Beer writer Jeff Alworth recently surveyed brewers to learn more about how they are compensated, and how they feel about that compensation. He concluded his three-part report (the link is to the third, but read them all) with a balanced overview, letting the participants do the talking. One example: “As long as I am here I know I will never get a single paid day off, livable wage, sick day, 401k or any kind of health benefit and that is insane to me but I enjoy working in the industry and I am learning fast. I just want to learn as much as I can, as fast as I can, so I can move on to a place that actually takes its employees lives seriously.”
But there are also great places to work: “You have a job, full-time, until you decide to leave. Time off and sick leave aren’t tracked too heavily unless it seems someone is taking advantage of them. In slow seasons management finds hours for all employees so there is no seasonal drift in employment. Promotion from within is the norm, management will work to progress you on whatever career path you want within the brewery.” Read all the responses.
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Northern California Brewery Lagunitas Is Now Brewing Newcastle Brown Ale
One of the efficiencies in large brewery acquisitions that we always assumed was a factor was that large brands would start to be brewed at the acquired breweries — to make the distribution that much more efficient. In the latest example of that happening, Heineken owned Lagunitas has started brewing Newcastle Brown Ale.
Tip of the cap to them for acknowledging this brewing location right on the label. Some other large breweries could learn a lesson here.
In the future, when ordering a Newkie at a bar, feel free to complain that it shouldn’t be priced like an import since it’s brewed in the US now. But don’t expect that actually work to get a cheaper beer.
Link: GABF Medal Streaks
Jay has a great article on GABF Medal Winning Streaks. The current leader being Iron Hill at 22 straight years! Wow.
Homegrown Distribution
Homegrown Distribution, a new distribution company spun off from Massachusetts Beverage Alliance, will begin operations next week. The spinoff will handle distribution for brands including Brewmaster Jack, Grimm, Captain Lawrence, Slumbrew, Lone Pine, Foley Brothers, King’s Highway Fine Cider, and Vermont Craft Mead in Massachusetts. Homegrown will also distribute beers from beyond the Northeast, such as Almanac, Brauhaus Riegele, Coronado, DC Brau, and others. The new distribution company is based out of Massachusetts Beverage Alliance’s 40,000-square-foot facility in Bellingham, Mass.
ProBrewer Mail > Real Beer News – Sign Up Now
In case you missed it a couple of weeks ago, we announced that after 26 years we are discontinuing the monthly Real Beer news mailing list.
Instead, we’ll be focusing all our attention on the industry side of our favorite industry. Time flies, and only recently did we stop to realize is has been almost 22 years since we launched ProBrewer.com, first calling it the Professional Brewers’ Page. There were only 1,100 craft breweries at the time, a lot less used equipment, a lot fewer brewers looking for jobs. Nobody talked about canning lines, Cryo hops, or glitter beer.
Sign up now for ProBrewer Mail.
It’s free, will look different from Real Beer news, will be timely and packed with industry news relevant to every aspect of professional brewing.