Head Brewer

At Other Half Brewing, we believe in pushing the boundaries of beer and the culture that surrounds it. As the Head Brewer, you will lead our team with a focus on innovation, community engagement, and creating spaces for real-world relationships to flourish. Your role is pivotal in ensuring that our commitment to excellence is upheld in every aspect of our operations, from production scheduling to quality control and preventative maintenance.

Leadership and Team Development

At the heart of our brewery is a strong team dedicated to excellence. As the Head Brewer, you will:

• Lead by example, embodying our mission statement by championing integrity, professionalism, and a commitment to excellence in all aspects of brewery operations.
• Foster a culture of safety and excellence, ensuring that all team members are equipped with the necessary tools, training, and support to excel in their roles.
• Manage labor schedules, overtime, and PTO strategically to optimize team performance while prioritizing the well-being and development of each team member. May include brewing, packaging, warehouse, maintenance employees, dependent on location and needs.
• Provide inspirational leadership and mentorship, delivering timely, constructive feedback to enhance work quality, productivity, and team performance. Regularly conduct performance reviews to facilitate individual growth and team cohesion.
• Cultivate a collaborative atmosphere through clear, transparent communication, fostering open dialogue, idea-sharing, and problem-solving among team members.

Production Schedule

Efficient production scheduling is essential to meeting the demands of our customers while maintaining the highest standards of quality. As the Head Brewer, you will:

• Develop and maintain detailed production schedules for brewing and packaging, taking into account each location's individual focuses and production capacities.
• Coordinate closely with intradepartmental teams at each location to ensure seamless execution of the production schedule, optimizing resources and maximizing productivity.
• Communicate adjustments to brewing and packaging schedules promptly, ensuring that all team members are informed and prepared to meet production targets.
• Oversee the procurement of raw materials and ingredients, supply scheduling, and spent grains removal to optimize production efficiency and minimize operating costs.

Brewing and Packaging Processes

The quality of our beer is paramount, and it is your responsibility as the Head Brewer to ensure that our production processes uphold the highest standards. As the Head Brewer, you will:

• Implement Brewmaster’s core recipes with tailored modifications to fit each brewery's unique system, water profile, layout, and nuances, to ensure each batch meets our high standards of quality and distinction
• Enforce strict adherence to defined SOPs and quality standards, emphasizing the importance of consistency and attention to detail in every batch of beer produced.
• Lead training initiatives for brewing and packaging staff, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to execute processes with precision and efficiency.
• Create and monitor production metrics for deviations, collaborating with the operations team to adjust processes and SOPs as needed to maintain product quality and consistency.
• Creating processes and ensuring timely completion of production log, reporting and inventory management systems, familiarity with Google Workspace suite and Orchestrated Beer ERP is a plus.
• Responsible for incoming raw material ordering and storage, inventory management (daily/weekly/monthly), and storage/shipping of finished products

Quality and Sensory

Quality control is at the core of everything we do to ensure customer satisfaction. As the Head Brewer, you will:

• Serve as a subject matter expert in brewing science, encompassing both theoretical knowledge and practical application. Ensure the brewing process is grounded in scientific principles to achieve consistent quality, from the nuances of malt selection to the intricacies of yeast metabolism. Leverage this expertise to troubleshoot process deviations and mentor the brewing team in best practices.
• Establish, monitor, and adhere to strict quality metrics throughout the brewing process, including but not limited to Original Gravity (OG), Final Gravity (FG), microbial stability, and oxygen levels. Implement robust quality control protocols to ensure each batch meets our high standards for flavor, visual appearance, and stability, thus safeguarding the integrity and reputation of our brand.
• Actively participate in sensory evaluation processes, engaging with team members to identify flavor profiles, detect off-flavors, and ensure product consistency.
• Foster a culture of quality and proactive problem-solving, empowering staff to identify and address issues before they impact product quality or customer satisfaction.

Preventative Maintenance and Upgrades

Preventative maintenance is essential to minimizing downtime and maximizing productivity in our brewery. In your role as Head Brewer, you will:

• Oversee and schedule regular preventative maintenance for brewing and packaging equipment as well and general facilities, ensuring that all systems are operating at peak efficiency.
• Lead initiatives for equipment and facility upgrades, identifying opportunities for technological advancements that align with our commitment to innovation and sustainability.
• Collaborate with the facilities manager and external contractors to ensure timely execution of maintenance activities and upgrades, adjusting production schedules as needed to accommodate.

Travel:

• Routine travel between storage facilities located in Victor and brewery will be required.
• Travel requirements are minimal as the focus will be on local operations. There will be occasional opportunities to visit the other breweries, attend external training and conferences, and participate in annual hop selection.

Experience:

• Minimum 3 years of production brewery experience
• Minimum 2 years of leadership experience (preferably in a brewery environment)
• Strong preference for experience with Google Suite and Orchestrated Beer or Encompass ERP software

Skills:

• Strong work ethic and ability to multitask
• Ability to function well in a fast-paced, chaotic environment under tight deadlines
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Strong organizational skills
• Personable, approachable, and pleasant demeanor
• Strong knowledge of brewing operations, packaging, and quality
• Willingness to embrace an empathetic servant leadership style

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person

Salary : $75,000 - $85,000