At what point did you decide you like eer enough to make it a career choice? Firstly, who doesn’t like beer enough? On a serious note, my enthusiasm and passion for craft beer came from working in a specialised craft beer venue in Sydney. The brewing job opportunity came out of the blue when the owners attended a special event that was hosted there. After a serious talk about mybackground, et cetera, they decided to give me a go. I couldn’t really turn it down could  I?

Tell us a bit about your background in the UK? Where are you from and what did you do over there? I’m from a small village called Church Lawton, on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent which is in the Midlands. After studying chemistry, biology and maths at A-Level, I went onto university to complete a Bachelor of Biomedical Science degree in Liverpool in 2010. I left England a year later to do some travelling around Australia and have been here ever since.

What’s so great about brewing beer as a job? It’s just fun and interesting being involved in the production of beer on a day to day basis, and it is very rewarding when people enjoy drinking something you’ve worked so hard for to produce. It is also a great industry to be a part of too, there are so many nice people within it. I feel very privileged to be involved in it.

What does your average day involve? I don’t really have an average day. My tasks usually differ  from day to day, and generally include: brewing, bottling, racking kegs, filtering, cleaning tanks, cleaning kegs,fermentation monitoring through lab analysis, labelling, packaging, taking deliveries as well as assisting on cellar door and attending beer festivals every now and then.

In layman’s terms, take us through the beer brewing process. Here’s the extremely short version: The malt is crushed, then mixed into water in a mash tun. It is left to rest for a while before being recirculated. The liquid is then transferred to the kettle whilst water is sprayed on top to drain the malt. Once transferred, the liquid is then boiled in the kettle whilst adding any hops. It is then spun around before being left to rest. Then it is transferred to a tank via a heat exchanger to cool the liquid down to a desired temperature for the yeast. It is then left to ferment in the tank for anywhere between five days and six weeks, depending on the beer.

What qualifications are required? Where did you learn your craft? It is ideal to have some sort of brewing degree or alternative brewing qualification as well as some background scientific knowledge in chemistry, biology or physics. I have background knowledge in biomedical science although all my brewing knowledge has been gained whilst working at The Little Brewing Company.

Do you drink much of your product, or in general? In general, I probably drink far less than you think I do. I try not to drink too much as I would put on too much weight, so drinking is kept to a minimum during the week as I regularly attend the gym. However, I am partial to a drink or two on weekends, and yes, our product is definitely the beer of choice.

What careers could someone with your qualifications do? As a biomedical scientist, careers usually involve working in a laboratory of some kind, whether that be in pathology at a hospital analysing samples or possibly in a research facility. However, the underlying science knowledge gained through studying my degree could also be used in many other areas with additional training, brewing being a great example. I never imagined I could use my background knowledge as a pathway into the brewing industry, it never crossed my mind as a possibility, so I will be forever grateful for the opportunity that Kylie and Warwick at The Little Brewing Company have given me.