I pretty much agree with emjay...If you can hold out long enough and save up a large enough chunk of change and then open your own brewery that seems to be the most direct, but not necessarily the quickest.
Getting a Job in the Beer Industry is Harder Than You Would Think!
- Thread starter KingBrianI
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ReverseApacheMaster
Well-Known Member
All that tells me is that you have romanticized the idea of working in a brewery. If you would really be happy cleaning toilets, you could clean toilets anywhere because the guy cleaning toilets and mopping floors is not making beer and is not hanging out with the brewers.
There's a difference between taking anything to get in the door because you think cleaning toilets is a career path to brewing and taking it because it's the only door in the brewery.
That means you either want to be THE brewer/owner -- in which case you should keep working at your job that pays more than a janitor to save up to open your own brewery -- or you have romanticized the idea of what happens at a brewery into being a homebrewer on a big scale -- in which case you should stay homebrewing. Large scale, commercial brewing isn't about tooling around with a recipe and having fun. It's hard work and repetition and worrying that you're going to flush thousands of dollars on a bad batch, etc. It's making the same handful of beers over and over and over and over. The seasonals and experimental batches are a tiny, tiny part of the job.
OP
OP
KingBrianI
Well-Known Member
RAM, thanks for all the insight. The toilet thing was obviously me using hyperbole in an attempt at humor. Sorry if you didn't get it. I fully understand what brewing entails and have not romanticized anything. I realize it is not all fun and games and a lot of hard work. But at the end of the day you end up with a product you can be proud of and share that with others who appreciate the time and effort you put into it. That's why I want to brew.
Vance71975
Well-Known Member
I agree with those that have said save up and open your own, Dogfish Head man, started as a 10gallon batch brew pub and look at it now! Long shot yes, Also i would suggest you enter every brewing competition you can find, More golds= better brewing resume! Don't give up on the dream man!
I just graduated with a chemical engineering degree and have been going about trying to get my foot in the door as well, and have some good success with four different job opportunities.
What I did while in school was take the brewing exams offered by the institute of brewing and distilling based out of endinburgh Scotland. This is a much cheaper alternative an going to a brewing academy and in my opinion just as worthwhile on the resume and a he'll of a lot cheaper. I also got certified as a beer judge wit the BJCP, which is an excellent program. The final step I did was get involved in home brewing clubs. I started my own at my college and joined. A local oene in the community. All of this is excellent resume fodder.
At this point, fresh out of college, I applied everywhere to any position related to productions at any brewery and even some wineries. I even applied to jobs I was over and under qualified for. What this has resulted in is four job offers for me, one from a local winery as a laborer and assistant vintner, one at a local brewpub as a brewer assistant, and two offers from miller opts and anhueser busch for brewery production management positions. All are great options and I am leaning towards the job from millercoors or AB, as the pay is way better as is the ability for upward progression.
Basically the moral of this longwinded story is, take the IBD tests, they will even out your resume from a professional brewer standpoint. Also, apply everywhere, and I mean every brewery possible. I applied for well over fifty jobs just at millercoors and anhueser busch alone before they called me back, and I had to contact the president of the local brepub before I even got an interview with the head brewer.
Good luck, keep us updated.
What I did while in school was take the brewing exams offered by the institute of brewing and distilling based out of endinburgh Scotland. This is a much cheaper alternative an going to a brewing academy and in my opinion just as worthwhile on the resume and a he'll of a lot cheaper. I also got certified as a beer judge wit the BJCP, which is an excellent program. The final step I did was get involved in home brewing clubs. I started my own at my college and joined. A local oene in the community. All of this is excellent resume fodder.
At this point, fresh out of college, I applied everywhere to any position related to productions at any brewery and even some wineries. I even applied to jobs I was over and under qualified for. What this has resulted in is four job offers for me, one from a local winery as a laborer and assistant vintner, one at a local brewpub as a brewer assistant, and two offers from miller opts and anhueser busch for brewery production management positions. All are great options and I am leaning towards the job from millercoors or AB, as the pay is way better as is the ability for upward progression.
Basically the moral of this longwinded story is, take the IBD tests, they will even out your resume from a professional brewer standpoint. Also, apply everywhere, and I mean every brewery possible. I applied for well over fifty jobs just at millercoors and anhueser busch alone before they called me back, and I had to contact the president of the local brepub before I even got an interview with the head brewer.
Good luck, keep us updated.
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SPLASTiK
Well-Known Member
I'm sure every place is different, but one thing is universal - brewers love to try new beer.
I've heard the opposite from some brewers actually... especially from the ones that don't have backgrounds in homebrewing.
brewingmeister
Well-Known Member
I think there's one variable we're missing here... Do you have a beard?
-cheers
-cheers
lamarguy
Well-Known Member
Yes, it really depends on their view of homebrewing - some professional brewers think all homebrew is awful, infected swill.
Personally, I wouldn't want to work for a brewer that narrow minded anyway.
bergman1118
Well-Known Member
Man.. the OP's story is some coincidence.. I feel I'm in a VERY similar situation. Soul-sucking job. Passion for homebrewing. Certified chemist (though working as a Quality Manager for a dry food plant..). Desire to get into the brewing industry, despite the long hours, hard work, minimal pay. Hell, I live in NC too even!
I'd rather be doing something that I enjoy, even making less money, than working at a job that sucks the life out of me every time I drive into the parking lot.
Since I've made the decision to try to go pro, I've been attending more brewery events in my area (luckily there is a HIGH number of breweries per capita in my area), joined my local homebrew club, talked with some local brewers, entered competitions.. I'm trying to do anything and everything to get my foot in the door. So far, I haven't made any significant progress, but I am gaining insight and networking to a small degree. At the very LEAST, I'm having fun with the extra effort I've put in to reach my goal. That, in and of itself, has at least replenished some of the energy/soul lost wasting away at this job..
Anyway, I concur with Revvy and highly suggest that you go to the High Country Brew Fest. I actually volunteered at the event for 2 years and I am a graduate of Appalachian State, where I did 3 years of research on flavor/aroma volatiles of homebrewed beers, meads, and moonshine (I kid you not!). My research advisor, Dr. Taubman, is an AWESOME, down to earth guy (and an amazing homebrewer) who is attempting to start a fermentation science program at ASU. He has already established several brewing courses that cover the gamut from brewing science, to business, even to starting your own brewery. He's also established their pilot, educational brewery, Ivory Tower, which is gaining steam. I am planning on attending and want to catch up with Dr. Taubman. He is a great source of connections as he has been instrumental in setting the beer fest up. Of course, you have all of the breweries there and the great beer on tap as well. If you can make it, I would definitely recommend attending.
I find it so cool that we are really on the same page with this thing, in a lot of different ways. Good luck to you on your journey, and please post if you have any success (no matter how small)!
I'd rather be doing something that I enjoy, even making less money, than working at a job that sucks the life out of me every time I drive into the parking lot.
Since I've made the decision to try to go pro, I've been attending more brewery events in my area (luckily there is a HIGH number of breweries per capita in my area), joined my local homebrew club, talked with some local brewers, entered competitions.. I'm trying to do anything and everything to get my foot in the door. So far, I haven't made any significant progress, but I am gaining insight and networking to a small degree. At the very LEAST, I'm having fun with the extra effort I've put in to reach my goal. That, in and of itself, has at least replenished some of the energy/soul lost wasting away at this job..
Anyway, I concur with Revvy and highly suggest that you go to the High Country Brew Fest. I actually volunteered at the event for 2 years and I am a graduate of Appalachian State, where I did 3 years of research on flavor/aroma volatiles of homebrewed beers, meads, and moonshine (I kid you not!). My research advisor, Dr. Taubman, is an AWESOME, down to earth guy (and an amazing homebrewer) who is attempting to start a fermentation science program at ASU. He has already established several brewing courses that cover the gamut from brewing science, to business, even to starting your own brewery. He's also established their pilot, educational brewery, Ivory Tower, which is gaining steam. I am planning on attending and want to catch up with Dr. Taubman. He is a great source of connections as he has been instrumental in setting the beer fest up. Of course, you have all of the breweries there and the great beer on tap as well. If you can make it, I would definitely recommend attending.
I find it so cool that we are really on the same page with this thing, in a lot of different ways. Good luck to you on your journey, and please post if you have any success (no matter how small)!
ArcaneXor
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For me, starting to get to know the people that run the local homebrew shop got my foot in the door. Through that, I eventually got a job at the shop, and through getting to know the customers, I now know pretty much all the people who are pro brewers in town, are planning to go pro, or are trying to get their foot in the door in other states.
If I wanted to take the next step, I think I would be able to request doing a pro-am competition with the brewpub. What better way to show you have what it takes than brewing a great batch of commercial beer?
So I can't emphasize enough how important being an active member in the local community is, and branching out to regional breweries as well. Participate in the area's brewing events, both homebrew and pro. Once you get to know the people, ask for an unpaid internship. After a few months, you'll have pro-brewing experience on your resume, and that will make it easier to be taken seriously by your prospective employers that don't know you in person.
If I wanted to take the next step, I think I would be able to request doing a pro-am competition with the brewpub. What better way to show you have what it takes than brewing a great batch of commercial beer?
So I can't emphasize enough how important being an active member in the local community is, and branching out to regional breweries as well. Participate in the area's brewing events, both homebrew and pro. Once you get to know the people, ask for an unpaid internship. After a few months, you'll have pro-brewing experience on your resume, and that will make it easier to be taken seriously by your prospective employers that don't know you in person.
