An Interview with Master Brewer Kim L. Johansen

A Journey from Chemical Engineer to Master Brewer

In this article, we delve into the fascinating professional background of Kim Johansen, a chemical engineer with roots tracing back to the Danish Technical University. Kim's journey has been marked by a career spanning various engineering companies, in the private sector. His educational foundation as a chemical engineer laid the groundwork for a diverse and dynamic career that eventually led him to the world of micro brewing. Over the years, he dedicated himself to teaching at the Scandinavian School of Brewing in a collaboration with University of Copenhagen. We sat down with Kim for a conversation about his professional career, the Craft Brewer Course, and, most importantly, why micro brewing holds relevance in today's brewing industry.

Could you tell a bit about your professional background and your interest in micro brewing?

- I am an educated chemical engineer from the Danish Technical University, having completed my studies many years ago. Throughout most of my career, I have been employed in the private sector, specifically in two types of businesses. The first half of my professional journey involved working in engineering companies, which eventually merged.

I started in a small company named Alfred Jørgensen, renowned for its collection of pure yeast cultures. However, my role within the company was in the engineering department, where I focused on designing and planning projects for breweries. This ranged from small-scale upgrades and consultancy services to extending production capacity and, ultimately, the design of entirely new breweries from the ground up, commonly referred to as Greenfield Breweries. This involved constructing a brewery from scratch, starting with nothing.

This work continued in a company called Danbrew, which was owned by Carlsberg and merged with Alfred Jørgensen. Years later, I came back to a company, which at that time was called Alectia, which bought Danbrew. So, it is a long story, but all these engineering companies are now part of the Danish engineering company Niras.

I have also made cider for several years. I started my own company, creating traditional cider inspired by the British and French cider, using Danish apples. However, the market for this proved to be limited. Consequently, after a few years, I sustained myself by engaging in consultancy work for various clients.

 

What was the name of the company?

- “Pomona cider”. The biggest success was a cider made for Irma, the Danish supermarket chain, which is unfortunately closing down now. It was simply named “Irma Cider”, and I produced that cider exclusively for them for several years. However, the volume of production was not big enough.

Overall, it became a too expensive hobby for me, and I returned to the engineering business. After a relatively short time there, I became Training Manager at the Scandinavian School of Brewing. This marks the second phase of my career, which has been primarily focused on teaching, education, and courses.

 

Where is The Scandinavian School of Brewing located?

- It is located in the old part of Carlsberg in Copenhagen. We started the collaboration with the University of Copenhagen teaching on the Master specialization Brewing Science and Technology. A few years ago in 2021, it was decided to hand over the entire education to the university, so now I am employed at the university.

 

What is the Craft Brewer course about?

- The course is designed for microbrewers and small breweries that emerged from 2003 onward, catering not only to the Danish market but also to other Nordic countries, particularly Norway and Sweden. The goal is to provide participants with a theoretical foundation complementing their practical experience gained from working in their own breweries.

 

Who typically participates in the course, and what kind of knowledge do you need to have regarding the brewing?

- We strongly recommend that you have at least two months of practical experience from a microbrewery. In the beginning, the participants were the owners of the microbreweries. Then it was more employees in the microbreweries.

In recent years, we have observed participants from three distinct groups. The first group comprises  people actively involved in microbreweries, including owners of small companies or employees, such as brewers in slightly larger microbreweries.

The second group consists of operators from larger breweries, and the third group is more like home Brewers who want to become a microbrewer maybe in future and they want to learn some more.

The third group is typically people who have experience from home brewing and have made a lot of beer at home. Some have a semiprofessional brewery in their basement at home. They are very enthusiastic.

 

How is the balance between theory and practical aspects maintained during the course?

- The course is divided into two weeks. Between these two weeks, participants make a project within their own brewery and write a report.

In the first week, we are making a brew together with the students in our pilot brewery here at the university. We have a pilot brewery that can make 100 liters in one batch.

In the beginning of the first week they will get some theory how you brew and what is the reason for doing as you do. Then they have a larger exercise where they are designing their own brew, their own beer.

You can take the first week as a standalone course and then they have a good theoretical background. In the second week, we go a little deeper into some subjects. We go more into cleaning and hygiene, especially we go more into packaging. Some of the aspects, which are surrounding the beer. This is also, where the students are presenting their project report for the other students. In the end of the second week, they have an exam, so if they pass the exam and we approve the report, then they become Diploma Craft Brewer. This is a diploma, which is handed over by The Scandinavian School of Brewing.

 

Why is the craft brewing course relevant in today's brewing industry?

- It is very relevant because the competition is really increasing. There are many microbrewers in Denmark and in the other Nordic countries, in Norway, for instance. To be competitive, it is important that you know the theory behind brewing. If something goes wrong you are better at finding out what could be the reason, you will be able to do troubleshooting. If you are a very small microbrewer and you want to increase the capacity in future to produce more, you will also be better prepared for that with the education. Quite a few microbreweries have stopped for different reasons, and there are still microbreweries that are starting even now. So the competition is getting quite hard and the economy is very difficult for many microbrewers and for many craft brewers.

So you are simply better prepared for the future.

You can read about the first course here: Craft Brewer course