Advertisement
My Life
For beer lovers, a career in brewery might sound like a lifelong party. Yet, being a brewer demands a lot of persistence, precision and skill. Chris Williams, the Chief Brewer at SABMiller India, has been in the industry for sixteen years. Let us raise cheers as we explore the various facets of his exciting career
Born to Brew
For beer lovers, a career in brewery might sound like a lifelong party. Yet, being a brewer demands a lot of persistence, precision and skill. Chris Williams, the Chief Brewer at SABMiller India, has been in the industry for thirty years. Let us raise cheers as we explore the various facets of his exciting career.
While the cupid with his wings, bow and a quiver of arrows has struck many of us, only the chosen ones get struck by Nin-kasi, the beer Goddess. Chris Williams found his love for brewery early in his life. He discusses, “Brewing fascinated me. It is an ancient craft, pre-dating even written communication. First brewed in Asia, beer has been around for thousands of years and is still alive and going! But it takes a long time to become a brewer. One starts as a trainee brewer and requires a degree in biological science, microbiology, chemistry or chemical engineering. I took a degree in Biochemistry and then apprenticed for 4 years before I was allowed to call myself ‘a brewer’.”
Since then, Chris has worked for sixteen years in South Africa, working his way up from a plant operator to a brew master. He has also spent many years brewing elsewhere in Africa, Ireland, the UK and Jamaica before joining as the chief brewer in India three years ago.
Being a Brewer
Brewing is a perfect blend of art and science. Chris feels that brewers should be practical people with a strong scientific bent of mind, who enjoy working at the centre of manufacturing process. Thus, an ability to think quickly and apply scientific and technical knowledge practically has stood him in good stead. “A brewer’s job can be compared to that of a craftsman. It requires both skill and precision on the part of the brewer in order to get that perfect brew. As a brewer, one of my major tasks is to make sure that the taste, strength and appearance of each batch of beer remains consistent. I have to ensure that the beer brewed at all eleven of our breweries across India is made to the same consistent standards. This involves monitoring the production process at regular intervals, testing samples and ensuring the desired quality.”
As a brewer, Chris has to take care of many aspects including the performance of all his brewers and making sure that they are properly trained to manage the process. In spite of the challenges, Chris says, “Though a challenging job, being a brewer is quite enjoyable. I always aim at producing best quality beers which will give the beer drinkers the best experience. The entire process of finding the right flavour, balance and producing the correct brew is quite exciting.”
A Typical Day
Chris’s working day is filled with activity revolving around beer production and quality. This varies from production meetings with his fellow brewers and experimenting with flavors and ingredients for new ales, to meeting suppliers of the fine natural ingredients that make up every pint he crafts. Chris’s day starts with a check of the brewery itself, walking the floor to make sure that every piece in the beer brewing jigsaw is running smoothly. Then it's down to the tasting room, where the early morning tasting sessions of SABMiller beers are held each day. “Beer is brewed and tasted around the clock, even at 7.30 in the morning. Beer (unlike wine) has to be swallowed when tasted because, the part of the tongue most sensitive to the characteristic bitterness of beer, is right at the back. Fortunately you only need to taste a small sip of beer to analyze it,” Chris adds with a smile.
Looking ahead
Looking ahead into the future, Chris remarks, “Brewing is a water intensive industry. Research and innovation is required to preserve and conserve this precious resource. A brewer has a very crucial role to play here. Finding ways to be innovative and making quality beer with less water is a huge priority for me.” Clearly, brewing is not just about perfecting the beer but also a million other elements that go along with it.
| Rate me.... |  Mail this article Print this article |
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Post Your Comments
Most Searched Tags
Advertisement
Here's your chance to be our 'Student Journalist of the Month', a contest for aspiring students to pool in their ideas and views on burning issues in the Human Resource space. It's simple! Post your article here and you could be the winner.
Topics of the month
- The need for CSR
- Role of EQ in a successful career