The Food Issue
2015
Grains
West
14
HEAD OF
THE CLASS
BY JORDAN RAMEY
Acra brewery renaissance
MEETING THE DEMAND FOR CRAFT BREWS INCANADA
IN 1980, THE UNITED STATES HAD
only 92 functioning breweries; now a new
one opens its doors every day. in canada,
we are seeing the same trend. From 310
breweries at the end of 2010, the number
has steadily risen to the roughly 450 brew-
eries we see today.
Partly as a result of Prohibition, beer
spent much of the 20th century going
stale. the industry saw breweries closing
their doors. the successful ones bought
out their competitors and consolidated.
beer styles died out or, at best, waned, but
as the century drew to a close we saw that
hope was not lost. a vigorous home-brew-
ing movement across the united states
and canada re-sparked the love affair with
full-flavoured brews and began the craft
brewery renaissance that we enjoy today.
today, the craft brewing industry is
expanding at an almost inconceivable rate,
and the need for skilled workers has never
been higher. we are entering a phase of
exponential growth.
this increase does not necessarily mean
that more beer is being produced and
consumed; rather, it points to an increase
in local micro- and nano-craft breweries
popping up to serve local markets. Fol-
lowing the trend of “farm to table,” folks
are more concerned than ever about the
origin of their food and drink. local sells,
ingredients matter and the less it travels,
the fresher it will taste.
small-scale operations require more
brewers to produce each litre of beer.
these small breweries must therefore
charge a premium for their hands-on
approach to beer production, and people
are willing to pay. this increase in
breweries, labour requirements and a
readily available revenue stream have led
to the industry experiencing a shortage of
skilled workers.
in addition, breweries are brewing with
more malted barley, more hops and more
specialty ingredients. the demand for
brewing ingredients is higher than ever.
some craft beers will use three times the
amount of malt and 10 times the amount
of hops as a traditional lager beer. thus,
the growth of the brewing industry is fur-
ther enhancing the need for high-quality
agricultural commodities. to top it all off,
almost every small brewery is expanding,
increasing production or both. all of these
factors combine to brew up an industry
becoming increasingly desperate for an
influx of new staff to fill current vacancies
and anticipated future vacancies.
breweries don’t simply need brewers.
they need scientists to run quality assays
and prepare yeast for fermentation. they
also need sales and marketing staff to
promote their brand in an increasing-
ly crowded marketplace. the need for
individuals with industry knowledge and
business savvy has never been higher.
the number of associated positions for
breweries is diverse, including packaging
technician, cellarman, brewer, assistant
brewer, delivery and bar staff trainer,
salesperson, marketer, lab technician,
research scientist, operations manager,
brewmaster and many others. Enter cana-
dian brewing institutions to prepare folks
for these varied career paths.
the rise in the number of brewing insti-
tutions across north america is clear evi-
dence that there is a need for more skilled
workers in the brewing industry. niagara
college founded the first canadian brew-
ing program in 2009, with its two-year
diploma in brewmaster and brewery
operations management. olds college ac-
knowledged the industry need and quickly
partnered with niagara college to offer
the program in western canada, found-
ing a pan-canadian partnership. in 2014,
b.c.’s Kwantlen Polytechnic university
launched its two-year diploma in brewing
and brewery operations. Finally, simon
Fraser university will be offering a craft
beer and brewing Essentials certificate
starting in the fall of 2015. Even with the
recent rise in brewing diploma and certif-
icate programs, there are still not enough
trained workers to fill the industry’s need
for new brewers and brewery workers.
the beer is flowing freely, but our thirst
is far from slaked. when folks declare
there are too many breweries and the bub-
ble is sure to pop, stop and ask yourself,
“Has anyone ever said there are too many
wineries in the world?” the need for
skilled workers will increase, and the need
for education is paramount to ensuring
that high-quality beer is poured into our
glasses.
Jordan Ramey’s background is in biomedi-
cal research, brewing consulting and sensory
science. In 2011, he moved to Canada with his
wife to work as a brewing consultant before
joining the Olds College Brewmaster and
Brewery Operations Management program
as brewing science instructor in 2013.
