When I grow up...

This story hit my radar today. Now I know what I want to be when I grow up. Whenever that happens...

Four Points by Sheraton announced the winner of their search for a Chief Beer Officer today, kicking off the week by ringing the bell at the NYSE. The hotel chain started it's search in November 2006, and expected to have someone in place by mid-January. As it goes with these sorts of things, it is late March, but hey, at least they have someone!

Scott Kerkmans, the "Beer Director" of Draft Magazine, will act as an independent, part-time consultant for the hotel chain’s newly launched program, Best Brews. In this role, the CBO will be responsible for sharing his in-depth knowledge of the wide world of beer on a monthly blog and help cultivate, curate and promote Best Brews’ offerings at brewery tours, beer festivals, and on bar stools across the country.

Over 7,500 aspiring CBOs applied for the position - predictably enough came from beer capitals like St. Louis, Milwaukee and Boston, but also South Korea, Dubai, and the Maldives. In all, citizens of all fifty states and 31 different countries on six continents applied for the CBO spot, which in the view of the folks at Four Points by Sheraton reflects the unifying love of lagers and the passions unleashed by pilsners.