Head Brewer

Blue Fox is excited to announce its latest project: a brewpub in the former Wild Minds space in South Minneapolis. This brewery will be revived to brew high quality, delicious craft beverages to be served onsite as well as in Blue Fox’s sister spaces including Berlin, Animales, and more to come. 

The Head Brewer will be instrumental to making our brewing operation tick. This person is responsible not only for the production of the beer and other beverages made in the brewery and served throughout a family of restaurants and venues, but also the larger facility in which it’s produced, and the strategic planning required to keep everything flowing smoothly. 

The Head Brewer is responsible for both planning and producing beer and other beverages in collaboration with the Beverage Director, and should be continuously looking for ways to improve processes and procedures; the ideal candidate will be meticulous about cleanliness and obsessed with quality. At the same time, this role will contribute greatly to the creative spirit of the beverage program, and be charged with developing recipes and driving innovation. This person will set the day to day direction for all brewery operations, including the management and training of support staff. The Head Brewer will report to the Beverage Director of Blue Fox.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties 

• Strategically plans production and sets the day to day and long term plan for the brewery. Leads production support staff and fully directs brewing operations.
• Mentors and educates employees and guests about beer and brewing.
• Supervises and trains new production staff in the use of equipment and standard production operating procedures.
• Manages all aspects of production operations and plans the brew schedule by managing all inputs and maintaining proper inventory for the company’s needs. 
• Orders and manages inventory of production supplies and raw materials while finding ways to reduce waste and find efficiencies.
• Manage shipping and receiving as needed.
• Completes the brewing process from milling, to wort production, to fermentation and clarification.
• Cleans & sanitizes tanks, cleans the outside of vessels, cleans floors and maintains the appearance of the brewhouse and cellar.
• Manages the cellar, including yeast pitching, daily fermentation tracking, dry hopping, centrifuge operation.
• Adheres to preventative maintenance schedules for all brewery equipment. 
• Creates Standard Operating Procedures for all safety procedures and brewing processes.
• Upholds and advances quality standards.
• Develops new brands and adapt existing brands to support company-wide wants and needs.
• Maintains a clean, organized, and well-kept brewhouse and cellar. 
• Manage keg/cooler inventory and organization.
• Other duties as assigned by management.

Required Qualifications 

• 4 years commercial brewing experience with a minimum 2 years in leadership position in brewing.
• Experience with recipe and new product development.
• Self starter. Ability to excel and lead operations with minimal daily supervision.  
• CAPEX experience. New equipment commissioning experience.
• Exceptional communication skills. Frequent and professional communication is necessary with stakeholders.
• High energy and attention to detail.  
• Ability to work both independently and in a team environment.
• Experience with brewery management software.
• Safety conscious.
• Continuous improvement mindset, solution oriented.
• Formal education in brewing is a plus but not a requirement. Experience is heavily weighted.
• Mechanical aptitude is a plus. Strong trouble-shooting experience and aptitude.
• Experience with beer quality control measures, implementation and adherence.
• Able to meet physical demands (see below).

Physical Demands 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to: 

• Stand; walk: climb, reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, and hear. 
• The employee must regularly lift and/or move more than 55 pounds, drag heavy hoses across the floor along with other physically demanding duties. 
• Ability to work in spaces with potentially large swings in temperature, or in sustained cold or hot conditions.  
• Specific abilities in this job include close, distance, color, and peripheral vision, as well as depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
• Variety of shifts including day and afternoon with the occasional overnight and/or weekend shifts.

Compensation

• Competitive salary and benefits based on experience and skillset. Open to relocation assistance for the right candidate.

Work Schedule

• Full time
• Occasional night and weekend work depending on business needs.