Do you want to start in the craft beer business? Follow these 5 tips

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1. Fall in love with craft beer

When Ignatius Schwalbone of the founders of the barbarian brewery, began to savor the taste for craft beer at the beginning of 2009, the Peruvian market was still desert regarding supply. There were no suppliers, equipment, supplies or ingredients. However, making beer for him was a low-budget hobby that turned into a passion, he fell in love with the product and, precisely, that was his first piece of advice: “Fall in love with beer, become a fan and learn to recognize what is good and what not in each of them. You have to know how to do it.” It is the best way to know it in depth.

2. Humility above all

You can’t be an expert in craft beers –or anything else– from one day to the next. Much less in a job based on experimentation and the curiosity to know and constantly discover varieties. For this reason, Schwalb advises “having the humility to know that not all the beers you make are going to be good, especially the first ones. There is always a lot to improve.” Patience should be the best ally when undertaking this business. To complement their knowledge, they can “listen to the people who know the most about beers, take classes, read books, watch videos on the Internet. Now there is a lot of information.”

3. Not everything is fun

If you decided to start a business model around craft beer, the expert recommends taking the following into account: “If you want to go from a hobby to a business, you should know that, although the brewery is a fun business and product, starting a business it involves selling them; that is, you have to deal with accounting, financial, legal, human resources, personnel and much more, all the part of a business that is perhaps not so beautiful”. Being responsible is very important because once you start you can’t stop until you have a profitable business like any other.

4. Test, test and test

“One of the characteristics of the craft brewery is the variety of beers it makes. A brewer of this type is constantly looking for new recipes, new styles that you like, that are fashionable or on trend”, emphasizes Ignacio Schwalb. It is important to constantly try new flavors, find recipes for different beers, prepare them and play with creativity. “This is how this business was born, we love to try different beers all the time and, if we really liked a particular one, we would try to replicate it, change some things and have our own version of that style of beer. It’s part of falling in love with the product.”

5. Offer the correct pairing

“The main advice is to pair a light dish with a light craft beer, an intense dish with an intense beer”, recommends Ignacio Schwalb. “These are the general rules that must be followed.” In the case of Barbarian, it is always suggested that dishes containing chicken, such as wings, chicken cubes or steak, be paired with lighter beers such as Magic or La Nena; for burgers, think of an IPA or Lima Pale Ale. Spicy food can ideally go with a Porter.

José Alberto Castro, the first Certified Cicerone® in Peru

Peru can celebrate with the new achievement of the international beer judge, José Alberto Castro, who has just become the first Certified Cicerone® in Peru, a certification recognized in more than 50 countries and a title equivalent to that of ‘sommelier’ but specialized in beers. His passion for beer began by chance in 2013 and after this achievement he hopes to continue the path towards the professionalization of the beer market in Peru.

“It means a better approach to beer, in the market we are in, beer is still seen in the background. The selection, for example, of beers is still very neglected”, says Castro, who passed an arduous exam of many hours and trips to obtain this international certification.