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Job Title: Head Brewer
Hours: Full Time
Location: Our Brewery in Baileys Harbor, WI
Reports To: CBO and COO
Door County Brewing Co. and Hacienda Beer Co. are seeking a full-time experienced brewer to join our team as Head Brewer in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin. The ideal candidate will train under our current Director of Brewing Operations (who is transitioning into running their own brewing project) over the course of 1-2 months.
The Head Brewer will be responsible for crafting beers for our experimental Hacienda Beer Co. brand and managing production and brand strategy for Hacienda and our larger Door County Brewing Co. brand (primarily contract brewed at a nearby facility). This position will lead all wort production on our 2-vessel 15-barrel QTS brewhouse and develop new recipes and improve quality and consistency. The candidate will also be expected to assist in various aspects of cellaring, canning, warehouse management, taproom education, and inventory management on a weekly basis. The Head Brewer is a technical expert for all daily brewery operations and oversees the entire production team.
This employee must be a hard-working, responsible, and self-motivated individual with a passion for craft beer and a desire to continue learning and growing within the brewing industry. The candidate must be someone who leads by example in following procedure and policy, is proactive, and helps to maintain the highest standards of employee development and performance. The candidate needs to be ready to be flexible in their schedule and be available to work long hours if needed to get projects done and meet operations schedules.
All applicants must be willing to move to Door County, WI—a picturesque area along Lake Michigan in Northern Wisconsin that has a heavy influx of seasonal residents and tourists.
To apply, please send your resume, a short cover letter, and a minimum of 3 professional references to matt@haciendabeerco.com.
Key Responsibilities:
Brewing:
About Door County Brewing Co. and Hacienda Beer Co.:
Founded in 2012, Door County Brewing Co. has grown into a community establishment in Baileys Harbor. We focus on brewing clean, approachable beers for the Door County community—beers that pair perfectly with the activities that bring people to our beautiful peninsula along Lake Michigan. Each DCBC beer has a unique story connecting it to Door County, so even after you leave the county, we hope you can reminisce about and continue to enjoy a little piece of our home through DCBC beer. DCBC beer is distributed throughout most of Wisconsin and in select markets in Illinois.
Hacienda Beer Co. was launched in 2017 as an experimental side project to Door County Brewing Co. Hacienda focuses on creating modern, experimental beers—where our goal is to utilize creative brewing processes and ingredients to showcase bold and unique aromas and flavors in beer. Since its inception, Hacienda has made a name for itself for its highly flavorful and expressive beers, covering the full spectrum of beer styles—from subtle lagers and mixed-fermentation saisons to expressive IPAs to bold imperial stouts. Hacienda is distributed to select markets in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota.
We have two taprooms serving our beer—our Music Hall in Baileys Harbor and our North Ave. Taproom & Kitchen in Milwaukee. These taprooms provide us with a direct feedback loop with our loyal customer base and give us the opportunity to tell our story through beer.
Hours: Full Time
Location: Our Brewery in Baileys Harbor, WI
Reports To: CBO and COO
Door County Brewing Co. and Hacienda Beer Co. are seeking a full-time experienced brewer to join our team as Head Brewer in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin. The ideal candidate will train under our current Director of Brewing Operations (who is transitioning into running their own brewing project) over the course of 1-2 months.
The Head Brewer will be responsible for crafting beers for our experimental Hacienda Beer Co. brand and managing production and brand strategy for Hacienda and our larger Door County Brewing Co. brand (primarily contract brewed at a nearby facility). This position will lead all wort production on our 2-vessel 15-barrel QTS brewhouse and develop new recipes and improve quality and consistency. The candidate will also be expected to assist in various aspects of cellaring, canning, warehouse management, taproom education, and inventory management on a weekly basis. The Head Brewer is a technical expert for all daily brewery operations and oversees the entire production team.
This employee must be a hard-working, responsible, and self-motivated individual with a passion for craft beer and a desire to continue learning and growing within the brewing industry. The candidate must be someone who leads by example in following procedure and policy, is proactive, and helps to maintain the highest standards of employee development and performance. The candidate needs to be ready to be flexible in their schedule and be available to work long hours if needed to get projects done and meet operations schedules.
All applicants must be willing to move to Door County, WI—a picturesque area along Lake Michigan in Northern Wisconsin that has a heavy influx of seasonal residents and tourists.
To apply, please send your resume, a short cover letter, and a minimum of 3 professional references to matt@haciendabeerco.com.
Key Responsibilities:
Brewing:
- Responsible for wort production on a 15-bbl brewhouse—including but not limited to raw material handling, milling, mash/lauter operation, wort boiling, cooling, and brewhouse CIP.
- Ability to strictly adhere to established recipes, processes, and SOPs, while providing suggestions on improvements.
- Assist in cellaring of beers: CIPs, sanitizing equipment, managing fermentation schedules, yeast harvesting, dry hopping, ingredient additions, etc.
- Assist in packaging on a weekly basis: canning, bottling, and kegging.
- Develop new recipes for our experimental beers..
- Assist in lab measurements: yeast counts, DO readings, gravities, pH, diacetyl tests, etc.
- Maintain detailed records of all work performed.
- Maintain warehouse and equipment cleanliness and organization.
- Assist in preventative maintenance of all brewery equipment.
- Represent brand in a professional manner at both on- and off-site festivals and events.
- Prioritize safety of yourself and others at all times and strive to constantly improve the safety of your work environment.
- Manage and coordinate brewing schedule based on understanding of production times, proper yeast management, and demand from wholesale distribution and taprooms.
- Manage inventory of finished products, allocating between distribution and taproom to maintain freshness and diversity in all sales channels.
- Work with Production Team at all stages of the brewing and packaging processes to ensure quality of finished product.
- Continually improve production processes to achieve and enhance the quality of products.
- Manage contract brewing relationship: coordinate the brewing schedule, manage raw material inventory, implement recipe improvements to improve product quality and save cost, and coordinate outgoing product shipments from contract brewer to wholesale distribution partners and taprooms.
- Coordinate and stay in constant communication with management team to forecast brewery costs and ensure profitability of brewing operations.
- Work with Production Team to ensure production SOPs stay up-to-date and help to create new ones as needed.
- Develop and implement effective communication channels with Production Team, including keeping them informed of important company updates and getting their feedback on a regular basis.
- Manage and oversee warehouse usage and organization to ensure efficient use of space and to accommodate other department needs
- Work with Production Team to maintain the highest standards of cleanliness and organization throughout the brewery.
- Track and manage preventative and required maintenance schedules for all equipment used in production, including scheduling and coordination with government agencies and service providers for annual inspections of equipment, as needed.
- Commission and source additional production equipment as needed in coordination with management.
- Work on all aspects of product development and formulation, including recipe formulation, package design, and materials procurement.
- Coordinate and collaborate with management, vendors, and designers to bring product vision to reality while always maintaining high quality standards.
- Manage collaborative projects with other breweries, which can include recipe formulation, communication with collaboration partners, materials procurement, and scheduling.
- Procure all raw materials, chemicals, and other supplies required to create the finished beer.
- Develop and maintain excellent working relationships with all suppliers of raw materials, packaging, and brewing equipment, and identify new suppliers to find competitive prices.
- Manage contracts for hops and other raw materials by developing annual forecasts based on available data and planning.
- Handle and ensure that all brewing and production information is entered into the brewery’s enterprise software system, Ekos. This includes: creating new brands, creating and managing batches, recording all movement and usage of raw materials and finished product inventory, creating purchase orders, and sending invoices.
- Work with the Accounting Department to ensure all information is entered correctly and continually develop and improve procedures.
- Supervise month-end and year-end inventories of brewery raw materials and finished goods.
- Pull reports from Ekos, and work with other Departments, to develop forecasts for planning and scheduling brews and procurement.
- Minimum of 3 years relevant brewing experience in a professional brewery.
- Minimum of 1 year experience managing people in manufacturing and warehouse environments (ideally in the beer industry).
- Extensive knowledge of all aspects of craft brewing, from grain to glass.
- Ability to communicate effectively with customers, manufacturing partners, and colleagues.
- Experience with Ekos software, or similar production management software.
- Proficient knowledge of basic accounting principles.
- Proficiency with modern office software, including Google Workspace (Drive, Docs, Sheets).
- Excellent planning, organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
- Strategic mindset, anticipating needs and issues which will arrive through growth and proactively offering ideas and solutions to position the company for success.
- Able to lift 55 lbs overhead.
- Able to maneuver equipment in tight spaces.
- Able to stack and maneuver 165 lb kegs.
- Able to work on your feet for 8+ hours at a time.
- Able to work in tight spaces where twisting, reaching, and climbing is required.
- Competitive pay rate for an experienced individual with the right skills, starting at $55,000-65,000/year
- Medical and dental insurance.
- Paid vacation and sick time.
- 401(k) plan.
- Numerous job-related perks.
About Door County Brewing Co. and Hacienda Beer Co.:
Founded in 2012, Door County Brewing Co. has grown into a community establishment in Baileys Harbor. We focus on brewing clean, approachable beers for the Door County community—beers that pair perfectly with the activities that bring people to our beautiful peninsula along Lake Michigan. Each DCBC beer has a unique story connecting it to Door County, so even after you leave the county, we hope you can reminisce about and continue to enjoy a little piece of our home through DCBC beer. DCBC beer is distributed throughout most of Wisconsin and in select markets in Illinois.
Hacienda Beer Co. was launched in 2017 as an experimental side project to Door County Brewing Co. Hacienda focuses on creating modern, experimental beers—where our goal is to utilize creative brewing processes and ingredients to showcase bold and unique aromas and flavors in beer. Since its inception, Hacienda has made a name for itself for its highly flavorful and expressive beers, covering the full spectrum of beer styles—from subtle lagers and mixed-fermentation saisons to expressive IPAs to bold imperial stouts. Hacienda is distributed to select markets in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota.
We have two taprooms serving our beer—our Music Hall in Baileys Harbor and our North Ave. Taproom & Kitchen in Milwaukee. These taprooms provide us with a direct feedback loop with our loyal customer base and give us the opportunity to tell our story through beer.