My desire to make my own barley-based creations was first born from discovery as a consumer. I started by cutting my teeth on malt beverages that probably would have tasted better if I had ate the brown paper bag it came in as a food pairing. I quickly learned that the world of beer has so much more to offer, and it wasn’t long before I started getting funny looks for showing up to beachside bonfires in Ventura County, CA with the likes of Pilsner Urquell, Samuel Adams Double Bock and many other beers that contained high quality ingredients and were made with superior craftsmanship. 

This carried on during my stint at Cal State Chico, which is of course the home of the Sierra Nevada Brewery. After a few visits and many pints of the various styles they produced, I had a new appreciation for local, fresh beer. My curiosity as to how it was made was beginning to grow. In 2003, I finished college and was fortunate enough to land a job in another great beer producing area — San Diego.  It was there that my homebrewing journey began. Little did I know at the time that a tub of malt extract and one addition of hops was not going to yield what I had gotten used to at school.  The good news was that the early stuff ended up being drinkable and nobody went blind from it. The not so bad news was that I had a lot to learn. 

Over the course of the next five years I brewed once every couple months and was slowly getting better at it, mostly from trial and error. In 2008 my time of working at a desk job came to a screeching halt and I found myself taking hard look at what I wanted in life. I realized one of the things that makes me the happiest is putting together a recipe, making it with my own two hands and seeing the smile on someone’s face when I share it with them. This motivated me to start brewing much more frequently and make various upgrades in equipment to support all-grain batches. 

One day while flipping through a brewing magazine, I discovered the UC-Davis Master Brewers Program and quickly realized this could be my shot at getting into the professional side of brewing. My main objective in writing this blog is to give you a weekly account of my experiences and observations during this 18-week program and what one can expect upon completion.  Perhaps it will inspire you to one day brew your own — and get paid for it!