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Samuel Bates Top of the Pack for 2023 American Brewers Guild Scholarship
From an outstanding group of talented applicants, Samuel Bates of Cellarmaker Brewing Company (San Francisco, CA) has been named recipient of the 2023 American Brewers Guild scholarship. Sam will be attending ABG’s Intensive Brewing Science & Engineering course that runs from January to June 2023. The Intensive Brewing Science & Engineering course is a 22-week distance education program with a final week of residential instruction in Middlebury, VT. The course covers all the fundamentals of beer production and quality assurance with a special emphasis on practical issues.
Sam Bates developed an interest in brewing a decade ago as a homebrewer. After five years of serious homebrewing, Sam took his hobby to another level joining a small new brewery in Lincoln, Nebraska. Sam’s brewing journey took him to the San Francisco area where he honed cellaring and production skills at Barebottle Brewing in San Francisco. Barebottle also gave Sam latitude to develop own recipes and he embraced the opportunity to craft many new beers which Barebottle continues to produce. Sam further deepened his knowledge at Almanac Beer Company in Alameda, CA before he landed at Cellarmaker. Sam has played several key roles there and has been tapped to be a part of the transition to a new brewing facility in Oakland, CA.
The Selection Committee members noted how much initiative Sam has demonstrated over his homebrewing and professional brewing years. In the words of a committee member, “True to his roots, Sam continues to honor homebrewing with his continued involvement as a certified beer judge through the BJCP. Another great characteristic is Sam’s quest for knowledge, and he clearly spends time outside of the brewhouse working on gaining more knowledge from books and podcasts and such.”
Another selection committee member noted that “Sam is drawn to the creative side of brewing and clearly that has helped him push the envelope in terms of new styles. The ABG course will give him the scientific and technical fundaments that will marry so well with his artistic side and round out someone who clearly has lots of talent and passion.” “While all of the candidates were great this year, Sam has a unique opportunity to help build out a new brewhouse with Cellarmaker so the timing of this education and scholarship is perfect for this moment in his career.” And Sam is the first to note that the knowledge he gains through the ISB&E course is not for just him but for the betterment of the team as they work together to continue making great beer at the new location. We all wish Sam the best with the course and in his new endeavor.
The American Brewers Guild is a premier school for the craft brewing industry dedicated to providing a comprehensive learning experience that focuses on the technical, scientific, and operational matters and issues that brewers face in a craft brewing environment. We offer our deepest gratitude to American Brewers Guild for its long-standing and continuing support for the Foundation’s brewing education scholarship program.
Join us in thanking the Selection Committee of Jamie Floyd (Ninkasi Brewing), John Maier (Rogue Ales), Lisa Morrison (Belmont Station Bottle Shop & Biercafé), and Steve Parkes (American Brewers Guild) who were given the difficult decision of selecting a single recipient from a deep and talented group of deserving candidates. |
