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  • #16
    Two things:

    I remember watching a news magazine, maybe 60 Minutes. Jim Koch was being interviewed, and he had a beer in his hand and was drinking the whole time. The interviewer thought it was wierd, and it was a little strange having him answer between gulps, but I guess he was trying to make a point.

    David Lindley sings a song by Frizz Fuller, " A Man can be a Drunk sometimes, but a Drunk can't be a Man."

    Everyone needs to be careful, and never make excuses.

    Tom
    ECBC

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    • #17
      I agree with all that drink responsibly ideas and all, and I also believe it has more to do with one's work attitude than anything else. But I still have to mention that .08 legal limit is a political compromise the law makers come up with, not a physiological limit of how much one can hold the his liquor and still perform well!

      If memory serve me right, one can find performance impairment at 0.04 BAC. And the sheer relaxation can very well impair one's attention and cause dangerous situations.
      And from a taste panel point of view, our flavor sensation and perception change as we become intoxicated... at a much lower level as well.

      Of course, most of the good brewers are responsible enough to know their limits and know when not to drink -- the good beer definitely shows that the brewer takes things seriously!

      But from the management and organizational level, unless responsible working (drinking) is well established in the company culture, it's probably better not allowing on the job drinking than other wise. Even if we eventually weed out irresponsible workers, a few accidents can cause serious consequences!

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      • #18
        Allright, I have been staying away from this one, but I guess I'll chime in. We MUST taste during the process. I taste everything, grain, hops, mash, wort, yeast, first day of fermentation, and so on, right up until I tap a new beer, and quality control on what is comming out of the taps.(after work of course). I do this so I can see where a problem develops, if it does, and trouble shoot from there. Every morning I will run down all of my fermenters, take a gravity sample and taste a mouthfull too. I have 5 fermenters, so its really not that much beer. If you have 30 fermenters, that may be a problem. I also, will have a pint as I'm knocking out, and my tradition is to have a pint of the beer that I am making that day. Its kinda nice, it gives me a full circle kind of feeling. I work in a brewpub, so I will sometimes have a beer with my lunch, that is not "drinking during the day" its having a pint of beer with my lunch. How can I expect my customers to have a beer with lunch, if I cant myself. Our American culture has put a stigma on drinking during the day. As long as it is only one, I see nothing wrong with it.
        Tim Butler

        Empire Brewing Co.
        Syracuse, NY

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        • #19
          perception is reality

          I am an American craft brewer, husband, father of 2, and all round responsible drinker. I don't drink on the job, I don't egg on "I got so drunk last night I...." stories, and I have built the idea of moderation into my trade philosophy. That being said, when a member of the media comes in to snap my photo, they insist I stand at the helm of my control panel with a giant beer in my hand, like some pirate waving a bottle of rum on the mast of his ship. Customers who pass me sometimes smerk and say, "boy, you have a hard job," or "just doing some sampling, eh?" No matter what I do, I cannot shake the stigma attached to alcohol in this country. In Europe, it is perfectly acceptable to have a beer with luch (which I do at times) or after cleaning the mash tun. If I recall correctly, Saison's were created to refresh the farmers of Belgiam during the workday. Alcohol is just perceived differently here. Unfortunately, there have been too many MADD sponsered Neil Patrick Harris "after school specials" about drunk fathers who beat their kids, and (as funny as it may be) the constant association without separation of alcohol and alcoholics displayed by characters like Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin. If this is all about keeping up appearences, I give up! If it is about enforcing responsibility in the workplace, then amen, brother! Let me just ask you this:

          Who would you rather trust on a ladder, leaning over a steaming man-way holding a container of NaOH?
          a) The employee who came to work well rested who was just seen taking a sample swig of beer off the filter, or out of the FV to test for quality, or had an 8oz. glass of pilsner with lunch.
          b) The groggy hung over employee who would not be seen drinking or sampling at work today, because he was "responsible" enough to drink 10 beers after his shift last night.
          c) The tired employee who would NEVER drink at work, even after his shift, but was up all night with his sick child, and feels a bit lightheaded because he hasn't had time to eat lunch today.

          If I don't drink iced tea or coffee everyday, I get a headache. I can't function. If I don't eat, I get lightheaded and sloppy. Caffine is a drug, nicotine is drug, and these things are perfectly acceptable in the workplace (or in designated areas of the workplace). In fact, over-indulgence of caffinated drinks is not frowned upon in most work places. Excessive amounts of caffine give some people heart palpitations, and seriously affect the nervous system. Does this affect one's performance at work? An average of 10-12 oz. of beer throughout the day hasn't killed me yet, and I don't think it will in the future.
          By the end of the year (if I am consistent) I've consumed an average of 730 beers (imperial pints, of course). That's 912 pints, 1216 bottles, or 114 gallons. That's more than most binge drinkers with d.u.i.'s on their record, and may be in line with most "weekend alcoholics." Am I a person who drinks 2 beers a day responsibly, or am I a person who has a severe problem because I have a draft system in my basement, I am a brewer and I consumed 114 gallons of beer last year? Perception really is reality.

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          • #20
            Use common sense

            Every person and brewery is a little different, a packaging brewery with dozens of employees is going to have to set stricter guidelines than a brewpub with one brewer and a part-time assistant. In today's legal climate I don't think that any larger operation would be wise to let an employee drink any alcoholic beverage on the job except for specific quantities allowed for sensory evaluation, tasting panels, server training and maybe a small glass with lunch. I honestly don't think that any employees should be drinking recreationally while they are performing actual brewery work. I know others disagree with this. An experienced beer evaluator shouldn't have any making an accurate judgment about a beer from just a small sample. When time permits I like to wrap things up early and pour a couple of samples of beer for all of our employees, while they're still on the clock, of our beer, classic imports, or special beers from other breweries in our market. This is a great way to promote beer education and culture. Virtually all breweries have some sort of policy for free or steeply discounted beer for employees which is probably the best way to keep employees loyal to your beer. I definitely agree that brewers should be drinking their own beer, and not just their favorites. I'm very guilty of only keeping our more interesting brews on tap in my garage so I have to bring home bottles of our regular beers (which make up the large majority of our sales) to drink once or twice a week.
            Last edited by Joe Brewer; 03-07-2008, 04:36 PM.

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