Oh hey - I'm a Biochemical Engineer!
As much as I would LOVE my day-to-day working in craft beer, my overall quality of life is definitely better as an engineer. I can afford to buy beer, go to events/festivals, homebrew, travel, etc.
Now that I have a few years of plant support and design experience, I am desirable to larger craft breweries as an Engineer. If your son has the aptitude for engineering, this is the way to go. He'll go crazy as a 'brewer' (aka laborer).
My Advice: Find an internship in a food/bev plant. Learn how stuff works and how you can apply your education. Its easier to get on with a consulting firm, but most (all) young consulting engineers are worthless because they don't get their hands dirty and fix problems. Also - no pharma - all you'll learn is paperwork and politics.
If he likes the lab side, get a job in QC with a food/bev plant. Learn how product quality is monitored and maintained. Learn how to maintain expensive lab equipment. Keep in mind - there's a much lower ceiling in a lab-based role than as an engineer.