How to hire a brewer

How to hire a brewer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step brewer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a brewer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new brewer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a brewer do?

Post a brewer job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your brewer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a brewer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect brewer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of brewers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Brewer	Description	Hourly rate
   Brewer		$13-23
   Production Coordinator	A production coordinator's role will vary depending on the industry or line of work. A production coordinator serves as the entire crew's primary point of contact on television and film sets... Show more	$16-32
   Operations Team Leader	An operations team leader is an individual who manages teams, encouraging cooperation, productivity, and teamwork. Operations team leaders foster team unity and enhance the daily efficiency of the companies or any business establishment... Show more	$13-51

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Brewery
   • Cleanliness
   • Craft Beer
   • Harvest
   • Fermenters
   • Troubleshoot
   • CO2
   • Beer Production
   • Cellar Operations
   • PPE
   • BBL
   • Cell Counts
   • Customer Relations
   • Equipment Maintenance

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the production of 3 seasonal and 6 regular brews in a 7 bbl brew house system.
   • Manage time and attendance as well as operator adherence to company policy within in an organization that is ISO compliant.
   • Operate and manage a working production brewery including scheduling, ordering supplies and ingredients, and maintaining accurate product inventory.
   • Assist in the HACCP of machinery to meet and exceed global food safety standards.
   • dry hops, cold breaks, O2 rousting, etc . )
   • Insure HACCP and SSOP procedures are followed.

   More brewer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your brewer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A brewer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, brewers' average salary in florida is 45% less than in wyoming.
   • Seniority. Entry-level brewers 40% less than senior-level brewers.
   • Certifications. A brewer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a brewer's salary.

   Average brewer salary

   $38,123yearly

   $18.33 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level brewer salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average brewer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$42,138	$20
   2	New Hampshire	$41,457	$20
   3	Minnesota	$41,304	$20
   4	Washington	$40,839	$20
   5	Colorado	$40,088	$19
   6	Arizona	$39,415	$19
   7	Missouri	$38,931	$19
   8	Virginia	$37,606	$18
   9	Illinois	$37,537	$18
   10	Nevada	$37,151	$18
   11	Pennsylvania	$36,451	$18
   12	Georgia	$35,939	$17
   13	Texas	$34,479	$17
   14	Oregon	$34,217	$16
   15	Alabama	$33,372	$16
   16	North Carolina	$31,705	$15

   Average brewer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Feather Falls Casino	$45,134	$21.70
   2	Anheuser-Busch	$42,100	$20.24	5
   3	Wicked Weed Brewing	$41,269	$19.84
   4	Elysian Brewing	$40,049	$19.25
   5	Surly Brewing	$40,045	$19.25
   6	Premier Members Credit Union	$39,812	$19.14
   7	10 Barrel Brewing	$39,618	$19.05
   8	Deschutes Brewery	$39,127	$18.81	1
   9	Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant	$38,755	$18.63
   10	SMV	$37,807	$18.18
   11	Tilray	$37,246	$17.91	3
   12	Ross Brewing	$37,240	$17.90
   13	Goodwin Recruiting	$37,000	$17.79
   14	Artisanal Brewing Ventures	$36,844	$17.71	2
   15	Flix Entertainment	$36,767	$17.68
   16	Terrapin Beer Co.	$36,664	$17.63
   17	Firestone Walker Brewing	$36,267	$17.44
   18	Brew Dr. Kombucha	$36,194	$17.40
   19	BJ's Restaurants	$36,183	$17.40
   20	Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise	$36,092	$17.35

4. Writing a brewer job description

   A brewer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a brewer job description:

   Brewer job description example

   About us:
   
   Our mission is to brew the most creative, highest quality beer we can, and get it into the hands of anyone who prefers more interesting beers. We call ourselves Houston's Most Creative Brewery because we brew a crazy number of constantly rotating recipes involving ingredients and flavor combinations that are atypical for the beer industry. But the truth is, we're actually really traditional in our approach, and are process-driven and detail-oriented. We seek out intellectually curious individuals who relish the challenge of extremely high standards without getting flustered by the fact that we are constantly improvising and revising the plan based on new information. We are a very small company that has grown at an incredible pace in its first ten years, and is poised to grow even more. We've had our fair share of growing pains and have plenty more coming, so we seek out individuals who can bring structure to chaos and will enjoy our fast-paced, hard-driving culture.
   
   Job Overview:
   
   We set extremely high standards for ourselves & we dream big. But it's easy to craft mission statements & build PowerPoint decks- the hard part is and always will be execution. The position of Brewer is where the rubber meets the road. It's where we translate ideas into action, and it's where some of the hardest work happens, both physically & intellectually.
   
   Specific Duties:
   
   Brewers have diverse responsibilities that are all essential to Buffbrew's success. Success in this specific position will come by doing the following tasks thoroughly and with excellence:
   
   Self-motivated to create world class beer
   
   Maintaining a clean and safe working environment
   
   Creating and maintaining standard operating procedures
   
   Ability to manage consistency, availability and quality of the end product
   
   Maintaining CIP processes and procedures
   
   Ability to execute tasks according to priority in a systematic way
   
   Capable of conducting quality checks & records
   
   Technical Knowledge in all applicable aspects of the brewing process.
   
   Everything from raw material handling through to fermentation and conditioning, including dry hopping, carbonating and sanitation practices
   
   Yeast handling, storage & maintenance
   
   Maintaining our system of inventory
   
   Represent Buffbrew in various marketing-related activities including special events, promotional videos, sales calls, and other similar activities
   
   In addition to the preceding list of clearly-defined responsibilities, there are a plethora of unpredictable tasks that arise on a day-to-day basis. A Brewer must always put the team above the individual and take on additional tasks & responsibilities as needed, pursuing them with the same passion, care, and attention to detail as s/he does every other task. Flexibility is critical.
   
   Requirements
   
   The ideal candidate will have a formal brewing education and or 2 years of experience in a production brewing environment, but it is not a requirement. Must have a clean driving record, including no offenses more severe than simple traffic and parking tickets. Must be able to obtain and maintain TABC permits.
   
   The position of Brewer is an extremely active and physically demanding role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to: stand; walk; use hands to handle or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, talk and hear. A Brewer lifts extremely heavy objects often, frequently lifting and/or moving up to 55 pounds, and must be able to move kegs that weigh as much as 170 pounds.
   
   The location of this position is in the brewhouse and throughout the warehouse and production floor. Therefore, the work environment consists of conditions typical of a normal manufacturing production environment. The noise level is higher than a normal office environment. Additionally, heavy objects and heavy equipment will be operated in the general proximity of the employee filling this position. Temperature conditions vary extremely as well: the individual's tasks occur in both the normal production facility, which is not climate-controlled and therefore ranges from 40°F to 110°F, and in the refrigerated cold box, which ranges from 33°F to 40°F.
   
   We are an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered for positions without regard to veteran status, uniformed service member status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.
   
   THIS COMPANY IS AN AT-WILL EMPLOYER AS ALLOWED BY TEXAS LAW. THIS MEANS THAT REGARDLESS OF ANY PROVISION IN THIS APPLICATION, IF HIRED, THE COMPANY MAY TERMINATE THE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP AT ANY TIME, FOR ANY REASON, WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE OR NOTICE.
   
   Benefits
   
   Buffbrew offers Health Insurance, 401k matching, paid vacation, and other benefits
   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find brewers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any brewers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level brewers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your brewer job on Zippia to find and recruit brewer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit brewers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new brewer

   Once you've found the brewer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new brewer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a brewer?