Some students arrived with years of professional brewery experience. Others had only brewed at home. One was leaving a career in technology. Another was retiring to pursue a lifelong passion. Despite their different backgrounds, they all came to UC Davis for the same reason: to better understand the science of brewing and build the confidence to take the next step in their careers. 

The Master Brewers Certificate Program at UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education equips aspiring and experienced brewers with scientific knowledge, technical skills and industry perspective to succeed in an evolving brewing industry. 

Whether they’re launching their first career in brewing, advancing in the industry or growing their own business, the comprehensive program combines the science and engineering of running a brewery operation to prepare students for leadership roles throughout the industry. 

A shared passion, different paths 

Annie Velez started brewing beer for friends before enrolling in an introductory brewing course at Sacramento City College. Curious about the science behind consistently producing quality beer, she applied to the Master Brewers Certificate Program. 

"What surprised me the most about brewing science is how in-depth everything is," she said. "It's not as simple as throwing in hops and yeast and waiting a week or two."

 Today, Annie is pursuing professional brewhouse experience with the long-term goal of opening her own brewery. 

Like Annie, Dave Haugaard is also looking to break into the industry. Now retired, he can pursue his lifelong passion for brewing full time. 

“I came to the Master Brewers Program trying to answer a simple question: Can I improve my craft? Can I eventually entertain doing it myself?” he said. “Now, I can definitively say: Yeah. I got this." 

Learning the science behind the craft 

While Annie and Dave were building the foundation for a new career, Mark Peet came to UC Davis with years of brewery experience. After working in the cellar and running the canning line, Mark had done nearly everything in the brewery except brew the beer. 

“That's the missing ingredient in my well-rounded knowledge of the brewery,” said Mark. 

Despite gaining a lot of practical experience in the brewery, Mark wasn’t learning the intricate science behind the work he was doing. Looking to close the gap between hands-on experience and technical knowledge, Mark turned to the Master Brewers Certificate Program. 

“The certificate has given me the knowledge and science behind why I'm doing what I'm doing—and why it's important,” said Mark. “It's not just a recipe. The recipe is designed for a reason.” 

A global classroom 

Yago Galvao’s career persistence and commitment to learning led him to the Master Brewers Certificate Program. After interning at AB InBev in Brazil, he spent years working in beer sales before transitioning into brewing operations. 

“The goal has always been to become a master brewer,” he said. “At AB InBev, if you want to become a manager or brewmaster, you need additional training.” 

International travel also brought Juan Palacio to UC Davis. As the founder and head brewer of an award-winning brewery in Colombia, pursuing the Master Brewers Certificate Program was a way to grow beyond brewing technique into leadership, strategy and scaling his brewery. 

“It’s an excellent program if you're already brewing and want to become more efficient, make smarter decisions and better manage your brewery and team,” he said. “I learned I need to pay more attention to smaller things like project planning, business concepts and operational issues, which is especially important when you own your own brewery.” 

Heading back to Colombia, Juan said that one of the most important lessons he learned at UC Davis is how to manage not only the brewery, but the people involved. 

“The knowledge I've gained gives me more confidence when discussing brewing processes and management,” said Juan. 

Learning beyond the classroom 

Students said one of the certificate's greatest strengths extended beyond the classroom. Field trips to breweries across Northern California gave them firsthand exposure to a range of brewing operations while conversations with classmates, faculty and industry professionals enriched the learning experience. 

“In Brazil, we're mostly exposed to the same styles of beer,” said Yago. “Here you can experience everything. California is the heart of craft brewing, so seeing how beer is made here has been valuable.” 

The conversations happening around beer provided valuable opportunities to learn. 

“I think the community among brewers—sharing information and helping each other along—is incredible,” said Dave. 

“Everyone has lived beer differently,” added Yago. “Those little conversations are sometimes more important than the classes.” 

Juan agreed that learning from experiences of others has been most important. 

“Charlie Bamforth isn’t just a professor. He's like a colleague,” said Juan. “He's not only teaching beer science. He's sharing his experiences.” 

Confidence for what’s next 

As a tech professional looking to transition into brewing, the Master Brewers Certificate Program provided the confidence Kelly Schalow needed to take the leap. 

“I probably came into the Master Brewers Program with less brewing experience than almost everyone else,” he said. 

Aside from some “light homebrewing,” Kelly said his experience was rudimentary compared to what they did in the program. The certificate opened his eyes to the complexity of brewing. 

“What surprised me is how much overlap there is between working in tech and working in brewing,” said Kelly. “The processes for solving problems are very similar—even the language is surprisingly similar.” 

As he thinks about his five-year plan, he wants to continue learning and gain industry experience. 

“I've learned a lot from both my classmates and instructors,” he said. “Now I feel much more confident that I can do this.” 

While this year’s cohort arrived with a range of experiences and career goals, they were united by a shared desire to better understand the craft of brewing. Through the Master Brewers Certificate Program, they left with technical knowledge and the confidence to innovate and shape the future of brewing whether they’re opening a brewery, advancing in the industry or pursuing a lifelong passion.