Rick Blankemeier

Rick Blankemeier is a Quality Engineer at Hydranautics - A Nitto Group Company since October 2022 and an Instructor for the Wort Production and Recipe Development class at the UC San Diego Extension since August 2017. Prior experience includes serving as Quality Assurance Manager at Belching Beaver Brewery Inc., where Rick managed quality assurance and control for multiple brewing facilities and implemented a formal quality control laboratory program. Rick also held the role of Director of Brewing Operations at Modern Times Beer, overseeing significant production growth, and Quality Assurance Manager at Stone Brewing Co., where Rick developed global quality assurance programs amid rapid expansion. Early career contributions include positions as Process Development Engineer at EnCana and Craft Beer Program Intern at the Brewers Association. Rick holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder.