Learn more about the Master Brewer profession and its role in the industry

Brazil has 1,549 breweries registered with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), according to the 2021 Beer Yearbook. In such a competitive sector, a professional is essential from beginning to end of the manufacturing process: the brewmaster.

This professional is the one who guarantees the taste, color, foam and aroma, according to each recipe. It is also his responsibility to maintain the safety and efficiency of production as well as respect for the environment and employees.

Field of action

The brewmaster can work both in a small brewery and in large companies. In 2021 alone, Brazilian breweries registered 35,741 products and 45,984 beer brands, according to MAPA.

“The Master Brewer is an essential professional as companies grow, begin to become professional and worry about quality and gains in productivity and competitiveness”.

Alfredo Ferreira, Master Brewer by Doemens Academyfrom Germany.

expanding market

According to Ferreira – who is also a member of the Instituto da Cerveja do Brasil (ICB), one of the main brewery schools in the country – the profession has been around for centuries in European countries. And, despite being recent in Brazil, the activity has grown significantly over the last ten years, following the expansion of breweries in the country.

“Demand has exploded in the last 10 years, going from 129 in 2011 to 1,549 last year, thus increasing the demand for Master Brewers, who are looking to specialize to fill the spaces that are being opened in breweries”, explains the Master Brewer.

Training

Although the profession does not require higher education, to become a Master Brewer you need to have technical knowledge, as the professional commands all stages of beer production in large, medium and micro breweries.

“Chemical, food, production, chemist and biologist engineers are desirable training courses, but the diploma alone does not guarantee placement in breweries”, adds Ferreira.

The ideal, explains the professional, is that the person interested in becoming a Master Brewer first seeks practical experience, actually working in some production, and then looks for technical and theoretical training courses that expand knowledge, but already with some acquired base. experience in the brewery.

This technical training, combined with practical experience and, preferably, a university education in related courses, are the essential requirements for a good placement of the professional in the job market. Currently, specific technical training courses for the profession are not yet offered in Brazil, which leads those interested in the profession to seek training abroad, in countries such as Germany, the United States or Spain.

the brewmaster

In addition to the technical knowledge to perform the function, Ferreira believes that it is essential that the professional has the ability to manage processes and people.

“The Master Brewer goes far beyond the sensory analysis of the product. He is a professional who must be aware of issues ranging from productivity, quality systems, control of physical-chemical and microbiological processes, supervision of activities carried out by other company employees involved in the beer production process, always concerned with safety everyone and the environment”, adds Ferreira.

female participation

The female participation of Master Brewers has been growing in the country. “When I started my career in the industry, more than twenty years ago, there were practically no women working in the area. Today we see many women at the head of breweries that are responsible for the production of thousands of hectoliters produced in Brazil”, evaluates Ferreira.

Although absolute parity has not been achieved, he claims that the presence of women in the beer chain’s job market is much more common today, compared to when he started the profession. We also see this participation in the classroom growing, in a more balanced way”, comments Ferreira.

Qualification in the sector

The National Association of the Beer Industry (SINDICERV), as the sector’s representative entity, supports all parts of the beer production chain, helping to disseminate regulatory and business knowledge, in order to assist professionals involved with the most diverse processes that bring plantation beer by the glass.

Check the website for information on procedures to register a brewery or brewery.