Rebecca Loyche gets an insider view on what it takes to be a (female) brewmeister in Berlin…

The VLB- Versuchs und Lehranstalt fuer Brauerei in Berlin has been teaching the art of crafting the perfect beer since 1883. The school offers a wide range of services and schooling, from setting up breweries worldwide to holding brewing conventions; their courses are even offered in both English and Russian.

I got the chance to meet with former student, now faculty member and  ‘Brewmeisterin’, Veronica Menzel. Veronica took me on a private tour of the school. We talked about the increasing role of women in the brewing industry, her time as a student, her future plans, and her desires to homebrew a “rogue” beer—according to German purity standards anyway…

What made you want to leave Brazil and move to Germany to study beer making?

Veronica Menzel: I worked for six years as a flight attendant, two in Germany and the last four in Brazil.  I was getting tired of that type of work and started checking out the beers and brewpubs in all the different countries I was traveling to. I bought brewing books and started to study. Because I have German family, I grew up drinking and appreciating beer; it interested me to explore the culture of it. The last three months of flying, I started an online course through the Siebel Institute in Chicago. After, I researched schools and found the VLB. Berlin is my favourite city in Germany and I have family here. I was ready for a change.

Were there any special requirements you had to fulfil before coming to the VLB Brewmaster course?

VM: It’s mandatory to have some experience in brewing before coming to the course. Therefore, I worked as an intern for three months at an all-women brewpub close to my town in Brazil. The woman who runs the brewery studied at the Technical University Munich – Weihenstephan. It was a great experience assisting her and learning the basics of brewing. After that I packed up and moved to Berlin so I could start the program.

Tell me more about the program here?

VM:  The VLB Brewmaster course is a six-month private international course that is taught in English. Classes are from morning to afternoon and intense—you cover lots of information in a short period of time. Most students are from the beer and beverage industry, but more and more outsider students are participating. The program started about nine years ago with four or five students and every year it has grown in size. When I was a student in 2011 there were 39 students. This year there are 50 students and the program is outgrowing its small classrooms. As early as 2014, the new institute and school building should be completed and open to accompany the growth. The program is very receptive to foreign students.