A BEER LOVER’S DREAM JOB

DO YOU LIVE, breathe and sleep all things beer? Then your dream job has been created. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History wanted to make sure that beer history is well documented through a new position: official beer historian. It’s a three-year job, funded by the Brewers Association and equipped with a $64,OOO salary plus benefits, according to the job posting, which also notes a specific desire for those involved in the trendy industry of craft breweries. Don’t start salivating just yet; the position has likely been filled by now. But it does give testament to the important role of beer both culturally and historically in America. This particular job description was not for the Homer Simpson type. Applicants were encouraged to come prepared with an “advanced degree” in American business, brewing, food or history, and must have “proven experience in scholarly research, organizing and conducting oral history interviews, writing for both scholarly and general audiences, and knowledge of material culture and archival materials,” according to the job posting. “This is not just what’s in the glass, but innovations in the industry, economic history, social and cultural history. There are a lot of strands that come together to make this part of the larger narrative of American history,” said Smithsonian curator Paula Johnson. The new position will help fill in some important details in the Smithsonian’s current exhibit, the Food History Project, which chronicles big changes in what Americans eat and drink. It will also explain the recent jump in popularity of breweries in America. Craft breweries in the United States more than doubled from 2OO9 to 2O15. Microbreweries alone saw a 2O% increase from 2O14 to 2O15, statistics show. That’s one brewery for every three McDonald’s, according to the Brewers Association, and one brewery for every 3.7 Starbucks. The museum is also planning some brewery programs in the future, two a year for the next three years of the position. “We do a series of after-hours programs here and we really are interested in getting young folks involved in history and in the museum,” said Johnson. The first event will be in October, following the new hire of their scholar in all things beer.