In 2009, April Lowery planned to become a nurse, just like her mom. Now, she’s a brewer and beer manager for one of Austin’s most popular watering holes, the Whip In.

Why the seemingly drastic change? Lowery said she never imagined the song “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” would pertain to her life, but she decided after working at the Whip In that all she wants to do is spend her days tasting local beers and crafting some for the gastropub and brewery, located off Interstate 35, that has become more than just a place to whip in to and grab a quick drink.

“In the past four years, we’ve brought in 72 taps, added a wine bar with over 30 different house pours, and become an Indian restaurant, live music venue, and brewery, and we did all that after being a mom-and-pop convenience store first,” Lowery said, adding that the same owners, Amrin and Chandan Topiwala, have owned the Whip In since 1986, and that everyone there calls them Mom and Pop.

But the Whip In wouldn’t have gotten where it is today without help, Lowery said. Since Namaste Brewing, the Whip In’s brewery, opened in June, she and the two other Namaste brewers have received support, advice and techniques from other local breweries like Austin Beerworks, Independence Brewing and Twisted X Brewing. While these and other breweries only make and sell beer, they often offer tours to the public to sample their wares.

Although Lowery doesn’t go on the tours herself — why bother when the Whip-In carries their brews on tap? — she does enjoy going to Pinthouse Pizza, a brewpub on Burnet Road that offers five of its own beers, and the Draught House Pub & Brewery on Medical Parkway. She thinks one reason so many local breweries and pubs that brew their own beer pop up in Austin is because so many people are willing to support them.

Of course, there are still Budweiser holdouts. Lowery said she was reminded of that at the soft opening of the Brew Exchange, a West Sixth Street bar that sells beer Wall Street-style, with fluctuating prices based on demand, when a group of girls paid for bottles of Bud and Miller Lite even though craft beers on tap were free.

Lowery, who served coffee at local sipping joints like Mozart’s Coffee Roasters on Lake Austin Boulevard before moving on to beer at the Whip In, is also a former roller girl with Texas Roller Derby who’s looking forward to cheering in the stands at the upcoming bouts, starting Jan. 27 at the Palmer Events Center.

Being a roller girl “was like having 100 sisters,” Lowery said, but she quit to pursue other activities, such as joining the Namaste Brewing team.

“If you had told me in 2001, when I got a homebrew kit for my 21st birthday, that I would turn brewing into a career, I probably would’ve laughed in your face,” Lowery said.