Over the past few weeks I have had a few queries about job opportunities in the brewing industry. Whilst this is not the definative guide it may help someone that is looking for a change.
My former assistant Phil Brian (AKA Baldrick) is a pretty good example of how to go about finding a full time brewing position.
Whilst completing his Chemical Engineering Degree at Sydney Uni, Phil spent a few weeks of his Christmas holiday break doing work experience with Tim Thomas at The Five Islands Brewery in Wollongong. A few months later he phoned me at Paddy's Brewery to ask whether we had any jobs going. At the time we didn't, but as he had already done a bit of work with Tim, I got him to come in for a few brew days to see how interested he really was. One reason that I did this is that when I started looking for work in the brewing industry I constantly received help from people such as Matt Donellan at St.Peters brewery or Rob Freshwater at Malt Shovel.
Phil was generally found out the back at Paddys, cleaning kegs, milling grain, emptying the mash tun, cleaning the beer lines or scrubbing the cellar floor. Nothing glamorous, but it was a start, and I managed to get him on the payroll. He followed me to the Macquarie Hotel when they opened their brewery in March 2005, and worked as a cellarmen/bottleshop attendant & brewery tour guide. Late last year, Phil finished his degree and took up a position as Assistant Brewer at the Potters Brewery in the Hunter Valley. Unfortunately Phil was getting a bit homesick, so he recently headed back to Sydney. It wasn't long before he ended up on the door step at The Malt Shovel Brewery where he is about to start as a full time Brewery Technician.
Now while Phil has a Uni degree that is going to be very useful in the brewing industry, the experience he picked up at these smaller breweries really helped him get his foot in the door at The Malt Shovel. Most people working in micro-breweries & even some larger breweries started down a similar path to Phil.
Cheers
Gerard
My former assistant Phil Brian (AKA Baldrick) is a pretty good example of how to go about finding a full time brewing position.
Whilst completing his Chemical Engineering Degree at Sydney Uni, Phil spent a few weeks of his Christmas holiday break doing work experience with Tim Thomas at The Five Islands Brewery in Wollongong. A few months later he phoned me at Paddy's Brewery to ask whether we had any jobs going. At the time we didn't, but as he had already done a bit of work with Tim, I got him to come in for a few brew days to see how interested he really was. One reason that I did this is that when I started looking for work in the brewing industry I constantly received help from people such as Matt Donellan at St.Peters brewery or Rob Freshwater at Malt Shovel.
Phil was generally found out the back at Paddys, cleaning kegs, milling grain, emptying the mash tun, cleaning the beer lines or scrubbing the cellar floor. Nothing glamorous, but it was a start, and I managed to get him on the payroll. He followed me to the Macquarie Hotel when they opened their brewery in March 2005, and worked as a cellarmen/bottleshop attendant & brewery tour guide. Late last year, Phil finished his degree and took up a position as Assistant Brewer at the Potters Brewery in the Hunter Valley. Unfortunately Phil was getting a bit homesick, so he recently headed back to Sydney. It wasn't long before he ended up on the door step at The Malt Shovel Brewery where he is about to start as a full time Brewery Technician.
Now while Phil has a Uni degree that is going to be very useful in the brewing industry, the experience he picked up at these smaller breweries really helped him get his foot in the door at The Malt Shovel. Most people working in micro-breweries & even some larger breweries started down a similar path to Phil.
Cheers
Gerard
ohh if only. 
