Getting a job at a brewery

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Grod1

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So i think this is happening. A few weeks back i went into a local brewery and asked them for work .I explained i am not a professional brewer of any sort and i only have 3 home brews under my belt but i am passionate, ready and willing to learn. Anyway i get his e-mail today
"I just started doing some interviews, and wanted to see if you are still interested in a position at the brewery?"
now i dun wanna get my hopes up but it seems like they are offering me job.
I have so much to learn, i need to sound educated . Even tho nun of you know me wish me luck! :mug:
 
Good luck man! If I didn't already have a business I'd probably consider doing the same thing, working with something you really enjoy
 
I just hope they are not looking for a professional brewer, because that i am not. All i have going for me is that i have an advanced knowledge in propagating micro biology. I have grown mushrooms for the last 10 years and my sterile techniques are relentless.
I called the number back almost immediately to get no answer so i'm waiting for a call back.
Not to get ahead of myself, but in prep
What type of rate can i expect them to offer me? I am willing to start really low if there is going to be rapid room for growth.I'm 28 and for the last 5 years i have been making an average of $15.00 an hour. With $13.89 being the average "living wage" in my area.I'm pretty positive they will not offer me even 13. I wouldn't be able to survive if they offer me minimum wage $8.75
 
What's the position? Someone working in their lab with a food science or microbiology degree should expect more than someone moving hoses, dumping bags of malt into a hopper, or shoveling out the mash tun.
 
I dunno yet, as far as what position. I would assume(hope) assistant brewer. I understand that if i had a degree in microbiology i would rightfully be worth a hell of a lot more but i do not. I am a citizen scientist and my knowledge is self learned and practiced. So even if its viewed with some merit i don't know what its worth. With that said i would feel right at home doing lab work for them.
 
Micro Breweries in my area don't pay any money for entry-level positions. You get to bring a case of beer home, build up some experience, and brag to other hipsters that you work in "the biz."

Most microbreweries have only 2-3 paid positions, and those are typically ownership. One or two guys will be the main brewmaster and one guy may be marketing/finance. All of them will do a wide variety of other jobs. Sometimes they will ask for volunteers to help bottle or package. Some places may hire a part-time 'dish-washer' to do the grunt work involved in clean-up and other janitorial duties.

I would not expect this to be a job that pays the bills, likely a position that acts as your second job or maybe even an internship.

Good luck.
 
I would love to work for a local brewery but I know where I live you pretty much have to be a volunteer first then they hire you when the need arises which there is no set timeframe for that but almost everyone I talked to at the brewery tours said thats how they got their start. OR they actually went to brewery school but still started at the bottom. So I wish you luck and hope you have a good opportunity in front of you.

Also, like the poster above mentioned the pay is horrible in our market.
 
Good luck! I am sure the culture will be fun.

Just as an FYI, a friend of mine just started brewing for a local brewery. Being on the bottom of the totem pole, he says it is a LOT of cleaning. But I am sure that progresses.
 
Good luck..... To be honest, I would go in with the idea that your job will be cleaning stuff and lifting stuff, and you will do it for minimum wage.
If it turns out to be more than that, or the pay is better..... well, that will be a nice bonus. I know brewers .... even head brewers..... who have been at it for a long time..... it is still basically cleaning stuff and lifting stuff most of the time, but now they get more than minimum wage.

*Oh - and I would not worry about "sounding educated"..... I would worry about sounding enthusiastic, sounding like you are good at following directions, looking forward to learning how things work in a commercial operation...... That is what I would focus on.
I have home-brewed hundreds and hundreds of batches over 20 years. And, when I am in a commercial brewery...... I would not even know where to begin other than the most basic knowledge..... "there's the mash tun." "There is a fermenter"..... etc. You don't learn much about the workings of a commercial brewery by home brewing.
 
Thanks guys for all the positive energy. I am sure grunt work/janitorial duties would be the brunt of it.I am sure they want to pay me minimum wage, or call it an internship and give me less.I do know this particular brewery is expanding in January I'm hoping that if i get the job thats enough time to move up from the bottom/ make some real money.Anyway i'll update when i know more.
Anyone with experience entering at entry level positions or doing the hiring please leave some feedback.
 
I just hope they are not looking for a professional brewer, because that i am not. All i have going for me is that i have an advanced knowledge in propagating micro biology. I have grown mushrooms for the last 10 years and my sterile techniques are relentless.
I called the number back almost immediately to get no answer so i'm waiting for a call back.
Not to get ahead of myself, but in prep
What type of rate can i expect them to offer me? I am willing to start really low if there is going to be rapid room for growth.I'm 28 and for the last 5 years i have been making an average of $15.00 an hour. With $13.89 being the average "living wage" in my area.I'm pretty positive they will not offer me even 13. I wouldn't be able to survive if they offer me minimum wage $8.75
Everyone is being positive, but I'm going to be the voice of reason. You're 28 years old, you really need to try to increase your income potential at this point in your life, not decrease it. In fact, I hope you have a sizable retirement savings -- Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe...you'll wish you had saved for retirement a lot once you get a bit older.

A job at a brewery is hard work for little money (unless you own the place), and it usually doesn't come with company provided health insurance (unless you're working for one of the big breweries). Also, good luck getting any kind of fund matching 401k retirement plan.

I'd go into the interview with these things in mind.

I volunteer at a brewery sometimes and they pay me with free food and all the beer I care to drink on the day I volunteer. I've thought about opening my own, but I should have done that 5 years ago, the market is becoming saturated. Anyway, good luck with your decision.
 
Everyone is being positive, but I'm going to be the voice of reason. You're 28 years old, you really need to try to increase your income potential at this point in your life, not decrease it. In fact, I hope you have a sizable retirement savings -- Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe...you'll wish you had saved for retirement a lot once you get a bit older.

A job at a brewery is hard work for little money (unless you own the place), and it usually doesn't come with company provided health insurance (unless you're working for one of the big breweries). Also, good luck getting any kind of fund matching 401k retirement plan.

I'd go into the interview with these things in mind.

I volunteer at a brewery sometimes and they pay me with free food and all the beer I care to drink on the day I volunteer. I've thought about opening my own, but I should have done that 5 years ago, the market is becoming saturated. Anyway, good luck with your decision.

I agree with almost everything he said...

Also, when this craft brewery bubble pops there will be a lot of broken hearts and empty bank accounts.
 
my sterile techniques are relentless.

Tell them how much you love to clean. That's what you'll be doing to start. Clean the kegs, clean the fermenter, clean the mash tun, clean the floor...
If you're lucky, your experience in mycelium might get you into the lab to help.

What type of rate can i expect them to offer me? I am willing to start really low if there is going to be rapid room for growth.I'm 28 and for the last 5 years i have been making an average of $15.00 an hour. With $13.89 being the average "living wage" in my area.I'm pretty positive they will not offer me even 13. I wouldn't be able to survive if they offer me minimum wage $8.75

It's probably not going to be great. First off, they don't know how well you'll work out, and second they probably don't have a lot of liquid assets (yes, I went there. :D ) if they're in the middle of an expansion.
As someone involved in a startup brewery I can tell you we wanted to pay $15 an hour. After noodling figures, we're now hoping we can manage $12 an hour. It may end up down at minimum wage before we get through. We know this will make it harder to get and keep motivated people, but you have to pay the bank and the property owners first if you want to stay in business.
 
I would expect it to be manual labor. It might take some time before they embrace your mushroom growing abilities.
 
Good luck! I work at a brewery in Maryland we start most everyone in packaging lifting kegs and work around packaging. It's hard work but it's great. Most the Brewers have degrees or went to a brewing school although some have worked their way up
 
I applied to work at a 3bbl brewery the owner asked me to come to a brew day and work so they could get a look at me.

I was the only person who showed up on time, 5am. The head brewer didn't show up till after 8am, even admitted to over sleeping. The owners showed up about 6:30am (after telling me to show up at 5am) Had a bunch of lame excuses why they were late.

Don't get it twisted it was work, hard work. My full time job is a production worker in a large factory. It's hard work, 12 hr shifts on concrete, straight overnites.

Working at that micro was harder. I was there from 5am till 11:30 pm at night. I was the only one who was there the whole time everyone else either came to work late or left early. I stayed till we were done. This was all unpaid, a try out. Since the owners left early I emailed them the next day. Said they liked what they saw but wanted me to come in for another brew day (unpaid) to see more. I replied that I was there for 18 1\2 hrs and if they didn't see enough then I wasn't interested in coming back.

Now I burned 2 vacation days at work drove 2hrs to get there and back and performed hours of back breaking labor, for free. Now do I regret it? No. I enjoyed the experience. I learned a lot. Basically it was like my brew days on my old 10 gallon system. Just at 3 bbls. We had the same problems and hiccups that happen on a brew day at home. I had as much if not more knowledge than the owners and the head brewer. So that day gave me a lot of confidence and made me feel good about my abilities. I certainly had a better work ethic than any of them.

But as someone else said it seems small micros rely upon and use the "free" labor provided by folks interested in brewing. Another guy came in during the day and helped for like 3 hrs. They talked about another guy who used to help out who stopped coming by. It was hot, dirty, sweaty work, heavy lifting required. You're love of beer and Brewing will only keep you doing it for nothing for so long. Now if it was My brewery and I was doing all that for myself it I would find it very enjoyable.

A friend of mine who worked with me at my current job worked at a large production brewery. This was before my experience at the micro. When he told me I was like "that must have been cool" he was like "not really". He went on to describe the working conditions, basically a sweaty hell, and the pay was pretty piss poor. But he did say they got a lot of free beer and could even drink while working.
 
This is from a posting at Victory:
Job Requirements:
We are seeking an upbeat, forward-thinking Assistant Brewer to assist with daily production functions in the brewhouse, cellar, and packaging. Duties include but are not limited to the following:

Maintain proficiency in at least two of the following production areas: brewhouse, cellar, and/or packaging. The ability to function effectively in all three areas is considered a plus for the employee.
Work week is based on a 40 hour schedule. Due to production needs, incidental overtime may be required.
Ability to work a flexible schedule including all three shifts. The work week starts at 23:00 Sunday (3rd shift) and ends at 23:00 Friday (2nd shift).
Assist with the loading of raw materials and process aids in the product at various production stages.
Assist in maintaining a clean, neat, and safe work area.
Set up hoses, fittings, and clamps as required for production and cleaning operations.
Assist with the performance of production operations, CIP’s, and sanitation practices with strict adherence to SOP’s set forth in training.
Perform basic maintenance task on pumps, valves, tanks, and process equipment.
Ability to lift 60 pounds and to move 165 pounds.
Embrace a process of and opportunities for continual improvement.


According to Glassdoor.com, the average of three reported salaries for asst brewer (CA, PA, MI) is $13/h.
 
Your manual labor is probably worth 9-10/hr. If you can help with customer service, it's worth more.
 
I'll be floored too. If i get this job I'll let you guys know.
There is a little info i left out. One of my friends has worked there for 3 years in the tap room. Since then they have hired 3 of my other friends for security/tap room and one for deliveries before inBev took over their routs. I have met/drank and had good times with a head brewer there but i don't know him enough to call him my friend.For two years now i have collected the spent brewers grains from the dumpster to grow mushrooms spawn off of. So i have had many conversations with them about my interest in mycology.
All these things lead me to believe that i'm going to get a position there but i wont know until he answers or i show up on Monday when i know they're brewing.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the thread thank you for being the voice of reason Physicsbrewer
 
It sounds like this is more than a random call from your application.

From an HR perspective: are you working now? What's your minimum that you could work for?

Can the work be off hours while you work another job?

Would you work the tap room if needed?

Like someone said, enthusiasm is your best asset right now!
 
Not working, i foolishly quit a good job a month ago because i felt there was no room for improvement and it was stagnent situation.The least i could work for would depend on how many hours i can work but i need at least 250 a week to live, not thrive, or save.
I would not like to work the tap room that would be the last option for me but at this moment would not say no.
 
Thanks for posting this thread! I am wanting to try and land a one day week job at local brewery but haven't had much luck. I work shift work, 3 days on 3 days off; days 2 months, nights 2 months-24/7/365 so hard for me to pick a specific day of the week, plus I am active duty Army.

I want to open a small brewery and possibly home brew shop when I get out of the Army in about 8 years but want to gain some experience in anything from 3-10 bbl brew house. Keep us posted how it goes!
 
Not working, i foolishly quit a good job a month ago because i felt there was no room for improvement and it was stagnent situation.The least i could work for would depend on how many hours i can work but i need at least 250 a week to live, not thrive, or save.
I would not like to work the tap room that would be the last option for me but at this moment would not say no.


You can squeak by on $9/hr. Let them know you're a hard worker and need $10+ per hour. What was the good job you had paying?
 
Just remember you will make more money serving beer at a brewery than you will being involved in the production of beer.
 
I applied to work at a 3bbl brewery the owner asked me to come to a brew day and work so they could get a look at me.

I was the only person who showed up on time, 5am. The head brewer didn't show up till after 8am, even admitted to over sleeping. The owners showed up about 6:30am (after telling me to show up at 5am) Had a bunch of lame excuses why they were late.

Don't get it twisted it was work, hard work. My full time job is a production worker in a large factory. It's hard work, 12 hr shifts on concrete, straight overnites.

Working at that micro was harder. I was there from 5am till 11:30 pm at night. I was the only one who was there the whole time everyone else either came to work late or left early. I stayed till we were done. This was all unpaid, a try out. Since the owners left early I emailed them the next day. Said they liked what they saw but wanted me to come in for another brew day (unpaid) to see more. I replied that I was there for 18 1\2 hrs and if they didn't see enough then I wasn't interested in coming back.

Now I burned 2 vacation days at work drove 2hrs to get there and back and performed hours of back breaking labor, for free. Now do I regret it? No. I enjoyed the experience. I learned a lot. Basically it was like my brew days on my old 10 gallon system. Just at 3 bbls. We had the same problems and hiccups that happen on a brew day at home. I had as much if not more knowledge than the owners and the head brewer. So that day gave me a lot of confidence and made me feel good about my abilities. I certainly had a better work ethic than any of them.

But as someone else said it seems small micros rely upon and use the "free" labor provided by folks interested in brewing. Another guy came in during the day and helped for like 3 hrs. They talked about another guy who used to help out who stopped coming by. It was hot, dirty, sweaty work, heavy lifting required. You're love of beer and Brewing will only keep you doing it for nothing for so long. Now if it was My brewery and I was doing all that for myself it I would find it very enjoyable.

A friend of mine who worked with me at my current job worked at a large production brewery. This was before my experience at the micro. When he told me I was like "that must have been cool" he was like "not really". He went on to describe the working conditions, basically a sweaty hell, and the pay was pretty piss poor. But he did say they got a lot of free beer and could even drink while working.

This. I used to work in a factory a few years ago, 7pm-7am. I was looking for professional brewing experience so I contacted a local startup brewery about volunteering. They agreed and on one of my days off I showed up at 6am to get started. I scrubbed fermenters all day.I did get a break that day though....I got moved to help the driver from the distributor load kegs into his truck. There was less physical labor in the factory where I was making at least 2x what a cellarman/entry level brewer would normally make.

If the passion is there, DEFINITELY go for it. Even though I cleaned and loaded trucks, I still enjoyed it because I am passionate about the beer I brew/drink and I know it's a step that needs done. But if you are looking to make a decent living by just working there, maybe think twice.

My advice. Best of luck.
 
I am passionate about my beer but there would be no way to save or build equipment on the salary the breweries around here pay. I make way more money hourly in the factory, and I get double time for Sundays which I work every other week. I gross more on a Sunday than I would working a whole week at a Brewery.

BUT if I was young, no wife, no kids, no grand kid, no mortgages, no car payments. I could see the allure of working at a Brewery and hoping to work my way up to Brewer.

Honestly if I knew then what I know now and if it had been available I would have gone to college for brewing. But when I was young craft brewing wasn't the big and growing industry it is now. When I graduated high school Boston Beer Company (the 1st Micro I was ever aware of) was only 2 years old.

So if you are really serious about wanting to be a professional brewer perhaps look at going to school for it. Most of the openings I see for actual brewers require a degree in brewing of some sort.


This. I used to work in a factory a few years ago, 7pm-7am. I was looking for professional brewing experience so I contacted a local startup brewery about volunteering. They agreed and on one of my days off I showed up at 6am to get started. I scrubbed fermenters all day.I did get a break that day though....I got moved to help the driver from the distributor load kegs into his truck. There was less physical labor in the factory where I was making at least 2x what a cellarman/entry level brewer would normally make.

If the passion is there, DEFINITELY go for it. Even though I cleaned and loaded trucks, I still enjoyed it because I am passionate about the beer I brew/drink and I know it's a step that needs done. But if you are looking to make a decent living by just working there, maybe think twice.

My advice. Best of luck.
 
I was looking at salaries the other day in the brew biz out of curiosity. Brewmasters can make 100K, at a larger brewery. I suspect the job would take a significant amount of calculations, and would be mostly studying the books and manuals. At my undergrad, an engineering school, that was the dream job of all of the chemical engineers, to work at Anhuiser as a brew master. But yeah, I'd imagine it would have about the same amount of perks as being a rough neck on an oil rig.
 
Perhaps this thread can be hijacked to summarize the items that breweries would most like to see on a resume:
- Education (from least to most important)
--- GED
--- High School Diploma
--- College Degree in anything
--- BS in biology, chemistry, chemical engineering
--- BS in brewing sciences/food science
--- masters in any of the above
- Experience
--- Documentation of homebrew experience (equipment, notebook, etc.)
--- Awards in local/national homebrew competition
--- Restaurant experience in kitchen/dish room, preferably a brew pub
--- Laboratory experience in the biochemical/pharma field (cleanliness and sanitation)
--- work in a brewery
--- BJCP certification
- Personal
--- Volunteer work of any kind
--- Enthusiasm
--- Drive and initiative
--- Charisma
--- Networking skills
--- Hobbies
----- Brewing
----- Cooking
----- Anything creative

All the homebrewers in my neighborhood are engineers and we all know that owning/running a microbrewery would be a significant pay cut; it would be a retirement pursuit.
 
Perhaps this thread can be hijacked to summarize the items that breweries would most like to see on a resume:
- Education (from least to most important)
--- GED
--- High School Diploma
--- College Degree in anything
--- BS in biology, chemistry, chemical engineering
--- BS in brewing sciences/food science
--- masters in any of the above
- Experience
--- Documentation of homebrew experience (equipment, notebook, etc.)
--- Awards in local/national homebrew competition
--- Restaurant experience in kitchen/dish room, preferably a brew pub
--- Laboratory experience in the biochemical/pharma field (cleanliness and sanitation)
--- work in a brewery
--- BJCP certification
- Personal
--- Volunteer work of any kind
--- Enthusiasm
--- Drive and initiative
--- Charisma
--- Networking skills
--- Hobbies
----- Brewing
----- Cooking
----- Anything creative

All the homebrewers in my neighborhood are engineers and we all know that owning/running a microbrewery would be a significant pay cut; it would be a retirement pursuit.

I don't think they're looking for someone to contribute recipes or tweak their processes. I think they'd be looking for production work, showing up on time, doing what you're told. Commercial scale brewing isn't cooking, it's a factory.
 
I don't think they're looking for someone to contribute recipes or tweak their processes. I think they'd be looking for production work, showing up on time, doing what you're told. Commercial scale brewing isn't cooking, it's a factory.

Yeah, i am not outlining responsibilities; i am showing what good items are on a resume. The more of those boxes you can check the better your chances at getting a job. What happens from there is outside the scope of my post.

Even if they are only hiring for a bottle-filler/washer and willing to pay minimum wage, they will take the guy with a bachelor's degree, who has placed a beer in competition and has experience in a brewery/restaurant/kitchen/lab over the guy who is just really enthusiastic. Here is why:
- the more education you have doesn't mean you are smart; it means you are teachable.
- brewing an award winning beer shows passion and the ability to execute work precisely, but more importantly that the candidate understands what is going on around him.
- restaurant/brewer/lab experience demonstrates reliability in a similar field. Those references are valuable to gauge the seriousness and capability of the candidate.
- The personal stuff will let the hiring manager gauge how well the candidate will fit into the company's environment.

There is nothing wrong with hiring someone for growth.
 
In like flynn, at least for a month. I will show up at 6 tomorrow to help bottle, package and do other things.We did not talk about money but he does know that im looking for a job.So i guess i'll see how it goes for the next 3 weeks then talk money. He mentioned that his goal is for everyone in the brewery to be able to do every job. Obviously not on day one. He said there will be pressure to learn techniques.So I hope i can at least assist a brewer soon.6 am sucks but it is what it is.
 
Dude, have a conversation about money sooner that 3 weeks. Your effort and labor is valuable if nothing else. I understand you want to work in the industry, and this might be kind of an "internship," but if they make money selling their product, they shouldn't be relying on volunteer labor. Especially not volunteer labor that has to arrive at 6am. There's a reason minimum wage is called minimum wage.

After the first week, I would have a conversation about "how am I doing?" You have to value yourself and make sure they value you as well. That's my opinion from an HR perspective.
 
Certainly, i will talk about money sooner, I just really wanted to get my foot in and i didnt want to push the money matter today.I am kind of hoping he is going to give me minimum wage during this "trial period"
 
Certainly, i will talk about money sooner, I just really wanted to get my foot in and i didnt want to push the money matter today.I am kind of hoping he is going to give me minimum wage during this "trial period"

Why wouldn't you ask straight up? If he gets mad and fires you, then he was never going to pay you anyways!
 
It would seem that beer like music, is a hard way to make a living. Glad to be just a home brewer...
 
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