Brewery Job Description
Brewers are professionals who are experts in understanding and handling raw materials used during the brewing of beer. Producing large, high-quality batches of beer requires a wide range of skills and personal qualities that are acquired through years of training and experience. Besides brewing beer, brewers can advance to positions that involve testing, quality control and project management duties.
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Function
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Brewers oversee the entire process of making beer. For example, brewers choose the malted barley or type of grain that is used to prepare different flavors of beer. They also monitor the brewing process and make adjustments in the amount of water, yeast and hops that is added during the fermentation process. Other brewer duties include checking pH and temperature levels to ensure quality and taste; fixing and maintaining brewery equipment; packaging beer for mass consumption; tracking production expenses; and delivering beer to customers and distributors.
Education
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Majors that help prepare candidates for a career as a brewer include food science, biotechnology, process engineering and organic chemistry. However, some brewers learn their skills on the job or enroll in a schools that offer formal training and diplomas in brewing (see Resource section). Brewing students learn subjects such as malt milling, brewery cleaning and sanitation, process control and management, and day-to-day brewery practices and procedures.
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Skills
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Brewery workers should have good manual dexterity and proficient knowledge of the equipment used to prepare beer, such as milling and carbonating machines, filters and brew tanks. Oral and interpersonal communication skills are important, since brewers must communicate with and coordinate production schedules with suppliers, customers and other breweries.
Work Environment
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Some of the buildings that brewers work in include small craft breweries, brew pubs and laboratories. Brewers are constantly on their feet, as they must move between and operate machinery. In addition, temperatures can fluctuate greatly due to refrigerated storage areas and rising steam from brew. Loud noises are common due to running equipment, and floors can be slippery as a result of splashing liquid. Some brewers are required to travel to deliver products and attend external meetings with suppliers and clients.
Salary
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The average salary for brewers in the United States was $38,000, based on a June 2010 SimplyHired report. Salaries ranged according to geographic region and experience level. For instance, brewery positions in Oklahoma City earned an average salary of $33,000 per year.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit beer in beer-mug image by Witold Krasowski from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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brewery business is good business.
