I've been behind on my weekly blog posts. No excuses other than the obvious. The goal of my blog is to document what happens along the way of opening up my own microbrewery. The day I pour the first beer from my tap lines to my friends, I will have this as a record of all the experiences, people and mentors that helped pull it together. Brick and mortar are a necessity, however the people I've met along the way and all those who encourage and believe in me are priceless.
What started as an "ah ha" moment two years ago, now has me enrolled in UCSD's Brewing Certification program and learning about the science and business sides of brewing by the industry's most knowledgeable brewing professionals. I've become friends with many of my fellow students whom I hope will continue on this journey with me in opening up my place. I am also very fortunate for three wonderful opportunities that have presented themselves in the past year. Each opportunity, by itself, has propelled me into depths of the craft industry that I am grateful to discover, let alone combine all three and it's mind boggling how much I am learning in such a very short time. I guess that is what happens when you enter an industry a bit later in life and have to play "catch up."
I'm gaining extensive knowledge and hands-on experience about the technical world of hops, hop sourcing, hop oil and how it adds freshness to beer, all thru my sales position at Glacier Hops Ranch (GHR). It's made me realize I must start thinking about sourcing hops now for my opening. Another bonus...I have the joy of knowing a hop farmer has my back and a car that smells amazing!
Another opportunity arose thru a strategic partnership agreement between GHR and Cardiff Craft Co. (CCC). CCC is a new firm in Encinitas, CA that (in a nutshell) is the "CostCo" for breweries. Next week's blog post will cover this in depth. Bottom line, pretty much every brewery in the US should sign up...breweries have nothing to lose from aggregate purchasing. It's been proven in many other industries and just launched on October 14 in San Diego for breweries.
I've brushed the surface of distribution and the three tier system by selling beer for Great Beer Co., a small LA based company.
Add this to my "real" job of 15+ years of selling promotional products (shameless plug here if your company needs any branded merchandise :-), getting to know the AZ brew community thru the AZ Craft Beer Guild, starting the process of looking for property, writing a business plan, teaching spin classes, training for triathlons, AND most importantly making sure my four kids are doing what they need to be doing right now...studying, turning homework in and going to class! (Some are much better at this than others.) Life is busy...life is good. Makes me thirsty!
Many have asked how much school I have until I get my certification. I started classes in the spring of 2015 and will complete my classroom work next quarter when I take Barrel Aging and Overview of the Craft Beer Industry. After that..my internship, which I simply cannot wait to do! As students, we must find our own internship. I am taking this very seriously. I have put alot of time and research into breweries and want to align myself with a brewer who is a role model, mentor and has impeccable brewing practices. I want to learn from the best...and I will.
The table below lists the coursework. Highlighted in yellow are my completed classes. This quarter, I'm enrolled in Finishing Practices, taught by Nick Cain, Ballast Point. Finishing practices involves turning the fermentation product ("green beer"...not drinkable at this point) into an enjoyable stable, flavorful and aromatic finished product. This happens via flavor and aromatic enhancements (dry hopping), filtration, centrifugation, carbonation and packaging. There really is no step in the brewing process you can not pay full attention to detail. Every process involves chemistry, precision and attention to detail, and creativity much like an artist or a chef. That is what makes craft...craft. It's scientific art at its best.
I plan to start doing a series of "Meet the Brewer". I've been blessed to meet so many awesome brewers, each with their unique story about how they got into the industry. I'd like to share their stories with you. Thanks for allowing me to catch up and I'll be in touch again with further updates and interviews...so keep checking back!
Cheers,
Sue Rigler
Nick Rigler...Beer pick of the week. Hazelnut Brown Nectar | By: Rogue Ales
Aroma and taste buds come alive! Smell was nutty and malty. It offers a nice subtle sweetness that pairs very well with the hazelnut. The hops are minimal for balance so as not to interfere with the hazelnut. Tremendous beer overall, well done by Rogue. Try one one for that rainy Seattle sweater weather! Love ya, kid! -Mom