Beer job's a tasty little earner for Ciaran

For Ciaran is a professional beer taster for supermarket giant Sainsburys.

The 29-year-old is a beer and spirit technician responsible for testing the quality of the supermarket’s alcoholic lines.

“It’s all in a day’s work,” said Ciaran, who grew up in Thorpe Hesley and holds a degree in brewing and distilling.

“I look after all our own beer, checking the quality, looking at new products and artwork on packaging.

“And I have to meet with suppliers and make sure they are producing the drinks with due diligence. That’s another highlight of the job, it involves a lot of travelling—sometimes to spectacular places.

Former St Bernard’s pupil Ciaran travelled to Jamaica six weeks ago to ensure the rum suppliers were up to standard.

“We regularly review and look at all our products,” said Ciaran, who now lives in Brentford. “A certain amount of the experience needed for tasting comes from my uni course, but mainly it’s the six years I’ve spent in the industry."

See this week's Advertiser for a full interview with Ciaran.