I have to say, as much as my English major background makes me an Intellectual property hawk, your hourly wage over time should be deducted from the total amount you are owed for the brewery selling "your" beers. After all, nobody was paying you to homebrew when you developed the recipe. If you get paid to brew your recipe in a commercial brewery, that's great, but if you also want to be compensated for creating the recipe in the first place, then the time you've been paid for brewing it commercially to date should be deducted from that amount. I'm a founder/head brewer, so I'm pretty sure I didn't get into this to screw brewers who are creative enough to come up with a quality recipe. I'm just saying, you're getting paid to do the shit--many truly gifted brewers don't get anything for their efforts (because they are homebrewing only). If you have the opportunity to brew beer for commercial consumption, kudos. But realize that the difference between an award-winning IPA and an almost award-winning one is often a matter of ounces of the same ingredients. If you have a good relationship with the owner and you aren't already a part-owner of your brewery (it is your brewery, right? Not just a job?) then ask for equity in the company, but at twice the value the owner is offering in cash. Unless they are trying to buy you out, they will probably be more than willing to legally acquire the recipes and a talented partner/brewer at the same time.
Patrick S. McGinnity
Whiskey Point Brewing Company
Beaver Island, MI
Patrick S. McGinnity
Whiskey Point Brewing Company
Beaver Island, MI
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