Should I be a brewer? 🍻

Have you ever homebrewed beer?

Do you love chemistry, creativity, and want a hands-on career?

Brewing is more than just combining water, grain, hops, and yeast. It often involves being creative and a beverage foodie. Don't get me wrong...as a brewer myself, it can be hard work, but incredibly fulfilling!

Check out what it takes to get into this exciting and growing field!

So, is it all about adding delicious things to hot water until we're left with a foamy, bubbling brew? Well, kind of, but there's also some paperwork involved!

Responsibilities can really vary depending on the size of the brewery and brewery type. Imagine being responsible for all the items in a small store versus a large warehouse!

Typical responsibilities:

• Manage inventory

• Gather ingredients

• Complete brewing process

• Document brewing process

• Clean and sanitize equipment

Other possible responsibilities:

• Recipe development

• Collaborate with sales and taproom team

• Representing the brewery at events

• Brew house tours

• Train assistants

Here is a VERY brief overview of the brewing process in 7 main steps:

1. Milling: Crushin' grain!

2. Mashing: Mix grain with hot water.

3. Lautering: Here the goal is to extract additional sugars and separate the wort from the grain.

4. Boiling: The wort is boiled and hops are added.

5. Fermentation: Yeast is added to convert fermentable sugars to alcohol and CO2.

6. Carbonation: The beer is conditioned and carbed.

7. Packaging: Beer is moved from the bright tank into kegs, cans, or bottles.

Here are 4 questions to help you decide if you can be un-beer-lievably hoppy working as a brewer...

1. Would you enjoy a front-row seat to fascinating chemical reactions?

Here are some chemical processes that are key to make beer taste the way it does!

You'll be in charge of facilitating:

• Amylase enzymatic reaction: breaks starches in sugars

• Fermentation: converts sugars to ethanol

• Biotransformation: involves aromas and flavors

2. Do you love working with your hands?

Carrying 50-lbs grain bags? No problem!

Brewers are hands-on workers. You'll be moving heavy grain bags, lifting large hoses to move beer from one tank to another, transferring kegs to pallets, and other laborious tasks.

3. Do you mind cleaning? A lot, of cleaning...

While this video doesn't show an everyday occurrence, cleaning is going to take up a large portion of your day and you will be handling some heavy duty chemicals. Brewers are very careful to keep all equipment clean for product cleanliness and equipment longevity.

Video courtesy of Daily Mail's TikTok

4. Are you results driven?

Let's face it...the best part of being a brewer is the end product! You get to use your creativity and knowledge to create something that everyone who comes to your brewery will enjoy.

Jordan

• Seeking a hybrid or remote position

• Can maintain a strict schedule

• Enjoys beer

• Thrives in predictable environments

Jamie

• Seeking a flexible schedule

• Can work long hours during peak times

• Loves beer

• Loves hands-on work and is meticulous

Many brewers start as homebrewers, volunteers, and brewery assistants. Courses and schooling can be beneficial, but they're not necessary. Hands-on experience is what really matters. Get to know the process and how to problem-solve when something doesn't go according to plan!

Breweries are opening every day all over the world and there are thousands of job postings.

Where should you look?

• Probrewers.com

• Brewbound.com

• Indeed.com

You can also ask your local brewery. They may be hiring or know about another local brewery that is!

Well, it depends on where you are and the size of the brewery!

You can expect a salary anywhere from $59,000 to $109,000 a year in the US.

As you can imagine, larger production breweries pay more.

You can expect a salary anywhere from $37,000 to $60,000 a year in Canada.

Ontario holds the highest number of breweries in Canada!

You can take steps right now to be a brewer, no matter your experience!