Rising Stars: Meet Jenna Munoz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Munoz.

Hi Jenna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
When I moved to Kansas City in 2013, I was a newly minted attorney and looking to start my own practice in Estate Planning and Probate Law. I moved from Houston in one of the colder winters we’ve experienced since I’ve been here, and starting a firm, finding clients, and getting the firm up and running was much harder in the winter.

Leaving Houston meant leaving behind friends, family, colleagues, etc., but I was luckily able to bring my homebrew equipment, which helped waste a little time and make friends a little easier, too. We started buying homebrew supplies at a shop in Overland Park, and even started volunteering there in exchange for a pretty healthy discount. I got to work with others and learn more about brewing, then even started teaching some myself and joined a local homebrew club.

After a while, I got the firm started up, and eventually joined a larger firm, while on the weekends I was making, pouring, and sampling beer to help out friends, prepare for parties, and meet new people. After a bit, I realized that what I was doing for fun and looking forward to all week, people actually got paid for.

A larger law practice wasn’t a good fit for me, so after leaving the firm, I got a bottling line job at Kansas City Bier Company. I bottled beer and served at the bar for a bit, and eventually moved to the packaging department full time. I was studying to become a brewer and shadowing in the brewery as often as I could spare on my days off and got to learn a lot from the brewers there.

Once Covid19 hit, the industry slowed down a bit. We split into teams at work in case anyone contracted it, which meant less time in the brewery, but I was now a part of the local Pink Boots Society chapter, an organization that encourages and supports women in the industry and started learning from the women there. I got a scholarship for the Siebel Concise Course in Brewing Technology and completed it, and started studying for the general exam through the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, an exam Kansas City Bier Company required all brewers to have.

After taking and passing the exam, there was an opportunity to brew at Fields and Ivy Brewing and I jumped. Getting into the brewhouse had been a goal for years, and I finally got the opportunity to make that happen. I started at Fields and Ivy in August of 2020, amid a global pandemic, where I got to use my packaging experience and gain brewing experience from the brewers there, and it was some of the best training I’ve received.

I’m now a brewer at Crane in Raytown, MO, where I get to really embrace my creative side. From trying something new (like brewing sour beers) to throwing in crazy ingredients (gummy candies—-in beer?!?) and even dipping a toe into name and label design, it has been a promise to continue to be a really fun and exciting experience!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Covid notwithstanding, there were some hurdles. I’m sure that readers are now aware of the stories featured by Brienne Allan (IG: @RatMagnet) on their Instagram account about the struggles women face in the industry, but I was lucky enough to have rarely faced that kind of harassment and sexism in the workplace. My struggles were more personal: my partner was diagnosed with stage IV cancer at 30, and the chemo and radiation took a toll on him, and by extension, on me, although to a lesser extent.

We got support from family and friends, especially the ones we’d made within the craft beer community, and he’s doing well now with no evidence of disease. I was also coming into this industry from something wholly different, literally trading heels for steel toed boots. I didn’t have production and/or manufacturing experience but I pick up stuff quickly and had great training from coworkers that helped make the transition easy.

Generally, the road has mostly been smooth for me. I know I’m lucky in that regard, and I realize that most people don’t get the kind of support I received, but I’d like to make sure that I provide as much support as possible so other folks joining or already in the industry have room to thrive.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m proud of myself for a lot of things I’ve done, but in this regard, I can say that the thing I’m most proud of is my strength of conviction to jump in feet first. Student Loan debt, time spent pursuing a career in law, and my family being so proud to have “a lawyer in the family” all seemed so irrelevant when I saw the opportunity to follow a passion. I did my homework, put in the time and work, and took the step, knowing that if it all fell apart, I’d have the resilience and support to recover and that was enough. My mom has always said that I “bloom where I’m planted” and I still surprise myself every time I realize she’s right.

I call myself a recovering attorney, but that is so far removed from my life these days. I make beer. I love to drink IPAs, Belgian beers, and finding new styles I can put a twist on. I’m not known for all that much yet, but I’m hoping that changes and I can start to develop a style of my own as I move forward.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Ha! I’ve never shied from risk, and my mom says, I’m a “bloom where you’re planted” kind of person. I truly enjoy learning new things, and what else is a risk but stepping forward without the guarantee that your foot will land? The excitement of something unknown and the dopamine from finally understanding a new concept makes the risk worth it, but I’m also a planner. I try to make sure I plan and prepare as well as I am able, but just taking that step is sometimes all I need to reassure myself that if I didn’t feel ready, I wouldn’t be there. I love risks, they’re like a little jolt of energy all the way to your fingertips but without the sense of self and confidence in my decision-making, I don’t think I’d take nearly as many risks.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: cranebrewing.com