Hinterland Assistant Brewer

Description

We are looking for a bright, self-motivated individual with great work ethic and attention to detail to support and maintain production at Hinterland Brewery. This employee must be a hard working, responsible and a self-motivated individual with a passion for craft beer and a desire to continue learning and growing within the industry. The candidate must be someone who leads by example, follows procedure and policy, is proactive, and helps to maintain the highest standards of performance and quality. The candidate needs to be flexible in their schedule and be available to 40 hour work weeks sometimes including weekends. 

Position Summary:

Assist and perform brewery operations including wort production, cellar work including CIP tank cleaning, fermentation, filtration, pasteurization and packaging. 

Essential Job Functions: 

• Follow all safety procedures and adhere to all company policies and procedures, including the safe operation of equipment and help to maintain a safe, clean work environment that includes general housekeeping and warehouse duties. 
• Demonstrate ability to effectively communicate in a cross-function, cross-departmental team environment. 
• Ability to accurately follow standard operating procedures and understanding of specific beer process terminologies. 
• Perform brewing, cellaring, and filtration processes along with CIP, sanitation and sterilization techniques. 
• Produces quality wort according to SOP’s including, but not limited to, target gravity, IBU, color and volume. 
• Perform daily job duties including, but not limited to, malt milling, brew house operations, wort transfers, yeast pitching, fermentation monitoring, filtration, general cleaning.
• Operate both manual and computer automated equipment while maintaining quality standards. Operate forklifts and other machinery as trained and directed. 
• Monitor individual batches and fermentations. 
• Record batch performance and data. 
• Evaluate raw material quality and performance. 
• Work with hazardous chemicals of varying composition and maintain adherence to safety standards at all times during routine cleaning of brewing equipment. 
• Must be able to assist and or lead each unit of brewing operation as necessary. 
• Perform weekly, monthly and quarterly maintenance in accordance with the maintenance checklists.

Cellar Work: Work under the guidance of Head Brewer to prepare tanks for production, transfer and packaging in accordance to schedule. 

• CIP tanks 
• Transfer and carbonate beer. 
• Keg beer as directed by Head Brewer. 
• Operate a centrifuge and plate and frame filter and flash pasteurizer. . 
• Process beer in accordance with the brew schedule. 
• Perform daily lab tests on fermenting batches, record and enter data. 
• Harvest yeast while following specific yeast management protocols. 
• Crash and dry hop beers as needed.

Lab Technician Work

• Work alongside the Quality Manager and aid in testing, scheduling yeast pitches, growing and maintaining yeast,  and product development
• Aseptic sampling and screening of beers using both media  plates and qPCR
• Monitoring of fermentations including gravity monitoring and yeast health/count analysis
• Ensuring brewhouse production metrics are met
• VDK and sensory analysis of beers to ensure quality and reproducibility

Cold Storage Organization: 

• Restock and Replenish tap room serving tanks and kegs. 
• Organize wholesale shipments in accordance with weekly pick-up and delivery schedules.
• Assist in packaging line operations.

Benefits

• Paid time off, increases to 3 weeks after three years of employment.
• Big discounts in our tasting room for meals, beer, and merchandise.
• Great health, dental, insurance coverage.
• Paid paternity/maternity leave.
• Participate in our retirement savings plan (401k).
• Paid time off to volunteer for local charities and non-profits.

Requirements

Abilities required: 

• Safety and Security–the individual observes safety and security procedures and operates equipment and materials properly. 
• Problem Solving–the individual identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner, gathers and analyzes information skillfully. 
• Planning/Organizing–the individual prioritizes and plans work activities and uses time efficiently. 
• Quality Control–the individual demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness, monitors own work to ensure quality and applies feedback to improve performance. 
• Productivity–meets productivity standards and completes work in a timely manner. 
• Adaptability–the individual adapts to changes in the work environment, manages competing demands and is able to deal with frequent change, delays or unexpected events. 
• Dependability–the individual is consistently at work and on time, follows instructions, responds to management direction and solicits feedback to improve performance.   

The ideal candidate for this position would possess: 

• 2 year minimum brewery work experience and/or certification from an accredited institution (IBD, UC Davis, etc.) 
• College degree in Science (Biology, Chemistry, Microbiology, Food Science) preferred. 
• 2 year minimum brewery work experience and/or certification from an accredited institution (IBD, UC Davis, etc.) 
• The ability to work effectively, both independently and as a team 
• Is self-motivated and thrives in a fast-paced environment 
• Extremely strong project management skills with a propensity for enacting positive change 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills 
• Strong problem solving and analytical skills 
• Loves to work hard and have fun!   

Requirements: 

• Valid driver's license and clean driving record 
• Ability to work some nights and weekends
• Ability to frequently sit, stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl 
• Heavy physical work including climbing stairs, lifting heavy objects, carrying hoses, etc. 
• Willing to work in wet, hot and cold conditions 
• Willing to work in consistently loud environments 
• Ability to work safely with potentially hazardous chemicals 
• Ability to frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 75 lbs 

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. We would encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of our qualifications described. If you are unsure whether you meet the qualifications of this position, or how this would be determined, please feel free to contact info@hinterlandbeer.com to discuss your application.