Many of the people who work in the craft beer industry got their start because they were passionate about the liquid in their glass. Eric Pham, head brewer and innovation brewer at Prison City Brewing in Auburn, New York, is one of those people.

After feeling unfulfilled at his desk job, Eric's fiancé suggested he look for a job in the beer industry since they spent many of their weekends visiting breweries. Eric found his way into beer in 2018 as a warehouse assistant at Lamplighter Brewing Company, with roles at Trillium Brewing Company, Tree House Brewing Company, and Other Half Brewing Company. Each role would eventually prepare him for a leadership position at Prison City.

In our conversation, he'll describe this journey from his early days at the company to becoming a head brewer. One of the valuable lessons he learned along the way is that there's no magic in big breweries like Trillium or Tree House, but simply a team of people working hard to get a pint in your hands. We also talk about his Michael Jackson Fund Scholarship and what he hopes to learn, but more importantly, how he hopes his moment in the spotlight will help him encourage other BIPOCs to join the beer industry.