WITH a book, podcast and a virtual beer school to her name, Natalya Watson knows her pilsners from her IPAs.
The London-based educator has turned her passion for beer, not just into a career, but a mission to share knowledge and appreciation of the beverage with as many people as possible.
“I just like to say I’m all beer, all the time,” she laughs. “So whatever way I can reach people, whether you like to listen or learn or read, there’s something for you.”
A worldly appreciation of beer is perhaps rooted in her own intercontinental origins.
Born in Toronto to Belfast parents Patrick and Fern, she moved to Bangor in 1993, where she attended Ballyholme Primary School.
Four years later, the family relocated to Los Angeles, where Natalya spent her teenage years and attended university. And, it was while studying for a masters at UC Berkeley where a lifelong love affair with beer took hold.
“A few of my friends were really into beer, and bit by bit they were taking me out to this great beer and pizza place in Berkley called ‘Bobby G’s," she recalls.
“From there I thought, oh my goodness, I really need to learn more about this stuff.
"And really since then I’ve taken steps to learn everything I could and then teach that to other people.”
After stints in Washington DC and New York, she returned across the Atlantic in 2015 to make beer her full time career, working in London first with Belgian brewery Duvel Moortgart, before beginning her teaching career.
Natalya now runs her own business centred around education, tastings and consultancy.
“When people ask ‘what do you do’, and I say ‘I teach people about beer’, the first reaction is surprise that it’s a real job.
“But if you were to say you were a wine educator, people wouldn’t be as shocked. Whereas in beer, people think ‘well what is there to learn about?’
“My goal is to just encourage appreciation,” she says. “Growing up in Northern Ireland, I suppose I’ve always just felt comfortable around beer and pubs.
“I think that is just a natural part of the culture.”
Although her parents headed to southern California in 1997 with the belief they would return to Ireland in just a few years, it was 2019 before they re-settled in Co Down.
Natalya now regularly visits both her parents in Bangor and her grandmother in south Belfast.
“Every time I go back to Belfast, I will go to The Vineyard on the Ormeau Road and check out the new Northern Ireland breweries.
“I think Boundary is doing some really great things, and I think Bullhouse is particularly exciting at the moment.
“I know there are many more challenges for Northern Ireland breweries, particularly getting access to distribution. It’s much easier for a brewery to start up in England and have their own taproom.
“But it seems things are moving in the right direction and hopefully it allows more craft breweries to start up and to bring more interesting flavours and styles to people in Northern Ireland.”
In 2018, the ‘Beer with Nat’ podcast series was born, with Natalya eventually dedicating 50 episodes platforming dozens of women across the beer industry.
And while the final series ended in May 2022, she hasn’t ruled out a new direction on the platform.
Her work eventually resulted in the book ‘Beer: Taste the Evolution in 50 Styles’, a beautifully illustrated hardback guide through the story of beer.
Originally set to be launched in March 2020, Natalya instead found herself homebound with the rest of us, being told to stay away from pubs and large gatherings.
Efforts at a virtual launch evolved into a book club, where she talked through the different chapters of her book.
“After that ended, people were saying ‘we want to keep meeting and talking about beer’.
“People who love beer would normally be at festivals or at their favourite pub, and that couldn’t happen, so we all met online, and by September 2020 I decided to launch the first course.
“I was doing beer education, but always in person. So I would go to breweries and taprooms for tasting and training.
“I never would have expected beer education to take off online, because I always felt it would have to be in the classroom, tasting the beer together.”
The Virtual Beer School has also opened up a much wider geographic range of students.
Taught over nine weeks, five of the nine sessions are dedicated to different country styles – with a list of recommendations participants can bring along, if they desire.
“People can get them from their local supermarket or some buy from their local craft brewery. And that’s what makes the chat so interesting, because everyone talks about the different versions they have.”
Participants can opt to sit an entry-level exam with the US professional body - Cicerone Certification Program - to become a ‘certified beer server’, with the option to progress.
“Hopefully, by learning more about what it’s made from, the flavours you can find in it, and the styles that are available, people will find one for them and appreciate it a little more,” adds Natalya.
The next level one Virtual Beer School course kicks off on Thursday September 1, with the level two course starting September 5.
To book a place, visit virtualbeerschool.com or for more information on Natalya Watson, including the ‘Beer with Nat’ podcast, visit beerwithnat.com.
