Pelican Brewing Company's Research & Development lead, Cat Wiest, receives receives this year's World Brewing Academy scholarship for February 2020
Press Release
Pacific City, Oregon (June 27, 2019)— Pelican Brewing Company brewer, Cat Wiest, is known for brewing beer with a sense of mission and purpose. She’s got an appetite for learning and an innate creativity ideal for innovating award-winning Pelican brews. It is that combination that landed her the coveted 2019 Glen Hay Falconer Foundation Scholarship to the Siebel Institute of Technology World Academy of brewing.
Wiest will be enrolled next February in the World Brewing Academy (WBA) where she will work to earn an International Diploma in the Brewing Technology Program at Siebel Institute of Technology Chicago and Munich campuses. The International Diploma course is a 12-week comprehensive program intended for brewers seeking an in-depth understanding of the technical aspects and practical application of brewing science and technology.
Wiest is currently a Research and Development Brewer at Pelican and previously held a number of professional brewing positions at Seabright Brewery, Speakeasy Ales and Lagers, and Pyramid Ales. She serves on the Pink Boots Society Board of Directors. Wiest is very involved not only in the national brewing scene but is also a committed citizen in her local community. The Scholarship Selection Committee noted Wiest’s ‘tremendous depth of work experience and life experience including solo trekking the Appalachian Trail.’
“Cat is engaged in brewing, in community, and in living life fully—she is clearly motivated and inspired by all around her,” says the Selection Committee. “Cat has the potential to do much with the International Diploma scholarship, clearly from the technical side but even more from sharing her knowledge and mentoring others.”
The hallmarks of Pelican Brewing Company beers are quality, consistency, and creativity that combine to create a downright compelling experience. In order to consistently create captivating beer, Pelican annually invests in the intensive continuing education of its brewers and could not be more pleased that one of the Pelican team has earned such a distinct honor.
“Cat brings a perspective and creative point of view that is uniquely her own—she has an abiding interest in brewing process detail and improvement and is passionately interested in learning all she can about brewing science and process,” says Pelican’s founding brewmaster Darron Welch. “I know that Cat has a number of goals for her brewing career that fit well with the Falconer Foundation—she is a deserving recipient of this coveted scholarship and will continue to make invaluable contributions to the brewing industry. We look forward to seeing what innovations and creativity she brings back to the brewery.”
Because of their ongoing education, Pelican brewers have a deeper understanding of the ingredients and process that impact the quality of its popular brews. They know that to really create an unforgettable end product they need to have more than a rote understanding of the sequence of tasks that goes into brewing.
“I am so honored to receive this incredible scholarship—as an R & D brewer, the World Brewing Academy diploma course will give me the reinforcement I need to marry the creative side of brewing with the scientific” says Wiest. “With the responsibility of innovating new recipe ideas, it is more critical than ever for me to fill in the gaps of my education—I am confident this program will spark my creativity in some wonderful new ways!”
About Pelican Brewing Company
Pelican Brewing Company was born at the beach in 1996. Here, in front of a rundown old building at the water’s edge, stood three enthusiastic young folks whose thirst for great beer overshadowed their understanding of what it would take to build a brewery. They did it anyway. Thanks to the vision of founding owners Jeff Schons and Mary Jones, Oregon’s only beachfront brewpub became one of the state’s most popular destinations. And now 24 years later, Pelican Brewing Company is an iconic beach brand and one of the most decorated craft breweries in Oregon. Pelican has been honored with more than 450 awards including the prestigious 2015, 2016, 2017 Australian International Beer Awards Champion Medium International Brewery; 2014 World Beer Cup Champion Small Brewery; 2013 Great American Beer Festival Large Brewpub of the Year. Why? Pelican brews are playful, but not frivolous. Brewed with purpose, passion and a deep respect for the craft. Pelican operates brewing and brewpub facilities in Pacific City, Cannon Beach, and its state-of-the-craft brewery in Tillamook, Oregon where it brews 40,000 barrels of award-winning beer annually and distributes to six states. Pelican’s vision, its beer and values were born at the beach where the team wakes up each day in a place that reminds them that amazing is possible. Cheers, Fellow Fanatics!
