Tapped for Success

Pils of Wisdom from Emma Penny, 2023 scholarship recipient

Back in 2023, I applied for and had the honour of being selected for the very first ‘Pils of Wisdom’ scholarship offered by Science Made Beerable – which was a huge surprise to me, though obviously in the best possible way!

I decided to use the scholarship for my CIBD Certificate of Brewing because of its status as an widely-recognised, highly-respected qualification, not just in Australia but across the world, and because it had a stronger focus on the more technical aspects of beer and brewing – which is where some of the biggest gaps in my knowledge lay. The scholarship fully funded this, and also covered the Set for Success pre-exam study course, which was a huge help.

The study material was indeed more technical than anything I had done before and sometimes was challenging - but it filled in so many gaps in my understanding of the processes within brewing and the science and engineering behind it all. I gained a deeper comprehension of not only how, but why.

I finally took the exam last year – it was tough, but after a tense few weeks of waiting, the results were in and I gained an 82% pass with credit!

I have since moved back to Europe for a couple of years. Just five months after gaining my CIBD brewing certificate, I landed my current job as Brand Ambassador for Guinness Open Gate Brewery, the experimental arm of Guinness. And it’s no lie to say winning this scholarship was critical to that, because the job requirement was to have either a Certified Cicerone or a CIBD Certificate of Brewing in order to apply – and I was the only applicant with both!

Now, I work at the world-famous St. James Gate in Dublin, Ireland, welcoming VIP industry guests from around the world, helping our brewers dream up new beers, educating our staff in beer knowledge, running events and guided tastings, and dozens of other exciting projects for one of the most iconic beer brands in the world.

I’m incredibly grateful to this scholarship for opening doors for me and helping get me to where I am today, and I look forward to seeing them grant that wonderful opportunity to the next person.

Sláinte!

You can follow Emma on Instagram @thedivinebarmaid

For more information about Science Made Beerable Inc's scholarship initiatives, check out our Scholarships page