Career Change

Just a quick post this one, as I realise I haven't written anything in months! The reason for this is not just laziness, but more that I have a new job - as a BREWER!

Back in November I saw an job advert looking for a brewer at a 10 barrel brewery in Bristol. I'd been looking for a job in the brewing industry for a little while, so I knew that such jobs don't crop up all the time and especially so close to home. I decided to apply despite having no professional experience. I was confident that I knew the theory of brewing pretty well and that I could scale that up to a bigger operation. And I could demonstrate my ability to brew different styles to a pretty high standard, so I went for it!

Job application ready to go!

As you can see in the photo, I decided to submit some beers with my application. Mostly this was to show that I could brew good beer, but also to make my application stand out. If you are thinking of applying for a brewing job I would definitely recommend doing the same. I also took the application in myself and gave it directly to the head brewer. We had a little chat at the same time and I think he was impressed that I'd made an effort to go in person. It turned out that they were much more interested in finding someone with a passion for beer and brewing, than they were in qualifications and experience.

I've been working at the brewery now for almost two months now and I'm still really enjoying it. There's a steep learning curve involved and it's pretty stressful knowing that your mistakes could cost a whole batch of beer. The difference between that and homebrew is massive! But I've learned loads since I've been there. It's a pretty physical job too, so that's been quite a steep curve too - I still ache in the mornings! But everyday I always have a moment where I reflect on how much better it is that sitting behind a desk as a temp!

If you want to get a job brewing, then you need to be realistic about what the job actually involves. I spoke to quite a few brewers before I started work, and they all said it's 90% cleaning and carrying stuff about. I would broadly agree with that. But it is also creative, scientific, and you get to make beer! Plus, when you meet new people, it's great being able to say you're a brewer!

I'm not really going to talk a lot more about my job on here, as I want to keep the blog about homebrewing. People are often surprised that I can brew all week and still want to make homebrew at the weekends. But the freedom and flexibility you have as a homebrewer means you can brew a range of beers, with a range of ingredients and techniques, that just isn't practical in a larger brewery.

So I'll continue to brew in my kitchen and write about it on here. Hopefully you find it interesting and/or useful and we can all get better at the king of hobbies!