For National Beer Day in the U.S., on Friday, many beer lovers might think to celebrate the beginning of the weekend with a pint — but for Theresa McCulla, beer is work.

In January, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History announced that McCulla would be the Smithsonian's new "brewing historian." In that role, McCulla works with a team at the museum's American Brewing History Initiative. For National Beer Day, TIME talked to her about what's brewing on the research front:

TIME: Do you remember when you had your first beer or when your interest in beer began? 

McCULLA: Growing up, my dad very much fit into the history of home brewing in America, which was very popular in late 1980s, early 1990s. He comes from large family from Milwaukee, where beer is part of the culture. I remember being about 7 or 8 and helping him cap bottles in the kitchen and fermenting beer in the shower. The aromas of brewing beer weren't terribly appealing as a kid, so my sister and brother and I would tie bandanas around our faces. ...