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Holly Doner fits both of these criteria, as she\u2019s both new to San Diego beer and works as a cellarperson at AleSmith Brewing Company, a position she\u2019s held only for a few months. Her path to production didn\u2019t initially come from a place of passion for the product; rather, it unfurled as a better career option as opposed to her original plan, which was to become a veterinarian. It was during her enrollment in the animal science program at the University of California, Davis where Doner first heard about the Master Brewers Certificate Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was like, well, maybe I\u2019ll try one of the classes and see if I like it,\u201d says Doner. \u201cI totally fell in love with it.\u201d She ultimately ended up graduating from UC Davis with her animal science degree, but \u201chad beer in the back of my mind the whole time I was up there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn\u2019t until she moved to San Diego in 2017 that she realized opportunities in the craft beer scene far outweighed the possibilities of utilizing her degree. With the myriad of beer-related educational courses available at schools like SDSU, UCSD, and more, Doner decided to pursue beer instead. \u201cI just didn\u2019t have the heart for [vet school],\u201d she explains. \u201cThere\u2019s a ton of room to grow [in beer].\u201d (It\u2019s a testament to craft beer\u2019s growth that it\u2019s now considered a stable profession as opposed to glorified labor of love.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doner enrolled in the UCSD Extension brewing certificate program, where she soaked in beer basics and local history with professors that included Chris White (president, founder, and CEO of White Labs, Inc.) and Yuseff Cherney (head distiller\/co-founder of Cutwater Spirits and formerly of Ballast Point). It was there that she first heard about the opening at AleSmith.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis was the first beer place that I applied to, so I wasn\u2019t really expecting anything. And I ended up getting my job,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s been a crazy learning curve, especially at such a big facility.\u201d Doner admits joining such a large-scale, as well as well-regarded, brewing operation so early in her career caused her some stress. But she\u2019s quick to applaud her co-workers for an intrinsic willingness to share knowledge with a relative rookie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doner\u2019s days as a cellarperson range from fairly strenuous (\u201cIt\u2019s very hard, physical work\u2014I definitely underestimated that going in!\u201d) to somewhat monotonous (\u201cCleaning\u2026 a lot of cleaning,\u201d she chuckles), but the variety has allowed her to cultivate a surplus of skills she hopes will one day help her achieve a new goal: owning her own brewery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the meantime, Doner hopes to see more women getting into the production side of beer. \u201cI\u2019m definitely the only one in the production area working with a bunch of guys, which I don\u2019t mind\u2026 but it would be nice to have more girls in the cellar.\u201d She provides some words of encouragement for women hesitant to break in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStay dedicated and don\u2019t get discouraged, because it\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0a lot of hard work at first and it\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0nerve-wracking. Stay focused, work hard, and it\u2019ll work out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_6232.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1\")
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