The Brewers Association (BA) is excited to kick off the eighth cohort of its Mentorship Program. Since its inception in 2021, the BA Mentorship Program has welcomed two cohorts of participants each year. With the Fall 2024 cohort, the program has served nearly 250 aspiring professionals, advancing professionals, and brewery start-ups.

“Each cohort is different,” says J Jackson-Beckham, director of social impact for the BA. “The composition of mentees and what they are hoping to gain from the program tends to reflect what’s going on in the industry more broadly.”

BA social impact coordinator Stephanie Grant adds, “With this cohort, we’re seeing more aspiring and advancing participants looking to grow their technical knowledge. That includes learning the basics of making, serving, and evaluating beer in the track for aspiring professionals, and recipe formulation, quality, and brewery operations in the track for advancing professionals. We believe the increased focus on these production-related skills reflects a desire to differentiate in an industry that’s currently navigating some challenging times.”

The BA Mentorship Program provides a 12-week virtual mentorship experience. Participants are paired with three different mentors, each specializing in a different area of interest. This unique approach offers participants diverse insights from multiple perspectives across a wide range of topics.

Participants who successfully complete the BA Mentorship Program receive support beyond the 12-week mentorship period. Mentees receive financial assistance to attend the Craft Brewers Conference®, pursue Cicerone and BJCP certifications, enroll in an approved brewing education program, or build a reference library of Brewers Publications titles.

Rich Brooks, a member of the Spring 2024 mentorship cohort, used his professional development scholarship to enroll in a brewing education certificate program. Brooks joined the program’s aspiring professionals track to gain a broad understanding of the craft brewing industry.

“The [Mentorship Program] made me more interested in pursuing a career in craft beer. It made me want to dig deeper and learn more.” Brooks continued, “The most beneficial part of the program was the connections between the mentors and mentees, and the conversations [we had] about the industry. The mentors were open and transparent and answered any question I had. They were very knowledgeable people. It was awesome.”

The Brewers Association (BA) envisions a craft brewing industry that provides unmatched opportunities for learning, professional development, employment, entrepreneurship, belonging, and empowerment to everyone, regardless of identities, experiences, or perspectives.

Learn more about the BA Mentorship Program.