Chris Good

I homebrewed with my older brother for a few years. I always appreciated the creative and technical side to brewing. Before attending Penn College, I bounced around for a few years doing different jobs. I was a barista for four years, but never had any major career aspirations. I made the decision when I was around 25 that I needed to make a move about my future. I thought that brewing could match up well with my skills and interests. I looked into brewing schools. However, none were within my ability to attend at the time. I saw an ad posted for an Assistant Brewer at Elk Creek Cafe and Aleworks. The brewmaster there, Tim Yarrington, was also starting a brewing program at Penn College. In June of 2017, I became the assistant at Elk Creek Cafe and also enrolled in the program at the same time. 

I love that even though it is an art and a creative venture, it is extremely technical. Places like Victory Brewing and others have managed to maintain the art and craft while still producing consistent, quality beer, and a lot of it. Plus, you get to enjoy the product you create. 

There is definitely a strong sense of community throughout the brewing industry. It was a difficult change going from my 15bbl setup in a smaller town to Victory's full production facility. But working on a team to produce the beer has been a great experience so far.  

As far as the Penn College community, I attended as an "adult learner" who commuted so I wasn't very involved in the extracurriculars and events at the college. However, I never felt like an outsider. Penn College does a good job of encouraging and supporting students of all ages. My graduating class from the brewing program was made up of classmates with similar backgrounds and experiences. 

I mainly chose Penn College based on location and convenience at the time. I definitely do not regret the decision. And it helped that my boss at the time was running the program.  

The hands-on technical aspect, along with the smaller class sizes made all the difference. I tried attending a major university right out of high school and never felt connected to any of the classes or the teachers the way I did at Penn College. It was definitely a better learning environment. As far as brewing knowledge, Tim's hands-on meticulous approach really prepared me for the industry. There is only so much you can see and do in a classroom setting but learning from a veteran in the industry was paramount in me and my classmates' abilities to dive in and contribute immediately to our breweries after graduation. Being a product of my environment from both in-class instruction with Tim and working in his brewery, I have taken on somewhat similar views towards brewing and really appreciate classic beer tradition and style. 

As far as the future goes, I know that I am enjoying my work at Victory. If that develops into something more than I am open to it. Wherever/whatever I end up doing, I just hope I can use my education, knowledge, and skills to produce the finest product that I can.