Brewing jobs and brewing careers have a global scope which is not surprising given that beer is a drink enjoyed around the world.  This means that a well qualified brewer with the right brewing experience and brewing qualification should be able to get a brewing job across the world.  If you are looking for a new brewing job then the ideal starting point is:

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In the UK there is a rising number of microbreweries and breweries offering an ever increasing range of brewing jobs or employment within the brewing industry.

 

Firstly working in a brewery does not necessarily mean working as a brewer.

To start with when evaluating your brewing options it is useful to differentiate between actual brewing jobs and those positions working in or for a brewery.  For example, there are a whole host of jobs in a brewery or microbrewery that might be non-brewing related, for instance a job on the finance or marketing side.  In these roles within a brewery it is beneficial to have some background knowledge about the brewing industry and the market for beer without necessarily knowing anything about brewing.  In addition to these jobs within the brewery you also have ancillary brewing jobs which are directly connected to the brewing process and the production of beer; but again not directly involved in brewing.  These types of jobs for instance might involve the packaging of beer once it has been conditioned ready for sale. Larger microbreweries will have their own packaging facilities which could be their own bottling and canning lines and experienced or qualified packagers are vital for a brewery to deliver quality packaged beer to their final market and the consumers.  In larger breweries which are effectively a large manufacturing plant producing millions of pints of beer every week with much of the production being part or fully automated then there are requirements for mechanical and electrical engineers who have specific experience in working in breweries and with beer production. In very large breweries there may even be their own laborateries where microbiologists test and analyse the beer regularly to ensure the quality and that the beer is up to spec.  Again, these people will not be directly involved in brewing but their contribution to the efficiency and quality of the brewing process is vital. Here an understanding of brewing is vitally important as the function and design of the brewing plant and equipment have a big impact on the beer.

What are the good and bad things about getting a job in a brewery?

Brewing is a great practical career that often involves a certain amount of physical work as well a practical problem solving.

One of the perks are that you get to taste the beer, the end product, regularly.

Brewing is a very sociable industry as you would expect in any industry where the end product is alcohol.  There is a camaraderie amongst breweries and brewers so you will find that people collaborate and support each other particularly amongst microbreweries.  Brewing is a great career for early risers and for people who want to apply their knowledge of science in a practical way. Brewing and beer production genuinely cuts across a number of sciences from chemistry, biology to physics and if you do ever start your own microbrewery you will also need a firm grasp of the figures and accounting.

The brewing industry can be very sociable with lots of opportunities to get involved in beer festivals, pop up events and beer tastings. Increasingly for all breweries events are a big thing along with brewery tours so there are opportunities to meet the public and sell and market your beer and the brewery direct to customers.

Brewing job numbers and careers

The UK brewing industry has seen a massive expansion in the number of breweries over the last 20 years.  Brewery numbers are up from 475 in 1999 to 2274 20 years later in 2019. 

At the same time, despite this explosion in the number of microbreweries, we have not seen a corresponding increase in the numbers of brewing jobs which have remained relatively stable at around 15,000.  This is partly because overall beer consumption has been falling but also because large breweries which are responsible for the majority of beer production have been cutting their workforce as the brewing process becomes increasingly automated.  Their reduction in staffing has been compensated for with the rise of the numbers of microbreweries whose output is still relatively small in relation to total beer consumption but is much more labour intensive. 

Brewery Jobs - The differences between microbreweries and large breweries

The interesting thing from an employment point of view is that the required qualifications and skill sets of brewing in microbrewery can be very different to that of a large brewery.  A job in a microbrewery will require somebody who has multiple skill sets and is often flexible to be able to fill the roles of working in any small business. This could mean everything from unloading deliveries, to cleaning and digging out the mash tun, to bottling or canning the beer and even delivering the beer to trade or retail customers.  In these circumstances a microbrewery that is advertising it’s brewing jobs are more interested in someone who can apply themselves to the practical challenges of working in effectively a small craft drinks business than someone who has a high level brewing qualification such as a degree or masters in brewing science. If you are an early riser then working in a microbrewery can be an ideal job.  This is because often the brewday will start at 7 a.m.-8 a.m. in the morning which means that the whole job of brewing including the cleaning up can be finished by 3 p.m.- 4 p.m. in the afternoon. In the largest breweries there is often shift working with the breweries operating 24 hours a day or at least on multiple shifts. 

What sort of brewery jobs are there?

For a brewer seeking employment in a larger regional brewery or large national brewery then as a general guide to brewing jobs there are 3 levels on the career path of brewing employment.  Their roles in ascending seniority are:

Assistant brewer / brewery operative

Brewer / technical brewer

Head Brewer / Lead Brewer or Braumeister

This is an overview of the brewing roles and jobs in a brewery whilst for individual jobs this will depend on the brewery and their requirements so specific job descriptions are likely to vary so please read the brewing job description carefully.

Assistant brewer

The starting point on the brewing career ladder is a brewing assistant or brewery operative.  Their role is largely to assist the Brewer or Technical Brewer in their day to day breiwing in the brewery.  There is a fair amount of physical work or manual handling in these brewing roles so one of the prerequisites as is in the case of workers in microbreweries is that the brewer needs to be physically fit and capable of lifting bags of malted barley and digging out the mash tun and cleaning the emptied brewing vessels once the brewday has completed.

Often qualifications aren’t essential to get on the brewing ladder.  It is more a case of enthusiasm and some relevant experience of brewing or working in a brewery.  Having said that a qualification like the General Certificate in Brewing would not go amiss and demonstrates both a grasp of Practical Commercial Brewing Skills and also a commitment to a career in brewing as well as a grasp of the technical and practical aspects of the brewing process.

There is an old adage in brewing that brewing is 80% cleaning.  Much of the cleaning will fall to the Brewery Assistants so if you don’t like water or cleaning then this brewing job might not be for you.

Brewery worker / Technical Brewer / Lead Brewer

A Technical Brewer is what many people would be the proper brewing job in that they are responsible for the day to day brewing.  This will include production of beer, packaging of the beer, inventory management, cleaning and maintenance of the brewing facility.  Where there are other brewery staff they may be responsible for the management of the assistant brewers. In large breweries they may have to report to the Head Brewer.  The Technical Brewer is responsible for the ordering and monitoring of the quality of the brewing ingredients and of course the utlimate quality of the beer output. Where there is a Head Brewer in place then they will have to report in to them.  Whilst they are responsible for producing the beer that is in spec the creative decisions of what beers and recipe development may lie elsewhere; being the responsibility of the Head Brewer / Braumeister or owner of the brewery.

Example job description for Technical Brewer

Weighing and measuring the ingredients

The mixing and fermentation process

Conditioning the beer

Monitoring quality

Managing the labeling, packing and loading of beer

Wort production

Cellaring work including fermentation management, yeast management, tank transfers, dry hopping, and CIP Packing – Kegs and Can

Cleaning & hygiene (CIP)

Supporting other brewers and team members

Accurate recording of brewing data

QC and QA – pre/post fermentation and packaged beer

Inventory control of stocks of brewing ingredients and

Head Brewer / Braumeister

The Head Brewer has more of a strategic role in the brewery depending on the size.  They may have responsibilty for creating new beer recipes and will certainly have responsiblity for budgets and managing costs working to pre-identified budgets and KPI of the brewing business.  This brewing job is at the pinnacle of brewery career ladder.

It is likely to involve a considerable amount of brewery personnel management and some head brewers will have a high level brewing qualification such as a degree in brewing or a Master Brewer qualification.

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