Meet Brewer Victoria Mendonca from our Etobicoke brewery!

Q. How did you first get started at Big Rock?
A. I was bartending at our brewpub, Liberty Commons, and learning about Dan’s (LC’s Brewmaster) beers had sparked my interest. My passion is creation and soon came to realize this was exactly what I wanted to be doing! So I started learning and asking questions. After a few requests to tag along on a BR brew, it finally happened. I had just gotten into Brewers College but was then offered a full-time position to learn from the ground up and took it!

Q. Have you always been a beer fan?
A. Haha definitely not! I couldn’t even stomach “light beer” during my university days. At the time I had been hired at a microbrewery and pretended to like beer – oops! I kept on drinking it, and eventually I did like it and even grew to LOVE it.

Q. What is your favourite Big Rock brew?
A. Traditional Ale!

Q. What do you love about your job?
A. Although I didn’t create the recipes, I love that I get to say “I made that.” Working with your hands and having something to show for it at the end of the day is a very rewarding feeling.

Q. What is an interesting/misunderstood fact about brewing?
A. If you look back into the history of beer-making, women were predominately brewers. I love that we’re coming back to that! Anyone and everyone can brew, you just have to be passionate about it.

One of the most beautiful things about brewing is that there is always going to be something to learn, a new ingredient, a different flavour. The possibilities are virtually endless with the variables and what you can create. At the end of the day, that’s why I’m here. What’s life without beer?