Ok we have decided that being CBO at Four Points--Chief Beer Officer--is probably one of the most fantastical jobs out there. Kids in high school: Start aspiring for this role.
Since Scott Kerkmans took the position over a year ago, he's been traveling the country helping Four Points develop their Best Brews list. Aside from having all the ale and brews a man/woman could want, he also has an intern, a blog and now he's got a line of t-shirts.
Four Points is now selling the tshirt shown above that says "I Love CBO." There's also another t-shirt for sale that says, "Best Brews Intern--Here to serve you."
These are actually really cute (for hotel geeks and Four Points lovers that is) and they are made from super soft material so it's not a scratchy kind of t-shirt that you buy from your company's annual walk-a-thon fundraiser. Both t-shirts are $20 and are made for women (snug fit) and men. But we're guessing a lot of the men won't be buying the "I Love CBO" shirt.
However, we will warn you that the t-shirt is a bit of a deeper blue than shown on the website. Take a look after the jump. Man, it's good to be the CBO.
When Four Points by Sheraton's Chief Beer Officer Scott Kerkmans put out a call for the first-ever Best Brews Intern in March, frat boys' ears all over the country perked up. Suddenly beer was a potential career option, and 2,000 applications poured in from hopefuls of all sorts.
And now the lucky recipient of the Sweetest Internship for Dudes Ever has been selected. Home brewer Dan Suarez of Brooklyn was the named the sweetest of all sweet bros:
In keeping with Four Points' commitment to spreading the gospel of life's Simple PleasuresSM, Dan will help develop in-hotel beer "happy hours" for Four Points hotels, work closely with local breweries and conduct beer trend research. He will also help promote Four Points Best Brews' program at happy hours and on bar stools across the country.
Okay, fine. We admit we're a bit jealous. But we send all our best to Dan and Scott. This looks like the beginning of a beautiful Bromance...
P.S. Scott Kerkmans is lookin' good these days despite holding a position that requires drinking beer all day. Not too long ago, he still looked like a frat boy himself. Now, is that hair gel we spy?
It is safe to say that Scott Kerksman is one of the luckiest men in America right now. He's just been appointed (actually voted for out of 7,800 other applicants) the Chief Beer Officer for the Four Points by Sheraton's Starwood Brand. He spent a "whirlwind" week in New York, meeting all the Starwood hotel execs and even ringing in the bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Now, he's gearing up to tour all the Four Points hotels and host their Happy Hours along with hitting up Beer Festivals, and touring local beer breweries. "I think I've made a lot of people jealous" with this new job, Kerksman says in the understatement of the year.
Then again, life was not all that bad for Kerksman before the CBO gig.
A native of New Mexico, Kerks got his first exposure to beer brewing when his brother gave him a home brewery kit at the age of 21. (Legal drinking age, of course.) Together with his brother and a friend, the trio started experimenting with different flavors and after a while, Kerkmans felt confident enough to start working as a brewer at a local brewery where he worked himself up to head brewer. This set off a career of traveling all over to brew, including to Alaska where he was one of six brewers behind Alaskan Amber.
For the past few years, however, he has been working in Phoenix, Arizona overseeing the Draft magazine, a publication he co-founded with two friends, and judging beer.
The Full Q & A with Scott Kerkmans after the jump.
Scott Kerkmans is Four Points by Sheraton's newest Chief Beer Officer aka CBO and despite his youthful age of 27, he wisely knows that he can't have his MySpace page public for all the world to see. Darnit we were hoping for some nude shots of Kerks doing a keg stand or even playing beer pong in his boxers with a cardboard Burger King hat on his head. Instead we got a picture of a pick-up truck in the sunset and this quote:
"Many people fish all their lives, never realizing it is not fish they are after."
Whatever! Luckily we can put a face to the name, thanks to these promo shots of him in his newly installed position as head of the hotel chain's Best Brews program. Kerks is obviously the man for this job having started up the beer enthusiasts magazine, Draft Magazine, whose MySpace page is not set to private. Sadly, it only has three friends.
Finally after drawing out their worldwide search for Chief Beer Officer for nearly six months, Sheraton's Four Points Hotels have announced that a lucky 27-year-old from Arizona will step into this unique position as part of the hotels' New Best Brews Program.
Scott Kerkmans already rang the bell today on the NYSE, just the first step in his position which will take him across the world, cultivating and promoting the Best Brews at brewery tours, beer festivals and of course, good old-fashioned bars.
So what makes Kerkmans so qualified for this job? This:
Since the night his brother gave him a home brewing kit, Kerkmans has been extremely passionate about everything beer, from its production and pairings to sampling stouts and sharing his rich knowledge. ...
And this:
Kerkmans has dedicated both his professional and personal life to beer. This 27-year old Phoenix resident and former Head Brewer / Brewery Manager spent the past year starting and growing DRAFT, a national lifestyle magazine focused on beer and beer culture, in which he reviews this glorious libation on a weekly basis. He is also a certified beer judge who spends much of his free time seeking out new brews.
In the end, Kerkmans received 12,759 votes from people who thought he was the perfect fit. So now he will be off to visit each Four Points hotel around the world and oversee the Best Brews programs at each property. Beer lovers who didn't get the job can still pull up to a Four Points and select from nearly 300 brews in bottles and on a tap and dream about what coulda been.
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by juliana
