(Who knows where one may end up after all this?)

When you ask people what things in life they enjoy the least, you might get answers like doing the laundry, mowing the lawn, moving, cooking etc.  Another one that comes up quite often is having to look for a job.  This has never been one of my favorites, but during the past few weeks, I have devoted some of my time to contacting breweries that I may want to work at once I have finished this program.  

So where does one go to find a brewing job?  There are a few websites out there that provide a place for breweries to post open positions.  We also get emails from the program coordinator every week that also contain information on openings.  Then there’s the more direct methods of emailing or calling blindly to breweries that you are interested in or better yet, going old school on them just showing up at their doorstep.  The latter can be a bit difficult considering that for the most part breweries are located pretty sporadically across the nation.  Another thing to factor in when trying to get into this industry is that unless you have all the time in the world to look for a job, you need to be pretty flexible in terms of location.  Sadly, breweries are not quite as common as car dealerships, banks or grocery stores. 

At this point, using the various methods mentioned above, I have sent out resumes to at least 25 breweries.  I have specific criteria that I used to pick them out.  Are they the size I’m looking for?  Where are they located?  Do they make a good variety of beer styles?  Do people like their beer? (I used beeradvocate.com for that part.)  I sent emails anywhere from Sitka, Alaska to Fraserburgh, Scotland.  I actually ended up getting quite a few responses, although nearly all weren’t hiring or had filled an opening already ...... with the exception of 2.   First I received an email back from a brewery in Central Washington near the Yakima Valley that needed an assistant brewer.  Then a few days later I got an even bigger surprise when I received a response from Brewdog (Makers of the infamous Sink the Bismarck 41% ABV) saying they’d like me to come out to Scotland for a couple weeks and brew with them with the potential to get hired on permanently if there was a good fit.  Right now I’m working out the details of the trip to Scotland and I’m setup to do a 2nd phone interview with the other brewery.  Things are not looking too shabby at this point.

The classroom during this 3 week period has certainly gotten a little thinner, since we have now entered the review section of the program.  We’ve gone back to lecture format and it is essentially a concise edition of the first 8 weeks we did to refresh our memories for the IBD exam that we’ll be taking (gulp) next week!  This is a time when coming to class is not required and that if you need to time to study independently on specific areas on your own, you’re encouraged to do so.  I showed up for the lectures on areas I felt I could use a review on and for others that I felt I knew fairly well I decided that my time would be better spent in the confines of the library.  

At the end of Week 17, we got to relax a bit and were invited to have lunch at the home of Dr. Lewis.  He has a nice house located at the edge of a lake in Davis.  There was of course a very diverse selection of beers to choose from and a variety of grilled meats for us to devour on this beautiful Friday afternoon.  I got a chance to have a nice conversation with Dr. Lewis and his wife about what I wanted to do after the program was over and they also shared some of their life lessons with me about starting out into the brave new world of brewing.  It was 3 hours well spent. 

We have come to the end of Week 18 and there’s only two things left to do.... take the IBD exam and then graduate/celebrate!  It’s strange how something can seem like an eternity and also fly by at the same time. 

Next Week:  The truth about the IBD exam and an answer to the big question.  What now?

Questions or Comments?  Feel free to email me at beereaucrat@gmail.com