Craft Brewing grad found community, future at CWU

Eve Rice had been working since she was 13, and she was ready to head off to college before going out into the world to work some more.

Having grown up in Yakima, Central Washington University seemed like the obvious choice, given its proximity to her hometown and her interest in the rodeo team. After completing a welding certification in high school, Rice planned to pursue a major in construction management, but she soon found her interest piqued by a more familiar subject.

“My whole life goal is doing something that I love so that I never have to work a day in my life,” she said. “I find it hard to learn unless I’m super interested, and I have family that’s been growing hops in the lower Yakima valley for over 30 years, brewing definitely captured that for me.”

Rice dove into the major with everything she had — at one point taking on 20 credits in a single quarter — determined to get started in the world of professional brewing as quickly as possible. Along the way, she picked up minors in business administration, wine travel and tourism, and travel management, just for good measure. In doing so, she established a strong community of peers who helped her come out of her shell.

“I was a very anxious person going into college, with the pandemic and everything else happening around that time,” Rice said. “In my time here, with the support of friends and faculty, I’ve become much more confident in myself and my ability to take on whatever life throws at me.”

Those same faculty members have been instrumental in helping Rice form a network in the Northwest craft brewing industry.

“The faculty here have been so amazing in helping me navigate school while trying to find a full-time gig,” she said. “Our industry’s been in a weird place ever since the pandemic, but my mentors here have been working with all of their connections and experience to help me and my classmates find our next step.”

In addition to her degree and three minors, Rice found the time to present research at SOURCE 2024, with the help of CWU Craft Brewing Fermentation Technician Brian Labore. Rice’s research revolved around a particular strain of Kaiser yeast and its ability to survive when faced with warmer temperatures.

“I’m very passionate about everything that goes into maintaining the health of yeast, and all the microbiology that goes into keeping these little microorganisms alive,” she said. “I sound like a total nerd, but the things we can do to help these little creatures survive better, or recover when they start to die off — that fascinates me. I was glad to be able to conduct research about it as part of my degree.”

With her degree in hand, Rice has joined John I Haas, one of the world’s largest hop producers, as an advanced products chemist. She knows that with the experience and connections she gained at CWU, the world of craft brewing is hers to explore.

“Loyalty to the people who support you is so important, and I’ve really internalized that in my time at CWU,” she said. “Anytime down the line when I need help finding a job or learning why a beer turned out wrong, I know I can turn to the people I went to school with. And I will work hard to make sure they know they can rely on me, too.”