Yun-Ji Chung
Diploma Graduate
I come from Taiwan, an island located on the west side of pacific ring. My country has a democracy government and a developed society. Taiwan is a beautiful island. There are abundant natural resources on the island and lots of amazing scenery. I majored in Biology Science in my Bachelor degree. I then went to the University of Newcastle upon Tyne to study an MSc in Organic Farming and food production systems. After the MSc had finished, I worked with a farm which was growing wheat in an environmentally friendly way. This experience not only brought me practical knowledge, but also the attitude to respect nature and farmland. I therefore wanted to promote the idea of slow food because it can make people re-consider the origin of food and drink, and not take it for granted. Beer is my favourite drink and a good media to pass my passion to others. I decided to learn how to brew and combine all I have learned to create high value beer.
Why did you choose to study with Brewlab?
Since Brewlab collaborates with the agriculture department in University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Professor Carlo Leifert, an expert of organic farming systems, suggested to go to Brewlab to learn about brewing beer. Professor Carlo has many great ideas and philosophy about food justice and agriculture so that I trusted his recommendation.
What aspects of the course did you find most useful?
For me, visiting commercial breweries was the most beneficial aspect of the course as I got to experience actual brewing scenarios. Through the placements, I got to understand the management systems and learn practical skills. The many designs and layouts of the breweries inspired and gave me ideas about how to work smart instead of work hard. In addition, the experience I gained from brewers was also important for me to realise the difficulty of brewing industry. All this information gave me thoughts to consider how to build my business and brewery in the future.
What have you done since the course?
Currently, I work for King-Car Food Industry, one of the largest beverage companies in Taiwan, my home country. The name of our brewery is Buckskin. I have been a researcher in the Beer Department for more than 2 years. My main job is to analyse the flavour of beer and implement storage experiments to observe the change in quality of beer under different storage conditions. In addition, I am a recognized beer judge in the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) system and a Level-One Certified Sommelier in Cicerone. In our brewery, I am the chief lecturer in our beer division, and frequently introduce our beer to agents who want to sell our products. I also train newcomers in our brewery to differentiate off-flavours in beer.
Would you recommend Brewlab?
Yes. Brewlab is the best beer school for training people brew beer in the UK.
