From tax law talent to expert beer brewer: Benjamin Wegman's unique career path
People often say you should ‘do something that makes you happy’. Alumnus Benjamin Wegman certainly took that advice to heart. After graduating with a degree in tax law, he switched to brewing beer at a local brewery in Leiden.
Why tax law?
People often say you should ‘do something that makes you happy’. Alumnus Benjamin Wegman certainly took that advice to heart. After graduating with a degree in tax law, he switched to brewing beer at a local brewery in Leiden.
Why tax law?
When I visited the Open Day at Leiden Law School, I was immediately interested in the subject of tax law. So it wasn’t hard choosing what to study. Lots of people think that doing tax law means you have to do loads of calculations – that it’s some kind of accountancy degree. But that’s not true at all. For me, it was more about the price we pay for a civil society. How the whole system is set up and how you can control it. Think of tax, for instance. More or less voluntarily, we all give away half of what we earn to the state. That’s amazing if you ask me. It's not so much about the actual figure, but what's behind that figure.
Why did you decide to become a brewer?
I’d already started brewing beer as a hobby with some friends from university. It was all a bit of fun really – we bought a homebrewing kit and just had a go. There was no plan to start a brewery, but it just somehow got out of control. Finally, we all graduated and with a certain amount of youthful foolhardiness, we chose the path of adventure and started a brewery. And to this day, I’m still reaping the rewards of that decision.
Did anything from your degree help you in the brewer’s trade?
Yes and no. I’m not involved in tax law matters at all. I don’t do the tax returns for the business and I don’t give any tax advice. But what I do use from my degree – and I think this is true whatever you study – is critical thinking, being able to distinguish between what’s important and what’s less important. The skills you learn at university guide you constantly throughout the day.
Looking back, is there one thing you’re most proud of?
Yes, our response during the COVID pandemic. Being a production company, it was a really tough time for us. All our customers had closed, but we weren’t entitled to any financial assistance. Our team decided to go full out to make sure the brewery survived. We launched a web shop and started selling multipacks of beer to customers at home. They started selling like hotcakes and we sold thousands. In the end, 2020 ¬– the year we thought we’d go bust – turned out to be our best year ever. That’s something I’m really proud of.
What’s your own favourite beer?
Well, that all depends on when you’re drinking it. If you’re sitting outside a café on a summer’s day then I love witbier [wheat beer]. But if you were to drink an Imperial Porter in the same setting, it just wouldn’t taste right. That’s not a good match. So my favourite beer is the right beer on the right occasion. But that applies to all drinks.
Do you have a tip for current students?
Some people seem to drag themselves through their working week. But then I think, you’re going to have to do this for a long time throughout your working life. So think carefully about what you want and do something that makes you happy. That’s not to say you can slack off – you’ve still got to earn a living somehow. But there are all sorts of wonderful things you can choose to do. So I’d say, go for that!