Interviewed for a Brewing Job

[Schlenkerla]

I interviewed for a job at a local brewery not too long ago. I must say it was disappointing. I'm currently an unemployed engineer with a controls & project mgmt background. For some reason I thought a job there would be cool.

I was thinking there would be some level of process monitoring, be that mashing or with fermentation, maybe some simple automation.....

........Ahhhhh NO, a very, very big no. I was so wrong about that. Boy was I stunned. I should have known because brewing is mostly about cleaning.

(Not intending to sound arrogant) I have come to the conclusion that small scale commercial brewers only have blue collar jobs. Unless you are the headbrewer/owner. I felt so naive after that.

At least got two business cards, both good for a beer at the local pub & eatery.

If you run a micro, I'd like to hear your thoughts.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I once interviewed for a brewery job too. A small local commercial distro brewery. Their beers weren't great but, it was a distro brewery and not a brewpub.

Was offered a graveyard shift 7 days a week 4 hours a shift which I thought was great. I knew anything I could get would be grunt work but it wasn't until I came in for a "duty tour" that I learned I'd be starting at teh end of the bottling line (filling boxes) for $5.25 an hour.

I realize it isn't realistic to think they let me loose on a kettle or mash tun and I never exoected such but, I did think that I'd at least be a cleaning grunt on the actual brewing line.

The hours would have been a problem except on weekends but, the money itself was deal breaker for me. Ah well.

I eventually offered to volunteer myself on weekends during the day if I could be a brew grunt. they quickly declined my offer.

Meh. Their beer sucks anyways.

 

[Evan!]

From what I understand, this is where you start. It's not that the more "glamorous" positions aren't there, but you gotta work for it.

 

[PseudoChef]

Even if you go through culinary school - you'll probably still be washing dishes at somepoint.

 

[Bob]

Too true, Evan. Back in Ye Olde Tymes, it was called an "apprenticeship".

I went through it. I worked my arse off scrubbing, cleaning, kegging, mopping, bottling, hosing, racking, and did I mention cleaning, before I ever even stepped into the brewhouse. Six months before the mast, for about slave wages. Got a slight raise the week they finally trusted me enough to brew a batch of Tripel.

There is very little automation in small breweries. It's still a hands-on occupation. My first pro gig was in a large-ish Ringwood brewery, which was really just a homebrew system writ large. HLT, mash tun, direct-fire kettle, pumps. The only automation was the temperature controller on the HLT. Of course, there were glycol chillers on the fermenters, each controlled by the same sort of Johnson control you can get from Northern Brewer or Williams.

About the only thing that brewery had which the average all-grain homebrew setup lacks is a DE filter and bottling machine. Srsly.

Yeah, it's a blue-collar job, breaking your back in a brewery. [shrug] That's the way it is.

Finally, the brewery at which I started? The owner didn't draw a paycheck for four of the five years I worked there. Then he started drawing $200 per week. White collar? Ha! It's like small businesses everywhere, regardless what product comes out: the owner busts his/her a$s, making payroll above all else, skating checks, committing to the product and his employees.

Cheers, boys!

Bob

 

[SourHopHead]

A few people I know went to work for Deschutes, Ommegang and a few other places. They cleaned and filled kegs for at least 6mo. Couple of local guys worked at different brewpubs and got together for one of their own. Not sure of the details tho. Others started at apprentices and moved to head brewer positions locally.

Cleaning is huge and done everyday. I've learned cleaning FV, BBT, Servers, Kettle and MT by repetition and still ask questions. Yeah you can sit on the brew platform all day, but with all the stuff going it makes the day/night go by quick. I was there a few weeks helping out/learning and was beat everyday when I got home. Everyday I got to taste finished product and it was good. They take a lot of pride in what they do and have a lot of knowledge to back it up. Not a huge operation. I think around 15k bbls a year, but getting bigger. A place I know looking for a head brewer south of ABQ 300 bbl's a year.

 

[fratermus]

........Ahhhhh NO, a very, very big no. I was so wrong about that. Boy was I stunned. I should have known because brewing is mostly about cleaning.

When I saw the thread title I misread it and thought it was about an upcoming interview. I was going to recommend:

"I like cleaning" and "I like to wear rubber boots" to get your foot in the door.

 

[The Pol]

If you want a glamorous job, go to school, spend $100k to get your license and become an airline pilot. Then you can work 8-12 hour days without a single lunch break. We are always looking for a few good suckers.

Id never think about working at a brewery unless it was mine, and that would probably be in conjunction with my friends restaurant since he has the licensing already.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

For most of us, a career in brewing is just not in the cards. For those who have other jobs, the paycut required to get your 'foot in the door' in the brewing field is just too massive.

If only I had this knowledge of beer when I was 21... I could have started out as a grunt and been happy and by now I'd be a master brewer somewhere... probably making half of what I make now, but I wouldn't know any better.

 

[Schlenkerla]

If you want a glamorous job, go to school, spend $100k to get your license and become an airline pilot. Then you can work 8-12 hour days without a single lunch break. We are always looking for a few good suckers.

Id never think about working at a brewery unless it was mine, and that would probably be in conjunction with my friends restaurant since he has the licensing already.

I'm not looking for a glamorous job. Just one close to my past salary and that has some technical challenges to keep me interested.

I came to the conclusion that the only brewery I could work at would be my own. I would have to extremely wealthy too. Where I would have the luxury not give a rats ass. After awhile I would hate listening to dumb comments about the beer or the comparisons to BMC. I'm guessing head brewers just gaff it off when they hear it mentioned.

By ohiobrewtus - For most of us, a career in brewing is just not in the cards. For those who have other jobs, the paycut required to get your 'foot in the door' in the brewing field is just too massive.

+1 on this. Its better to be a hobby than career for some of us.

 

[sterling214]

This is the way with most skilled trades. No matter how much schooling you have, you have to start at the bottom. Getting into and skilled field at a later age takes a real determination to put up with the crap pay for a few years, and being everyones grunt.

 

[Schlenkerla]

This is the way with most skilled trades. No matter how much schooling you have, you have to start at the bottom. Getting into and skilled field at a later age takes a real determination to put up with the crap pay for a few years, and being everyones grunt.

I know. I was machinist for several years before getting into engineering. I'm surprised that I forgot this. I didn't see brewing as a skilled trade like that of an electrician, welder or plumber.

 

[cslewisster]

I don't want to hijack the tread but anyone have advise for looking for a job in the brewing industry? I'm 23 with a worthless college degree (philosophy and religion double major) and I'm thinking about trying to have some fun and do a job I would love for a few years anyway. What kind of pay can a grunt expect to receive?

 

[Reverend JC]

Hey, if you want to drive over to NE we can put you to work shoveling out the mash tun!

I think most avaliable jobs at small micros are things like cleaning and packaging.

 

[cslewisster]

Nebraska seems a little far to drive from Philadelphia, however I appreciate the offer.

Also pay? Any clue what I can expect to make? Minimum wage? More? Less? Depends?

 

[menschmaschine]

Any clue what I can expect to make? Minimum wage? More? Less? Depends?

Here are some intesting threads from Probrewer.com on the subject:
Entry level pay - ProBrewer Interactive
Wages per barrel production. what do you think? - ProBrewer Interactive
owner/brewer salary? - ProBrewer Interactive