Got a job interview at a brewery tomorrow.

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Thundercougarfalconbird

Thundercougarfalconbird

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
760
Reaction score
25
I just wanted to talk about myself and thank you guys and this forum for a few minutes. I started brewing at 18 and am now a mere 21. It all started with me buying a corny keg thinking I could get it filled with swill. After discovering I couldn’t, I decided to make my own beer instead of returning it. I instantly fell in love with the craft and have been pursuing it ever since.
I feel I must mention I am a broke college student and beyond writing this I can’t show my thanks by upgrading my membership due to lack of funds. I regularly sacrifice 25-50% of my food budget for the ingredients I need to keep my pipeline going. My gear has gotten pretty nice of the past few years because of me cutting into my food money and getting some sweet deals.
I was lucky enough to get a very short internship at RedHare Brewing in Marietta, GA, but they booted me as soon as they caught wind I wasn’t 21 at the time (was 20). I wasn’t drinking beer, just mopping floors and helping clean the brew system and helped with some brite tank/carbonation stuff. But being under-aged at the time I’m obviously not offended by the choice.
I have been relentlessly perfecting my beers since day one. I come from a science background (biologist mom) so scientific method comes easily for me. I have entered several competitions and placed in all of them. I think I produce world class American and German beers. My English and Belgian styles are a work in progress, that damn Belgian soul is just so hard to nail.
I have dreams of one day opening a brewpub (I love food just as much as beer), but understand the capital needed is massive. I have been trudging through the various technical/marketing data of probrewer.com for several months now and working up a viable business model. I feel like every homebrewer does this at one point or another. But I am confident that if this is what I want to do I CAN do it. I may never be filthy rich, but it is very possible to produce world class brews for a living.
In the mean time, I just got a call about a brewpub opening up locally, I get to go in and bring samples for the owners/investors to try. If everything goes well there is a chance I’ll be getting a job as an apprentice brewmaster with plenty of room for promotions. (not too shabby for a 21year old) Unfortunately my system has been out of order for about a month now so I don’t have much that is fresh enough to meet my strict standard (will be brewing again once a jaybird bottom comes in the mail). But I am going in with a strawberry raspberry sour (with lacto I cultured myself), a 22% abv dogfish 120 clone, my first best in show munich dunkel, a nice little bohemian pils, and an English mild.
I just wanted to thank HBT and the community at large for sharing and helping. Without you guys I wouldn’t be nearly as capable as I am. I have gone from using WAY too much gypsum in my first beer (unbearably bitter for the style) to producing 22% abv quadruple IPA’s with confidence. I have learned so much, and it’s the cutting edge info available on these forums that has provided the groundwork for what I would love to make my career. Thanks guys/gals. I’ll be sure to post how things go tomorrow after the meeting.
 
Congrats on the interview, sounds like a great opportunity!

PS: 24-21=3 18+3=21 ...I see what you did there.
 
Yea, age has been the main issue. It's been rough trying to get respect from older brewers. I am confident in my technical knowledge of beer and the industry itself, but that doesn't mean much in the eyes of the law.

I heard on a BN broadcast once, several pro's talking, and the only thing they wished they had done differently was start younger. So the way I see it is the only thing better than starting younger is starting too* young right? =P
 
Good luck! I am a mere 5 years older than you but it feels like the possibility of 'brewing the dream' has far passed me, especially now with a little one on the way. A good friend of ours has an established family restaurant/bar and has talked about maybe going brewpub but I honestly dont know if I could dedicate the amount of time necessary to make it successful, while keeping my day job and also trying to raise a kid. Plus despite my family and friends loving my beer I still dont think I am good enough of a brewer to produce a good consistent product. If I would have been sucked into the obsession back in college I would have surely jumped headfirst into a 7 BBL mashtun given the opportunity!

Excited to hear how it went for you!
 
Hell I am 2x your age, and I wish my knowlege was 1/2 of yours. Good luck with your interview. Be calm, but forceful. Demonstrate your knowlege and be enthusiastic, but not too over the top. FOLLOW UP!!!! Send a thank you note for the interview. Highlight what you thought went well, and what you wish you did better. You never know, you may not get hired, but if the guy they do hire does not work out who are they going to look too? If you do not get hired keep in touch with them every 2-3 months letting them know you are still interested. It is unlikely that employers will go through a whole second posting, and interviews if they have a strong second canadate in the wings. It is a way to stand out. If this is the job you want be persistant.

Good luck
 
stillbrewin said:
Hell I am 2x your age, and I wish my knowlege was 1/2 of yours. Good luck with your interview. Be calm, but forceful. Demonstrate your knowlege and be enthusiastic, but not too over the top. FOLLOW UP!!!! Send a thank you note for the interview. Highlight what you thought went well, and what you wish you did better. You never know, you may not get hired, but if the guy they do hire does not work out who are they going to look too? If you do not get hired keep in touch with them every 2-3 months letting them know you are still interested. It is unlikely that employers will go through a whole second posting, and interviews if they have a strong second canadate in the wings. It is a way to stand out. If this is the job you want be persistant.

Good luck
Click to expand...

Excellent advise.
couldn't say it better myself...
except "forceful"... "confident" would be better in my opinion.
There is a fine line between "confident" & "cocky". Don't cross it.
 
Great advice, I'll definitely follow up. Its going to be an odd interview and I'm unsure how things will go down, but the plan is to go in both confident and humble with my beer and explain both my goals and how I would be an asset to the company.
Not having a family or any real commitments (besides graduating next year) definitely gives me an edge when it comes to getting into the industry. I can literally start at minimum wage and be happy.
 
Thundercougarfalconbird said:
Great advice, I'll definitely follow up. Its going to be an odd interview and I'm unsure how things will go down, but the plan is to go in both confident and humble with my beer and explain both my goals and how I would be an asset to the company.
Not having a family or any real commitments (besides graduating next year) definitely gives me an edge when it comes to getting into the industry. I can literally start at minimum wage and be happy.
Click to expand...

Big ups man. I'm very much like yourself. I started brewing at 21 and am 24 now. I'm opening a nano in six months, in a similar situation as you.

Good call on racking up the medals. Your brewing talent cannot be denied now. I think you will actually find that your age works very well for you. People will be very impressed and will be stunned when they taste how good your beer is. Keep on keepin on.
 
First of all, good luck on the interview. While you might be better off getting a degree in biology/microbiolgy first, if you really love brewing (and who doesn't) then wokring in a brewpub would be a somewhat fulfilling job.

Now for some unsolilcited advice. I'd encourage you not to try and come across as too much of an expert. As I understand it you have three years of experience. I don't care how much you think about brewing, you have three years of experience. So go into the interview with an attitude that you know the basics and want to learn more by working at this brewery. I don't think you stand a good chance of passing yourself off as an expert. Its good that you've studied some pro brewing stuff, because its a whole different ballgame as I understand it.

Personally I'd be wary of making a wonderful hobby into a job. You already know about the less fun parts of commercial brewing though, so I assume you're going into this with your eyes open. Fairly low pay, long hours and lots of manual labor. But you'll be making good beer and thats a wonderful endeavor.

Be sure and post back how it goes.
 
Of course I am aware of the differences between homebrewing and pro level. I'm no 'Brewmaster' as I have little commercial experience, I call myself 'advanced homebrewer'. Of course there is always more to know, and I like to think I have a very democratic mindset in regards to learning. I mopped enough brewery floors, and shoveled enough grain to know its a lot of painful work.
I'd like to eventually get some Siebel/brew school experience, but by no means do I think a degree in fermentation science is a must, it would of course be a big advantage. I actually have a PhD Microbiologist in my brewclub, so while I am no expert I actually get exposed to a lot of fun technical stuff.
I have actually always approached my 'hobby' in a very professional way. Every day I improve my consistency and always try to have a production deadline so as to prepare myself for it being 'work' rather than a 'hobby'. I've never had a laid-back mindset, always trying to produce the most consistent quality product in ever increasing volumes,tight timeframes, and more intense competitions/judging.
I love the feeling I get when I think of calling myself a brewer. Its just such a rustic art form and begets so much comradery that its just something I feel I need to be a part of. Money isn't what I want, I want to make beautiful things.(and be able to support myself doing it)
 
From what I've heard, Siebel training doesn't give a person much of a leg up on getting a brewery job. If you can get on at this place and get them to send you, that would be cool.

Sounds like you have the right attitude going into this. I too love brewing and view it as an art form. In fact I have friends who are musicians and they agree that brewing is as much an art form as their music. We barter, they play and I provide beer.
 
You sound like a smart guy, and I wish you the best of luck! I wish I had started brewing when I was 18. I can only imagine how much further along I'd be now.
 
Lennie said:
From what I've heard, Siebel training doesn't give a person much of a leg up on getting a brewery job. If you can get on at this place and get them to send you, that would be cool.

Sounds like you have the right attitude going into this. I too love brewing and view it as an art form. In fact I have friends who are musicians and they agree that brewing is as much an art form as their music. We barter, they play and I provide beer.
Click to expand...

I actually got more info, though my interview isn't until later today. From what I understand they had some brewmaster issues and only temporarily have one. They are looking to train peeps to use their system over the next year. It seems like an ideal opportunity to learn the ropes on someone elses dime (not to mention the promise of it being worth staying)
 
Went ok, owner drank all of my beer, a customer there who was tasting said he would pay money to have this beer all the time right infront of the owner. Apparently they are highering apprentice brewmasters and I currently have the first resume as well as significant credentials. Things look good so far, but I won't know much for a few more weeks until the building is done.
 
Hey sounds like odds are in your favor. Your mood sounds a bit down though. You will do well in the beer brewing business! I am quite certain after reading your thread and the expertise and drive you have these guys will be seriously considering you as their brewer in the gates.
 
Yea, just wasn't quite the formal interview I was promised, but things went well regardless.
I ended up bringing a really nice Munich Dunkel I made (won best in show at a local bbq pairing competition) and a delicate little Bohemian Pils and got pretty good recognition. it was sad to hear the owner wasn't a beer drinker though (businessman opening a brewpub, go figure). But I'm hoping my professionalism left an impression regardless of the amount of technical beer data exchanged.
 
Good luck.

Follow up with the suggested thank you.

In the past I had a position that involved interviewing and hiring entry level tech positions. While I did want a basic skill set, I was always more interested in the character, the energy, and the passion of the applicant. With entry level positions, the management team already understands that they will be training, etc.
 
Thundercougarfalconbird said:
Yea, age has been the main issue. It's been rough trying to get respect from older brewers. I am confident in my technical knowledge of beer and the industry itself, but that doesn't mean much in the eyes of the law.

I heard on a BN broadcast once, several pro's talking, and the only thing they wished they had done differently was start younger. So the way I see it is the only thing better than starting younger is starting too* young right? =P
Click to expand...

Your just going to have to get used to that in any industry, youth usually means inexperience even if you are a master of your craft. There are some exceptions to the rule, but good old seat time is hard to argue. Im a welder by trade and fairly young for the craft and its very hard to get the respect of the old welders because they are true masters of their craft, even though I am a very good welder.
 
Jukas said:
I'd be worried about the long term viability of that brewpub. That's like a vintner who doesn't like wine or a chef who doesn't care about good food.
Click to expand...

I disagree. An owner wants to make money. You do that by hiring people to make a product that will make you money. Chefs aren't restaurant owners and vinters aren't winery owners.
 
AZ_IPA said:
I disagree. An owner wants to make money. You do that by hiring people to make a product that will make you money. Chefs aren't restaurant owners and vinters aren't winery owners.
Click to expand...
Indeed... Success is often achieved by surrounding yourself with successful people...

If you want the venture to succeeded hope that the owner is a business man 1st.. plenty of second rate brewpubs around where the owner is a beer dude 1st, marketing expert 2nd..
 
I think the lack of an owners interest in a business will result in a less than full creative license. No business man would ever agree to a wild or sour beer considering the risk and time needed, but a beer-liking owner would in a heartbeat.
That being said there is no reason why a brewery with uninterested owners can't be successful. I guarantee I can turn ANYONE willing to try my beer into a beer lover with time and an open mind (he did try everything I brought after all, I just gotta find the style that is the most appealing).
 
When the time comes, frame the sour beer as a way to draw in the early adopters and demonstrate thought leadership in the local beer market

Don't worry, he'll know what it means ;)
 
evrose said:
Um... that's demonstrably untrue in thousands of cases.
Click to expand...

Agreed. There are MANY cases of chef-owners. It tends to be especially common in both higher-end fine dining restaurants and small, casual family-owned joints. It's not an anomaly at all... I don't know how common it is in wineries, but I've seen more than a few family-owned and operated examples where the main vintner is either the principal owner or a direct descendant.

That being said, I don't think a somewhat ignorant (in terms of craft beer), business-oriented owner is a death sentence. I also largely disagree with the following two statements:

Thundercougarfalconbird said:
I think the lack of an owners interest in a business will result in a less than full creative license.
Click to expand...

This is not even close to a guarantee. In the restaurant business it tends to be more true as almost everyone thinks they know food, so owners frequently dictate what the menu will look like (often to the restaurant's demise). But the craft beer business is a fair bit different in this regard. Any good businessperson who recognizes that they don't know a whole a lot about craft beer when they're opening a craft brewery will understand that they NEED to trust the people who do. On the other hand, if the business owner is a brewer themselves, or even just a beer nerd, they'll probably know exactly what they want. It's not a guarantee, but I would definitely say that the circumstances here are actually the MOST conducive to creative liberty on the brewer's part.

Thundercougarfalconbird said:
No business man would ever agree to a wild or sour beer considering the risk and time needed.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily true. The industry has recognized that there is a rapidly growing interest in sours, and yet many breweries are doing nothing to serve it. Those that do are largely being heavily rewarded, and in an industry where things like IPAs are almost at a saturation point, sours are a great way to get ahead of the trend and position a new brewery for quick, early growth... a business owner would be a fool to dismiss an opportunity like that. Risk can be somewhat mitigated by small-scale development and careful execution, and any remaining risk, as well as the fact that they take considerably longer, can possibly even be MORE than offset by the heavy premium that sours command.

Again, not a guarantee that such an owner will go for it, but I don't think it's anywhere near as unlikely as you think. The bottom line is that a new brewery NEEDS a way to set themselves apart, and the prices that can be fairly charged for sours make up for a great deal of the risk (and timeline) associated with them anyways. If you can't think of a way to justify something to the owner, it'd very likely be a bad idea even if YOU were the owner anyways.
 
Thundercougarfalconbird said:
I think the lack of an owners interest in a business will result in a less than full creative license. No business man would ever agree to a wild or sour beer considering the risk and time needed, but a beer-liking owner would in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...

Yep, total lack of vision. Really successful business people have an eye that sees not just current trends, but past that, to future trends. Personally I think it's extremely dumb to open a brew-pub if you don't like beer. You're basically trusting other people 100% to make a lot of decisions that you can't make yourself.

My sour beer has been a big hit. That's one reason why I am offering it as a year-round tap. You need to do something different these days because there are so many high-quality beers available.
 
I made the jump to commercial brewer in 2011. I attended Siebel back in '09-'10 and can say that does go a long way. Most of the people in my class already worked at breweries, so you may be able to work out a deal once the owner likes you to up your education on their dime through the web based course or splitting up the International Diploma program 2 weeks a year or something. Technical knowledge goes a long way too. To be honest, one of the hardest things to balance is when and where to display your technical knowledge when you first get in the door. Improvements to the process are always encouraged, but radical changes or criticism the 2nd week you're there isn't going to win you any friends (Unless there's mold above the mash tun or something obvious).

The single biggest factor is working hard. I was a brewer for a ~50k bbl/yr brewery where we had 24/7 coverage with 4 brewers and 4 cellarman. In a team environment like that, the weakest link sticks out pretty well and the guys that do work hard resent picking up the slack. You also have to be pretty adaptable. A year after I started working there, it was literally a completely different brewery with all the new equipment, procedures and building expansions (multiple).

If it's a brewpub, it's going to be a lot different than a fast paced production brewery. Both places are a good place to start though, for sure. It sounds like you have the passion, the crafting abilities and the knowledge to make a solid go in the brewing industry. It's a labor of love. I 'gave up' a career teaching Satellite Communications to make a wage I hadn't made since high school to work as a brewer/cellarman at my favorite brewery in the world. Winning.

Good luck mang! If you have any questions, feel free to PM me on the side.
 
Vagrant said:
I made the jump to commercial brewer in 2011. I attended Siebel back in '09-'10 and can say that does go a long way. Most of the people in my class already worked at breweries, so you may be able to work out a deal once the owner likes you to up your education on their dime through the web based course or splitting up the International Diploma program 2 weeks a year or something. Technical knowledge goes a long way too. To be honest, one of the hardest things to balance is when and where to display your technical knowledge when you first get in the door. Improvements to the process are always encouraged, but radical changes or criticism the 2nd week you're there isn't going to win you any friends (Unless there's mold above the mash tun or something obvious).

The single biggest factor is working hard. I was a brewer for a ~50k bbl/yr brewery where we had 24/7 coverage with 4 brewers and 4 cellarman. In a team environment like that, the weakest link sticks out pretty well and the guys that do work hard resent picking up the slack. You also have to be pretty adaptable. A year after I started working there, it was literally a completely different brewery with all the new equipment, procedures and building expansions (multiple).

If it's a brewpub, it's going to be a lot different than a fast paced production brewery. Both places are a good place to start though, for sure. It sounds like you have the passion, the crafting abilities and the knowledge to make a solid go in the brewing industry. It's a labor of love. I 'gave up' a career teaching Satellite Communications to make a wage I hadn't made since high school to work as a brewer/cellarman at my favorite brewery in the world. Winning.

Good luck mang! If you have any questions, feel free to PM me on the side.
Click to expand...

Sounds great. I have got tons of questions about Siebel and various other finer points of commercial brewing that I haven't encountered.
Its a brewpub opening up in a town of around 25k, but the distribution law for brewpubs in GA just changed so it will be pub sales+X gallons wholesale or something like that (drawing a blank on the number)
I try to have friendly casual shop talk with the pro's when I meet them, asking them about their personal techniques and ingredient preferences, trying to figure out the best way to combine efforts (even if I do feel I have more technical ability than some)
I'm a Communication Arts student at the moment. I decided to get into the beer business with a year left, so I'm just finishing up my diploma. But I'm finding my communication education background is really helping me make my business interactions as clear and decisive as possible.:ban: Semantics

I agree you need to be different, I worry that sour beers are becoming the new IIPA or barrel aged beer. I'm not worried about being different. I just want to make the best beer possible. And I feel sours are some of the highest tier offerings when done right...and addicting. Granted most people haven't even heard of sours outside of the beernerd world so I suppose they will always be different at their roots.
 
emjay said:
Not necessarily true. The industry has recognized that there is a rapidly growing interest in sours, and yet many breweries are doing nothing to serve it. Those that do are largely being heavily rewarded, and in an industry where things like IPAs are almost at a saturation point, sours are a great way to get ahead of the trend and position a new brewery for quick, early growth...
Click to expand...

No. Made me laugh though. Only a few examples in this country (RR has had some success, but minimal, with sours, and Jolly Pumpkin, some other also rans). I bet they wish they were "heavily rewarded".
 

Similar threads

?
Advice on how to enjoy homebrewing over the years without becoming an alcoholic.
2 3
Replies
89
Views
4K
corkybstewart
corkybstewart
luckybeagle
Need help redesigning/reconfiguring my garage brewery
Replies
18
Views
1K
OakIslandBrewery
OakIslandBrewery
R
Mini Kegs with Non threaded CO2 cartridges
Replies
30
Views
1K
odie
odie
Romex2121
Starting over again
Replies
6
Views
315
corncob
corncob
Clint Yeastwood
Asymptomatic Covid and Beer Taste
Replies
21
Views
838
Clint Yeastwood
Clint Yeastwood

Latest posts

Back
Top