In February, Ballast Point Brewing Company announced the establishment of its Brewing for Diversity scholarship. Developed in concert with UCSD Extension to provide opportunities for individuals from factions underrepresented in the brewing industry to learn about the fermentation sciences and gain real-world vocational experience. After reviewing applications and interviewing those deemed most qualified, a committee made up of personnel from Ballast Point, UCSD Extension and the San Diego Brewers Guild‘s Inclusion Committee found themselves with a most welcomed problem: they had two candidates who were so impressive that they couldn’t decide between them. As a result, both of those candidates, Elia Gómez Smith (pictured above on the right with Ballast Point co-owner and CEO Brendan Watters) and Skylar Holewinski, were awarded full tuition to UCSD Extension’s 12-to-18-month Brewing Certificate Program as well as paid brewery-production and operations internships at Ballast Point’s San Diego facilities. Before they embark on their educational journeys, we took a moment to get to know where they’re coming from, where they hope to go and what they hope to accomplish, not only for themselves, but for others.
Please share some of your background as it relates to your studies and journeys to this point.
Elia Gómez Smith: I hold a BS in chemistry with a minor in biology, and I have completed the professional Biofuels Science Certificate Program at UCSD Extension, which included analytical chemistry and industrial-scale chemical processes. I gained hands-on experience growing specific strains of algae, extracting their lipid content, and analyzing and converting them into biofuels. I have been homebrewing beer and kombucha for several years in support of my passions for fermentation, health and wellbeing. As a Latina woman, I have many friends that rely on the expertise I have gained in herbology, mycology and cooking for their projects and healthcare needs. I have also been taking herbology classes at Pacific College of Science to study herbs and their usage in traditional Chinese medicine and their application in food for health and wellness.
Skylar Holewinski: After 18 years of pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology, I was awarded my diploma in 2018. Due to the longevity of my journey for a degree, and the fact that I’m approaching my fourth decade of life, I have held many odd jobs, including being a bingo caller on a military base and an untrained interior designer for a local newspaper’s office, along with many part-time jobs—Home Depot, movie theater, babysitting, front desk office jobs, restaurant and cocktail experience, etc. I’ve also held two jobs that I would consider careers, first, in childcare, teaching and community development, and the other—and most current—in biopharma running clinical trials.
What inspired you to apply for the Brewing for Diversity scholarship?
SH: This comes back around to the reason that I was looking around for something. Having to pursue a bachelor’s degree for 18 years could have shut down my interest in science, but instead I found after graduating that it means even more to me to pursue development of my scientific skillset in a hands-on format. However, I am working full-time and managing a complex set of financial responsibilities. I was looking for a way to exercise my scientific thinking and practice through experimentation when I came across the Brewing Certificate Program at UCSD Extension. The program is flexible, offering classes on nights, weekends, online, etc., and also contains an in-person internship at the end. I’ll be honest, I was surprised at my excitement to apply at first, but then I realized, this is a fun way to practice science, and the outcome of the experiment is also ingestible and shareable with other people in a community setting like grabbing a beer together. It was a new way to see brewing beer. The program is set up to work in balance with my other responsibilities and I found myself drawn to apply. In my free time over the past six years, I’ve done a lot of research and program building for science educational equity, so when I saw the scholarship for diversity and learned how few women are brewers—less than 8%—I reflected and felt confident that I could use what I’ve learned about educational equity to help bring forth new pathways for folks to enter brewing and science.
EGS: Before applying, I had a Zoom meeting with Kyle Wiskerchen, the UCSD Extension Brewing Certificate Program Manager. I shared with him my passion for fermentation and explained that entering the brewing industry was never a thought in my mind. In a traditional Mexican family, brewing beer has been perceived as a male role. I shared that some of my brothers used to tease me when I told them I wanted to ferment beer—cerveza artisanal. Kyle kindly shared with me that history teaches us there’s a woman, Ninkasi, that is considered to be the Sumerian goddess of fermentation. Ninkasi was the youngest daughter out of eight children. I smiled, and I immediately felt connected with Ninkasi, especially since I am also the youngest out of eight siblings and I have practiced fermentation since I was a child. Immediately my thoughts told me, history found its way back and possibly I can be a bridge to the present time and create the mission of remembering history. Kyle also explained about the Brewing for Diversity Scholarship opportunity. The word diversity immediately got my attention. It explains the uniqueness of the mission of the scholarship. I had butterflies because I decided I was going to apply, and life was presenting an opportunity for me to embrace that I am a scientist by heart, and I can represent every aspect of who I am: a daughter, a mother, a Latino woman that swore in front our government the Oath of Allegiance of the United States when I became a naturalized citizen. I told Kyle that the projects that I have done for the community have three elements: remembrance, tradition and community. I would like for the present world to remember that history honors a goddess of fermentation, to learn about beer traditions and continuing them by creating a safe space that builds creativity so that then our community will see every aspect of making beer as poetic; a delicious living poem.
What are you most excited to learn via the Brewing Certificate Program?
EGS: I am very excited that I will be learning from the experts in the field. I am fascinated by the laboratory portion of the program. One of my main interests is learning more in-depth about the different strains of yeast and all the science behind their personalities. One of my friends asked me recently, “So do you want to become a yeast rancher?” I replied, “yes.” I find the entire downstream process of producing beer in a brewing company fascinating. The process of making a beer is orchestrated in a way that looks for all the variables that make beer wonderful. My favorite equipment in the brewhouse is the lauter tun vessel. When I saw the copper lauter tun at Ballast Point it took my breath away. Also, I am excited to learn how the industry connects with the farmers that provide the malt, hops and specialty ingredients that give a unique personality to the beer.
SH: I am most excited to learn the scientific principles of brewing—fermentation, barley’s malting process, the genetics of the yeast…and definitely how to make beer that tastes dynamic and delicious. Learning how to add flavor and how the human experience takes in those flavors in any one sip, that connection between science and human experience is sort of magical and exciting to me. I have to say, I’m also looking forward to my failed beer-making—when something doesn’t come out and deliver well, that is where you learn the most and typically, you learn to excel at that step afterwards.
How do you hope to put your skills and education to use in the brewing industry?
SH: I’ve found that I especially enjoy project-style work or tasks, and I think brewing a batch of beer is a natural project-style endeavor. While I can be perfectionistic and very organized with timing and when working in science and protocols or experiments, I also prefer to take a peaceful and patient attitude approach. I assume I will carry these traits and intentions into the industry with me. My education is biology-based, but to complete that degree I had to complete organic chemistry, physics and calculus. Some of these theories will help me to understand steps in brewing, and I think the act of actually brewing will really solidify the experience with science. Finally, I enjoy asking questions and listening to people’s personal experiences, which I can already picture myself enjoying as I am able to serve libations that I have created—or which others have created. That creativity part will shine through.
EGS: By applying my science background and my Chinese herbology education, I am hoping to come up with creative ways to make beer holistic by honoring tradition and, at the same time, creating new ideas that make beer appealing to audiences that otherwise would not drink beer.
Where do you hope to see yourself, professionally, in the years to come?
EGS: I hope to see myself as a brewmaster running a seven- or 15-barrel brewery. I will continue supporting the mission of UCSD Extension and Ballast Point by setting an example to the community in running my own company. I will have the best possible R&D (research and development) department to support the sciences and art of making beer. Lastly, I would like to inspire women to join the beer industry by providing a safe space for learning, creativity and happiness.
SH: I’m inspired by San Diego breweries like Mujeres Brew House, Border X Brewing and Hillcrest Brewing. Each have brought culture and community into their brewing and business, and a spirit of doing something new. As for where this all may lead to for me, I’m honestly not sure right now…but I love an unfolding adventure!