Working with UK breweries is a great way to be part of a long-standing industry that spans hundreds, if not thousands of years. You'll be part of a consumption-based industry that people take great pride in enjoying. And with a pub seemingly on every corner, there is no shortage of prospective buyers.

Working for breweries in the United Kingdom does take a little more knowledge than whatever home brew you might've slapped together in your bath tub. That's because, at its core, the art of brewing and distilling is a recipe which causes a chemical reaction, which ultimately gives us the beverage we all love to enjoy. Here are some tips on how to gain an education and work successfully for British beer companies.

1. Take a day or short course in beer appreciation in order to work in UK breweries.

2. Obtain a degree in distilling in order to work in United Kingdom breweries.

3. Get a postgraduate degree in brewing and distilling to make yourself more attractive to United Kingdom breweries.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Take a brewing and distilling course for breweries in the United Kingdom education and training

Not everyone sets out to be a master brewer when they are seeking a successful career working for a United Kingdom brewery. After all, there are jobs associated with the industry that range from packaging to marketing and even distributing. However, when speaking of your prized product, it is important that you have at least a cursory knowledge of the subject so that you can be effective in your role when working for a UK beer company.

I recommend: Check out the Institute of Brewing & Distilling website for their Beer Appreciation day course. You'll get an overview of various types of beer, how it's made, packaged and sold. The Society of Independent Brewers Association also offers a yearly conference for two days with a myriad of courses and discussions for amateurs and professionals alike.

Get a university degree in distilling in order to work for UK beer companies

Obtain an undergraduate or short course degree in Brewing and Distilling in order to work successfully for British beer companies. While it may seem like making beer is just about throwing a bunch of hops, water and yeast in a container for a few weeks until it ferments, it's actually a much more complicated process steeped in science. A degree in such a program will enhance your capabilities to work for beer companies in the UK.

I recommend: Check out the website for Heriot-Watt University as they offer a 4-year undergraduate program in Brewing and Distilling. You'll cover everything from the biological sciences to business management to yeast fermentation over the course of your time there. The University of Sunderland also offers a 3 month diploma program through their "Brew Lab."

Enhance your knowledge with a post-graduate degree or course to work for UK breweries

In today's competitive society, having a plethora of education in your disciplined field is a good thing. When it comes to brewing and distilling the case is no different. Most postgraduate courses are a year, or are taught as additional short courses for industry professionals. It's a good idea to have a firm grasp on food sciences and specifically the fermentation process before jumping into these advanced courses.

I recommend: Check out the postgraduate degree offered by Heriot-Watt University to continue your education in the subject of brewing and distilling. While your undergraduate degree does not have to be in the same subject, it must be in an engineering or science field. The Institute of Brewing and Distilling also offers "Professional Development" courses that may be taken after a basic degree or knowledge of the subject has been obtained.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When working for breweries in the UK, be sure to take continuing education courses in order to keep up-to-date on the latest practices of producing beer. As technology advances, so too will the implementation of how UK beer is produced, packaged and distributed.

If your liquor shop or English-inspired pub strives to attract beer aficionados, there's no better way to stock up on the real thing than by contacting breweries in the United Kingdom. The distinctive brewing heritage of breweries in the UK has produced the world's most uniquely flavored lagers and ales. With the British beer renaissance in full bloom here in the United States, it's no wonder that beer lovers are demanding ever-increasing supplies of beers and ales imported from United Kingdom breweries.

Almost any large-scale UK beer company with a foothold in the United States will sell directly to beer retailers. Whether you're looking for supplies of traditional ales, fruity lagers or the ultra traditional cask-condition ales, British breweries are quick to meet the high demand for their product. When seeking to buy beer or ale directly from British beer companies, consider your options:

1. Stick with traditional, top-selling brands that the largest UK breweries are known for.

2. Consider expanding your product line with custom brews from a reputable UK brewery.

3. Attract ale-consuming purists with cask-conditioned taps made by UK beer companies.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find dependable sources of the most recognized brand names from UK breweries

As a beer retailer, you focus on moving your inventory fast. Brand names fly off the shelves, so why take a chance on stocking the unknowns? Even worse; if the fads don't sell, your regular beer connoisseurs will question why dust has accumulated on the bottles, which means they've been sitting on the shelf too long and their flavor is tainted.

I recommend: Coors Brewers, one of the largest breweries in the world, brews its distinctive draughts and ales in the famed Burton-on-Trent region of England. It offers an extensive menu of award-winning draught beers that are well known to American consumers under the names Carling, Coors Light, Grolsch, Worthington's and Caffrey's Premium Cream Ale. Another major player is Scottish & Newcastle, makers of Newcastle Brown Ale, a wildly popular ale among American beer drinkers. Shepherd Neame, a brewery that operates well over 300 pubs in England, consistently provides the traditional Kentish ales and highly acclaimed lagers.

Experiment with new products from British beer companies

You operate a pub or a specialty liquor shop that caters to patrons with adventurous tastes. Satisfy your customers' whims with a steady supply of new ales, lagers and draughts.

I recommend: Moorehouses has innovative brands that are consistent winners at beer festivals through the United Kingdom and Europe. The brewery has been operating since 1865 and has an established market in the United States. Another trendsetter among British breweries is Adnams, which produced the first carbon neutral beer and takes the lead when it comes to creating small batches of specialty brews.

Replicate a traditional British pub with cask-conditioned beer directly from UK beer companies

You've built a British-style pub in the United States and, true to your business' vision, you refuse to serve mass-produced beers. Instead, you're planning to expand your taps and serve hard-to-find cask beer and ale from fine British breweries.

I recommend: Beer4Home provides real cask ale to private homes but also ships overseas to commercial accounts. Isle of Skye Brewing Company has been selling premium quality cask-conditioned ales for more than 10 years. Dent Brewery specializes in distinctive cask ales made in Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you're planning to sell cask ale made by UK breweries, make sure to ask for information on how to maintain a cask-condition cellar.

Breweries in the United Kingdom are a big part of the cultural landscape. From the local pub on every corner to the giant export business that has introduced the world to their wonderful beers and ales, breweries in the United Kingdom are a huge business.

Take the time to learn the terms associated with breweries in the United Kingdom so that you may understand the beer making process and negotiate a good contract when importing products for your business. Here are some of those terms along with some informational resources to help get you started.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Exporting

Exporting refers to the process of sending products to another country. In terms of UK breweries, they ship many of their beers around the world. This expands the marketplace and allows consumers to enjoy a quality product from the United Kingdom.

I recommend: Go to the website for the Shepherd Neame Master Brewers for more information on exporting beer products and what it entails.

Brands, beers

The brands or beers refer to the different types of beverages that a UK brewery offers. Just as the Coca Cola company has beverages with many flavors, so too do UK breweries. Many UK breweries like to list the brands on their website so that bars and food based businesses can familiarize themselves with the products offered before ordering.

I recommend: Visit the website for Molson Coors for more information on the brands of beers that they supply.

Pub tenancy

Pub tenancy is a partnership between a brewery and a pub where the brewer's beer is kept on tap. A pub may have an agreement with several breweries or just one. Usually some incentives in terms of discounts or free promotional items are given to a pub that enters into a pub tenancy agreement with a brewer.

I recommend: Go to the website for the UK Brewer Adnams for additional information on pub tenancy and how it operates.

Stockists

Stockists refers to a list of places and pubs where a customer can find the beer made by a particular brewer. Many UK brewers have a list of stockists on their websites.

I recommend: Visit the website for Dent Brewery for an example of what a stockist list looks like on a UK brewer's website.

Malting

Malting refers to a portion of the beer making process for ales in which barley is steeped in water until it germinates. The resulting malt is then heated until it produces different flavors and colors. Many UK breweries describe portions of their beer making process so distributors to wholesalers and even the casual customer can become familiar with the process.

I recommend: Visit the website for Beer 4 Home.com for a further explanation of the beer malting process.

Cask ale

Cask ale refers to a method of brewing ale that is now only practiced in the UK on a commercial basis. After the initial brewing of the ale, it is placed in a cask while still unfiltered, unpasteurized and containing live yeast products. This live yeast allows for a second fermentation. It is withdrawn from the cask using a hand pump. No additional carbonation is added to the ale.

I recommend: Visit the website for Cask-Ale for a in-depth description of the cask ale making process that is still commonly practiced in the United Kingdom.

There are many different British breweries and British beer companies. As a result, it can become difficult to determine which are the better companies and breweries. Whether in the area for pleasure or business, it can be helpful to know where the better breweries in the United Kingdom are located. Breweries in the United Kingdom advice and ratings may also be beneficial for those who are looking to offer imported UK beer at their dining establishments in the states.

Potentially being so far away from United Kingdom brewery options can make finding the best brewery in the UK difficult. Luckily there are a number of methods individuals and organizations can use to try to find the best beer companies in the UK and most appreciated brewery contenders. Interested parties should try to:

1. Review the ratings of UK Breweries.

2. Understand the historical significance and future aspirations of breweries in the UK.

3. Read blogs and other social networking site material to see what others think about United Kingdom breweries.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find some honest ratings of UK breweries and see how they compare with each other

Ratings of UK breweries can help visitors quickly and easily determine on a quantitative scale what someone else thinks of particular establishments throughout the United Kingdom. Many sites online deal with the rating of beer companies and breweries in the United States to help others easily and quickly understand how positive an individual brewery or beer company may appear or be to someone on the outside.

I recommend: The listings at FreeIndex are organized by ratings and how they have been received by others. TravelMuse.com rates establishments such as the Truman Brewery in London.

Learn the history of UK breweries to understand the histories on which the companies are founded

This can help a customer learn more about the beer they will be consuming.

I recommend: A history of UK breweries, including some information on Guinness, visit Stason.org. For more recent news and information, consider the British Beer and Pub Association. At BeerandPub.com, it is a great honor to be one of the affiliates of this organization.

Confer with the opinions of others to see what they think of breweries in the UK

The Internet is a great place to exchange ideas and information, including opinions about various breweries found in the United Kingdom. Many visitors have plenty to say about the UK breweries they have been able to visit, the trick is finding this information in an easily accessible manner. Social networking sites and blogs make it a lot easier to learn about the different United Kingdom breweries, so check them out for more information.

I recommend: BeerMe.com has a listing of breweries and beer companies. By clicking on the individual establishment, a complete profile will appear including a summary of the writers visit to the brewery. Additional expert commentary can be found at PubExplorer.com. There, visitors can click on the links and read about the drinks offered, the state of the brewery presently and a little about its history.