August 26, 2024
Casey Brunetti loves drinking beer. But she really loves making it.
Now pub brewer at Big Lake Brewing in Holland, Brunetti got her start at Grand Rapids Community College in the renowned Craft Brewing, Packaging & Service Operations Certificate Program. The program changed the trajectory of her life.
“I’m very grateful that I was able to go through the program because it gave me a good introduction to the world of craft brewing,” said Brunetti, who earned her certificate in 2018. “GRCC is also where I met my classmates who are still at the heart of my professional network today.”
But brewing beer wasn’t always the career the Alpena native envisioned for herself.
In 2016, Brunetti earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Michigan State University planning to continue on to a master’s in social work after taking a gap year. She lived in Ireland, working as an au pair and traveling across Europe whenever time allowed.
“And I drank so much good beer,” said Brunetti, now 30.
The experience was wonderful — and eye-opening. She realized she no longer wanted to become a social worker, sitting behind a desk for the rest of her life. Beer is what really interested her.
“I found out about GRCC’s craft brewing program by literally Googling ‘beer college’ and enrolled at GRCC when I got back home,” she said.
In addition to classes, she worked at GRCC’s on-site brewery, Fountain Hill Brewery, getting hands-on experience in the art, science and technology brewing. She interned at Five Lakes Brewing Company, formerly located in Dorr. After earning her craft brewing certificate, she held a series of brewing jobs in Alpena and Grand Rapids before and after the pandemic. She started at Big Lake Brewing a little over a year ago.
“I had a pretty tumultuous start to my career because of COVID, but I feel very comfortable at Big Lake and have had so many amazing opportunities to do cool stuff,” said Brunetti, who most recently crafted three new beer recipes debuting there in September.
When she’s not crafting beer, she volunteers with the Pink Boots Society, a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing the careers of women and non-binary people in the brewing industry. In January, she was elected leader of the organization’s West Michigan chapter.
The GRCC alumnus is happy with the path her life has taken — and so is her family.
“My mom was a little shocked by my decision to craft beer for a living, but she’s been my biggest supporter since I started doing this,” she said. “She really likes craft beer, so that helps a lot.”
This story was reported by Beth McKenna.