Lauren Appleman

Lab Manager, Cape May Brewing Company & Cape Beverage Distributing
Cape May, NJ

I feel like I fell into the brewing industry by accident and I’m still waiting for someone to ask me what I’m doing here.  I went to school for the sciences, but never had much of a plan beyond that.  After I graduated I found myself trapped in this circle of not having enough experience to be where I wanted, but nobody was willing to open that door for me.  I was accepted into the first Brewing Science program at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, did an internship at Weyerbacher Brewing, and then moved on to Cape May Brewing Company, where I have been working for six years now.  During my time here, the lab has expanded from a party of one working at a table on the side of the production floor, to a small room the size of a utility closet, to what is now a full-sized lab with a team that is two thirds women.  I feel like I have grown up right alongside the company, and I love being able to share my passion with my coworkers on developing and producing high quality, world class brews.  I’ve had the pleasure of traveling and representing my company at conferences, designing and trialing beers for production, training for both sensory and lab processes, and sharing lead on International Women’s Day brew day experiences.  While it can be challenging, repetitive, and sometimes thankless, I wouldn’t want to do anything else.  Remember, at the end of the day, it’s just beer!