Fred’s talented taste buds help us brew better beer.

Even at school, Fred’s dream was always to brew great beer. He joined us over 30 years ago and his talent for beer tasting has been a key part of our success. Now he’s making a big impact in sustainability, helping us to support the AB InBev Better World Program in our Bremen brewery in Germany, where he brews Beck’s, Hacke Beck and Tennents Super beers. 

An ambition to make great beer

“AB InBev has some amazing brands,” says Fred. “I remember finishing school and thinking that I wanted to be involved with the Beck’s brewery. It has a worldwide reputation, so joining as an apprentice was really exciting!”

From apprentice to brewer and maltster

Fred was especially impressed by the training he was offered as an apprentice. “When I joined AB InBev they sent me on a three-year training course, where I learned everything about producing malt and the brewing of the world-famous Beck´s beer – from raw materials through to the final bottling.”

A taste for success

He’s responsible for turning malt, water, yeast and hops into beer in line with the German Purity Laws by carefully controlling all aspects of the process, temperature, time, fermentation and maturation. There are a few other perks to his role too. “I test our beers for taste – it’s definitely not something everybody can say they do as part of their job!,” he smiles. “AB InBev trusts our team to make sure the quality of the beer meets our high quality standards at every stage, so we know it is the best it can be for our customers.”

Training the taste buds

After thirty-four years in the business, Fred’s taste buds are well-trained. “I must have tasted millions of beers by now,” he says. “AB InBev is brilliant at providing taste training for all new employees so everyone knows what great beer should taste like.” 

Brewing a Better World

Fred’s latest challenge sees him utilising his vast brewing knowledge to help us operate more sustainably. “At AB InBev, we’re always encouraged to think sustainably to reflect our Better World dream,” he says. “One of my proudest achievements was coming up with an idea to reduce the losses of naturally generated CO2 from fermentation and re-using it in other parts of the brewing process. I also helped to develop a water-saving technique, which played a big part in our Better World agenda.”