Demand for trained workers in B.C.'s craft beer sector is rising as craft breweries increase sales and more brewmasters launch beer startups.
"Brewmasters have been playing a game of musical chairs," Central City Brewing Co. brewmaster Gary Lohin told Business in Vancouver.
Some of those moves during the past year include Conrad Gmoser leaving a brewmaster job at Steamworks Brewery to co-found Brassneck Brewery, Dave Varga leaving a brewing job at Red Truck Brewing to join the new 33 Acres Brewing Co. and Brent Mills leaving his head brewer job at R&B Brewing Co. to help his father and brothers found Four Winds Brewing Co.
The departures frequently leave existing breweries scrambling to find replacements.
B.C. now has at least 48 breweries and 25 brew pubs, according to the BC Beer Guide website. More than a dozen of those brewing ventures were launched in 2013.
The startup trend stems partly from the fact that British Columbians are abandoning big brewers such as Molson Coors Canada and Labatt Breweries of Canada.
Sales in B.C. for brewers that produce more than 16 million litres of packaged beer annually dropped 5.7% in 2013, according to British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB) data.
In contrast, sales for brewers that produce less than 1.5 million litres of packaged beer jumped 39.6% in 2013.
(See Business in Vancouver's list of biggest breweries in B.C.)
The rise of the craft brewing sector has spawned demand for training.
In the fall of 2013, Simon Fraser University (SFU) launched its Biological Sciences 372 course focused on the science of brewing.
The course reviews the history of brewing and its impact on society before moving on to teach about production and marketing.
Guest lecturers include Lohin, who taught students about ingredients and processes at the SFU Surrey campus in mid-January.
Meanwhile, the University of British Columbia Alma Mater Society held a referendum last week on whether to levy a student fee to finance a student-run craft brewery to supply campus pubs. Students who want the most extensive brewing training program in the province are eyeing Kwantlen Polytechnic University, which plans to launch a diploma program on brewing and brewery operations in September.
"Our program is a two-year program, whereas SFU's is a single course – that's a big, big difference," Kwantlen dean of science and horticulture Betty Worobec told BIV.
Kwantlen announced its planned diploma program on January 8, and Worobec said that within days the university had received hundreds of inquiries.
The program costs about $16,000, or $4,000 for each of the fall and winter semesters. During the summer, students are expected to work at breweries in paid positions.
"They will start learning brewing basics and the program will culminate in the final term with the students brewing their own signature beers," Worobec said.
Students also learn about chemistry and microbiology.
Meanwhile, a first year "sensory evaluation" course tutors students in how to taste, smell and look at colour changes in beer as well as learn about how Pilsners differ from ales.
The second-year course focuses on how to evaluate beer characteristics and quality.
"The program will also be useful for those who want to get into distilling," Worobec said. "Filtering, packaging, sales and marketing as well as calculating and creating recipes are transferable skills."
