Michelle Tham Found Her Superpower

The Canadian beer educator says she “can’t rest knowing that I have a voice and not use it.”

Mar 01, 2022

As the fourth Canadian woman to become a Certified Cicerone and as the head of education at Labatt Breweries of Canada, Michelle Tham knows more than most people about appreciating, identifying, and describing the essence of flavor. But as part of a worldwide beverage conglomerate, she’s in a great position to go beyond mere beer education. In fact, she’s determined to use her platform as an opportunity to show consumers how systemic inequity affects individuals and to model authenticity for those who look to her for guidance. “Authenticity is only something that you can have with courage,” she says, citing fellow Canadian Ren Navarro of Beer. Diversity. as someone who inspires her. Now, it’s Michelle’s turn to inspire you!

In her heart, Michelle Tham is a chef. “A lot of the work I do now, it’s very connected to food,” she explains, saying her love of flavors translates directly into her current role at Labatt—a role that didn’t exist until she created it for herself in 2016.

Calling it her “dream job,” she describes her primary responsibility as inspiring Canadians to help them fully understand what they love about beer by teaching how to describe taste, break down food pairings, unpack beer history and styles, and much more. Michelle knows she’s fortunate to have had the chance to design “a unique role that doesn’t exist in the world.” But her pride in her work doesn’t stop at the beverage.

As the largest brewer in Canada, Labatt is an inextricable part of Canadian identity, and as a Chinese-Canadian woman, it’s something Michelle finds herself deeply rooted in. “Millennials like to joke that Labatt is ‘Dad beer,’ but it literally was my dad’s beer and still is today… it is a bit of a symbol of the Canadian experience,” she says. “Canadians Google more about beer than any country… It shows they’re interested in wanting to know more about it, and I believe the more you know about it, the more you’re going to enjoy it.”

The responsibility she feels as an educator is magnified by her position at a company within the AB InBev global portfolio. “Us having a larger share of that pie gives us the opportunity to be creative and have that leadership role in growing the category and maintaining beer as something relevant,” she says. No, it’s not “craft,” whatever that means anyway. But it’s where she knows she can make the biggest impact.

When Michelle speaks of growth, it’s easy to see she’s referring to beer as a whole, not a singular company. And as a visible advocate for beer education, she hopes her position, which remains a rarity in craft beer, inspires curious minds dedicated to the beverage alcohol segment at large. “My job is a luxury,” she says, one that she hopes will become more common. “Ultimately, if we have more resources and people providing knowledge to operators and bartenders and servers, it's doing good for the entire industry.”

She hopes that anyone inspired by her path will seek out their own strengths. “Sometimes I give talks to universities and talk about ‘If you really want to find happiness in your career as a woman, and to find fulfillment, tap into what you think your superpower is,’” Michelle urges. “Where you unlock your superpower is when you combine your skill with, I wouldn’t call it a passion, but what you’re willing to talk to me about. What you’re fascinated with. For me, it really roots down to my ability and skill to taste, evaluate, and communicate.”

She believes that everyone has their own unique superpower, advising: “If you lean into doing the best work you can with it, you will most likely be fulfilled.” It may take time to figure out what you’re meant to do. But once you find it, she says it becomes a responsibility to make the most of it. That’s part of the reason why she started the #BeerBetter hashtag on her Instagram @michelletham.beer as a vehicle for promoting education and appreciation.

“Whether it's learning about how these beers are brewed, appreciating the work and education that brewers put into brewing that beer, how to keep and serve and drink it better—if you are going to experience beer better in your life, you're going to be part of this community that has a stronger appreciation and stronger knowledge,” Michelle says.

Educating about the beer itself isn’t the end, however. When I asked her why she included the tagline “All beer is brewed on Indigenous land” on her Instagram profile, she explained that Canada’s longstanding and recent cultural upheavals have led her to keep an eye on long-term rights and reconciliation efforts, even if they fall out of the news cycle.

“My personal interest in Indigenous rights and reconciliation is a word that we really love to use when we are talking about social issues: Space. Do we create safe spaces? Do we create spaces that are safe and equitable?” asks Michelle, explaining that every taproom, production facility, warehouse and more all exist on lands that belong to Indigenous people. “I do believe it is the responsibility of all brewers, big and small, to acknowledge the land that they brew on, that we are all profiting and living our lives on stolen land… We occupy a lot of land to make beer. We use a lot of water to make beer, and there are a lot of people in this country that don't have access to clean water.”

It’s a simple thing to acknowledge. But it’s a start, and Michelle hopes it’s not the finish for anyone interested in equity work. In the meantime, she’s ready to take on whatever comes next and to share the load with those willing to tackle the hard stuff. “My existence is my resistance,” she promises. “Having the role that I have, looking the way I do, being who I am, without saying anything, is in itself disruptive… and I can’t really think of a better place to invest every ounce of resilience I have.”

Follow Michelle on Instagram and start to #beerbetter today.

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Michelle Tham Found Her Superpower

The Canadian beer educator says she “can’t rest knowing that I have a voice and not use it.”

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