From Construction to Craft Beer<\/strong> It took her awhile to get used to the close-knit band of craft beer. \u201cEveryone’s a friend. No one’s a stranger\u2026 When I came down here, I was just like, \u2018Wait, you mean, we’re just going to give these people a bag of grain? Because they ran out? But they\u2019re our competitors!\u2019 And they’re like, \u2018No, they’re not.\u2019 That is amazing, and I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It Started With a Silo<\/strong> \u201cSo I stepped forward. I talked to the people, and I went back and I did all the research, filled out all the paperwork, got the signatures, filed, and we got a permit. It just kept being a little piece by piece,\u201d says Patterson. \u201cI started learning about all this stuff that nobody thinks about, nobody knows about. Anytime something would happen or come up, I’d be like, \u2018I got that. I’ll learn about that. I’ll take care of that.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was the beginning of her evolution into the more regulatory role she now focuses on, slaying state statutes and crushing compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMake Yourself As Invaluable As Possible\u201d<\/strong> \u201cThey said, \u2018No, because what you do is you get asked a question, you go online, you have all the world of information at your feet, and you’re able to go down that rabbit hole, find the nugget that you need, and bring it back to us. You do it quickly and concisely and from good sources. That’s a skill. That’s a thing that not everybody can have.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After years of learning the ins and outs of The Lost Abbey, Patterson now has a stronger sense of confidence in her problem-solving abilities. At The Lost Abbey’s Cardiff-by-the-Sea Confessional tasting room, Patterson says that \u201ceven here, they joke \u2018if you have a question, start with Clarissa. She’ll either know the answer, she’ll find the answer, or she’ll know who to send you to for the answer.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patterson Predicts the Future<\/strong> No matter what, she\u2019s adamant about continuing to work in San Diego beer. \u201cIt’s a giant family, [and] I don’t have any family anywhere near me. These people are it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the meantime, she hopes to impart some advice for anyone hoping to work in craft beer. \u201cJust get your foot in the door. I was basically hired to do goodness-knows-what\u2026 and I’ve managed to grab the things that interest me. I’m at a job that didn’t really exist until I made it exist for me. So just get in there, learn everything you can, and be willing to be the guy who’s mopping up at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite her fairly specialized role within the beer industry\u2014she can only name a small handful of people with a similar dedicated position\u2014Patterson\u2019s journey to beer is fairly recent. She moved to San Diego six years ago with a strong predilection for tiki-centric cocktails, but after working in the construction industry for ten years (an industry she calls \u201csuper cutthroat\u201d), she was ready \u201cto get a fun job.\u201d She happened to see that The Lost Abbey was hiring for an administrative assistant. She applied, got the job, and has been there ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_7561.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&ssl=1\")
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As Patterson dove into the world of San Diego beer, she had to learn how to balance the pleasure of community with the procedure of business operations. When an inspector unexpectedly asked to see a permit for The Lost Abbey\u2019s grain silo\u2014one they\u2019d inherited with the property from Stone Brewing\u2014Patterson realized there wasn\u2019t one individual whose position gave them obvious ownership of the missing permit problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although there aren\u2019t many people working solely in beer compliance, Patterson sees it as an absolutely necessary role that\u2019s often misunderstood. \u201cEven the really boring stuff isn\u2019t really boring. I love to read,\u201d going on to say that she reviews the business code of ethics on a regular basis.\u00a0
She recalls a story of a conversation when she tried to explain what she does, which she describes as \u201ca lot of research, but anybody can do that.\u201d They immediately stopped her from discounting herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_7624-Edit-683x1024.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&ssl=1\")
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Currently, she\u2019s gearing up to start pulling permits and licenses for the upcoming East Village location, but Patterson is open about her ambition beyond The Lost Abbey. \u201cI’ve been toying with the idea of doing consulting on the side,\u201d she muses, citing the \u201ccraft beer attorney\u201d Candace Moon as an inspiration. \u201cI’ve got six years of experience. I’ve taken a lot of classes [and] a lot of training. I think it’s something I might eventually do\u2026 I think that would be a nice resource to have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n