Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Brewer

🎯 Role Definition

The Brewer is responsible for end-to-end brewery production activities including mash, lautering, wort production, fermentation management, yeast propagation, conditioning, and packaging. This role ensures consistent beer quality, safe and efficient production, accurate record keeping, and adherence to sanitation and regulatory standards. The ideal candidate combines hands-on brewing experience, laboratory testing skills, mechanical aptitude, and a collaborative mindset to help scale recipes and optimize brewery performance.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Cellarman / Brewing Assistant
Homebrewer with laboratory or kitchen production experience
Brewery Packaging or Quality Technician

Advancement To:

Head Brewer / Brewmaster
Production Manager / Brewery Operations Manager
Quality Assurance / QC Manager

Lateral Moves:

Packaging Supervisor (kegging/bottling)
Quality Control Technician / Lab Technician

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Manage daily brewhouse operations from milling, mashing, lautering, sparging and boiling to whirlpool and transfer, ensuring each step follows the recipe, schedule, and quality specifications.
Execute precise recipe formulation and scaling, calculate grain bills and hop schedules, and make real-time adjustments to maintain target original gravity, bitterness units (IBU), and flavor profiles.
Operate and maintain fermentation vessels: pitch and propagate yeast, monitor gravity, pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen, and control fermentation curves to achieve consistent attenuation and flavor development.
Conduct in-process testing and record keeping: measure specific gravity, Brix, pH, temperature, and other quality metrics; log batch data in brewery management systems and ensure traceability for each lot.
Perform yeast management tasks including harvesting, rinsing, repitching, maintaining yeast banks, and documenting cell counts and viability to maximize fermentation performance and minimize contamination risk.
Execute clean-in-place (CIP), sanitation, and sterilization protocols for brewhouse, fermenters, bright tanks, heat exchangers, hoses, and filtration systems, maintaining rigorous hygienic standards.
Coordinate packaging operations including transfer to brite tanks, carbonation control, kegging, bottling, canning, labeling, and palletizing while ensuring fill levels, CO2 volumes, and oxygen pickup meet QA standards.
Troubleshoot mechanical and process issues on pumps, valves, heat exchangers, mash tuns, and instrumentation; perform routine preventative maintenance and escalate complex repairs to maintenance staff.
Implement and enforce safety policies and procedures including lockout/tagout, confined space entry, PPE usage, hazardous chemical handling, and spill response to ensure regulatory and company compliance.
Lead small brewing teams during shifts: assign tasks, train cellar and packaging staff, maintain production cadence, and cultivate a safety-first, continuous improvement culture.
Support sensory evaluation and QA sampling: organize and execute tasting panels, defect analysis, and root cause investigations to drive corrective actions and recipe refinement.
Manage inventory of raw materials — malts, adjuncts, hops, yeast, and packaging components — track lot numbers and expirations, perform FIFO rotation, and communicate reordering needs to supply chain.
Prepare and maintain brewing SOPs, batch records, and documentation for audits; ensure compliance with relevant food safety programs (HACCP, GMP) and local regulatory requirements.
Conduct routine microbiological and chemical testing in the brewery lab: plate counts, gram stains, ATP swabs, and simple titrations; coordinate outside lab services for advanced analyses when required.
Monitor and control water chemistry and treatment processes (alkalinity, hardness, chloride/sulfate ratios) to ensure consistent mash pH and flavor outcomes, and maintain water treatment logs.
Optimize process efficiency and yield by analyzing production data, reducing losses in lautering and transfers, implementing heat recovery, and minimizing packaging downtime.
Collaborate with R&D and head brewer on recipe development, pilot batches, seasonal releases, and special projects; provide technical feedback for scaling from pilot to production scale.
Participate in capital projects and equipment installations by providing operational requirements, commissioning support, and validation testing to ensure production readiness.
Maintain cleanliness and organization of production and cellar areas, enforce 5S principles, manage waste and spent grain disposal, and ensure brewery aesthetics meet brand standards for tours and taproom visits.
Support taproom events and brewery tours as needed, explaining production processes, serving packaged product knowledgeably, and representing the brewery professionally to guests and customers.
Track and report production KPIs — batch count, yield, fermentation time, efficiency, downtime, and defect rates — and present actionable recommendations to improve throughput and quality.
Train and mentor junior brewing and cellar staff on technical brewing tasks, laboratory methods, sanitation practices, and safety culture to build a resilient production team.

Secondary Functions

Assist Quality Assurance in scheduled audits, supplier quality assessments, and corrective action tracking to maintain food safety certifications.
Support formulation of production schedules in partnership with Supply Chain to meet forecasted demand and seasonal promotions.
Contribute to cross-functional continuous improvement initiatives like waste reduction, energy efficiency, and packaging optimization.
Maintain accurate digital and paper records for traceability, regulatory inspections, and internal knowledge transfer.
Participate in community outreach, taproom fundraising events, and farmer relationships for spent grain management when requested.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Hands-on brewhouse operations: mash/lautering, wort production, hop additions, whirlpool, and transfers.
Fermentation management including yeast handling, pitching rates, temperature control, and gravity tracking.
Sanitation and CIP procedures, knowledge of cleaning chemistries, and contamination control.
Laboratory testing skills: hydrometer/refractometer readings, pH measurement, basic microbiological plating, ATP swabbing, and sensory panel facilitation.
Packaging line operation: kegging, filling (bottle/can), sealing, labeling, and carbonation control.
Process troubleshooting and mechanical aptitude for pumps, valves, heat exchangers, and basic brewery tooling.
Process control and instrumentation: temperature, pressure, flow and level monitoring and calibration.
Water chemistry adjustment and understanding of its impact on mash pH and flavor profile.
Production and inventory management: batch records, yield optimization, raw material rotation, and ERP/Brewery management software.
Regulatory and food-safety knowledge: HACCP principles, GMPs, OSHA safety standards, and traceability documentation.
Recipe scaling and formulation math, gravity/ABV calculation, and hop utilization concepts.
Preventative maintenance practices and ability to read technical diagrams and P&IDs.
Familiarity with packaging QA checks: dissolved oxygen (DO) control, CO2 levels, fill weights, and seal integrity.
Forklift operation and safe material handling (preferred/certified in many roles).

Soft Skills

Strong attention to detail with a bias for consistent product quality and precise record-keeping.
Clear verbal and written communication skills for cross-team coordination and shift handovers.
Problem-solving mindset and ability to prioritize under production constraints.
Team leadership and coaching skills for mentoring junior staff and building collaborative shifts.
Time management and organization to meet production schedules and manage concurrent batches.
Physical stamina and dexterity for repetitive tasks, heavy lifting, and working in wet/cold environments.
Adaptability and resilience to work variable schedules including early mornings, weekends, and busy seasonal periods.
Customer-facing professionalism for taproom interactions and brewery tours.
Data-driven thinking to interpret KPIs and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
Commitment to safety culture and proactive hazard identification.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:
High school diploma or equivalent; vocational certificate or on-the-job brewery training preferred.

Preferred Education:
Associate degree or certificate in Brewing Science, Fermentation Science, Food Science, Microbiology, or related technical program; recognized brewing certifications (e.g., SIBA, Siebel, Cicerone) are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Brewing Science / Fermentation Science
Food Science or Technology
Microbiology / Biochemistry
Mechanical or Chemical Engineering (technical roles)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:
1–5 years of hands-on experience in brewery production, cellaring, or packaging. Entry-level candidates with strong homebrewing, lab experience, or culinary fermentation background may be considered.

Preferred:
3+ years working as a Brewer, Cellarman, or Production Operator in a commercial brewery with demonstrated competence in fermentation control, CIP procedures, packaging operations, and quality assurance documentation. Certifications in food safety (e.g., HACCP) and forklift operation are advantageous.