All About Beer Magazine - Volume 23, Issue 3
July 1, 2002 By

As the world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch obviously offers plenty of employment opportunities.

“We look for specific things, some science background, life sciences or engineering,” Mitch Steele said. “You have to have the ability to learn to brew. We look for people who are passionate about brewing and interested in learning how we do things.”

Like Steele, Mark Matheson has formal training in fermentation science. Even so, he says, “this might seem strange, but I wouldn’t necessarily go with the scientist.

“If I had two guys, one a biologist and one not a biologist but with a really good palate, then I would hire the dude with the palate,” Matheson said. “At the end of the day, what matters is, Does it make the beer better? What does it taste like? That’s the part you have to be good at.”

Dan Carey took another approach in March when he was looking for somebody to work in the New Glarus brew house. “I hire cheese makers,” he said. “They understand sanitation better than anybody in the world and they are used to hard work. They come to work here and they are in heaven. They make better brewers than brewers.”