.
Responsibilities
In essence, a brewer turns grains, hops, yeast and water into beer. However, the role will vary according to the brewery you join.
If it’s a microbrewery, you will be in charge of the entire production process: choosing the ingredients and water profile, brewing and mashing, boiling the wort and adding hops, cooling and fermenting, monitoring the pH levels and temperature, moving the beer to conditioning tanks or barrels, and then bottling, canning or kegging. At a larger operation, you might specialise in one stage of the process.
Skills
You will need a strong grasp of the science of brewing. Mechanical skills are also vital, as you’ll be dealing with pumps, valves, and tanks. Attention to detail is important, while creativity, stamina, and a sharp palate are prized skills too.
Career Progression
Many brewers are self-taught, but professional qualifications are very helpful. A WSET Level 2 Award in Beer will broaden your knowledge, while programs at Heriot-Watt University, UC Davis and the Siebel Institute are also popular with budding brewers. Other brewers have chemistry or biology backgrounds.
You’ll often start as an assistant brewer, but you can work your way up to head brewer, and you may eventually become a brand ambassador, or you could set up your own brewery.