Working in the Beer Industry

As I have stated in a few threads, I make some of the cans for the industry. Started in '74 with Schlitz, then Stroh's and all of there related brands. Mid '80's a "can" company bought us, then cans for anyone including soda cans and Coors labels. Purchased by another can company then strictly ABInBev. Have been blessed with 41 years at the same location. Billions upon billions of cans. 8, 10, 12, 16, and now just 24oz cans. Recently purchased by a major can company. Hope all goes well with this owner. Time does fly. Enjoy life BA's.

 

Retail in the South Denver Metro Area.
I don't think my perspective has changed much.
If it's good... drink it.
That's my perspective.

 

Worked doing deliveries for a couple years but long before craft beer was even a thought .Thankless job but you never went thirsty and the high point of the week was if you had a load of imports to sample . I remember looking forward to fall just so I could get my hands on Lowenbrau octoberfest.

 

God bless you for loving what you do, and whether or not you are told this on a regular basis, believe me when I say you are an EXTREMELY valued employee!! I've had to build pallets on occasion and it's no picnic. We had what seems like several mornings that I'd come in to find that most of the warehouse staff flaked out the night before! Nothing like seeing your off premise trucks still sitting NOT LOADED at like 6:00 in the morning and finally running off your last on premise truck at 11:00, knowing full well you'll be chasing every truck all day.

Sign guy is an enigma. That's my opinion anyway.

I've used lots of software suites in my life and thought I'd never meet one as cumbersome as AS400 until I met VIP. Damn. People who complain about SAP get an earful from me about what "suck" truly means!

*Edit - Forgot to answer the OP's main question!

No, it really didn't' change my perspective on craft overall but it certainly gave me new perspectives in general. I loved craft well before I started there and was probably just as or more knowledgeable on the subject as a good number of folks there when I began, but it did put the "fanboy" thing in perspective. It was easy to get all tongue hanging out when I first got there but quickly lost the enthusiasm as the reality of the grind set in. But having spent time in the industry really makes me appreciate the efforts of everyone up and down the supply chain. There is a ton of backbreaking work that goes into what we sometimes take for granted. Seriously, there should be a National Beer Industry Person Day celebrated!

 

I don't follow...

 

My experience with sign guy was that of a quiet fellow that knows more than he lets on, seems to stay in the shadows until called upon, takes care of business and then retreats once again to anonymity. In a world where sales punches their bravado into every situation and operations goes all "dark cloud of doom" at every turn, sign guy is one of those fellows who largely goes unnoticed but sales couldn't do squat-diddly without his support. Perhaps enigma doesn't quite fit, but there's a word somewhere that does.

 

Hahaha, I quite like that

And I appreciate the appreciation. I like to think of myself as the 'support person' in the rear with the gear.

 

Worked beer retail in college. Absolutley love it. Working in unrelated industry doing corporate sales now but applying every day to get back in. Love it.

 

Just because I liked beers other than Bud or Schlitz more was a result of travel, literature, and friends in England, Hans Reiner Trebin of Regensburg, and just plain luck. Anyway, my destiny was the beverage industry, and it came in fits and starts. The given is that I love good beer. I have done my best since around 1985 to advocate for good beer and make it available more generally. There are always avenues into the business. These are really good times!

 

I've spent the last 7 months at Anchor Brewing here in SF and am about to start working at Speakeasy Ales & Lagers. Feeling a sense of ownership at a brewery is a great feeling no matter how valid it is or not. My perspective hasn't changed too much, I'd say. I've always known fresh beer was, you know, ideal, but drinking an Anchor Steam right off the line is like no other experience you've ever had drinking Anchor Steam. Totally different beer, and while still by no means complex or BOOMING with flavor, it's one of my favorite go-to beers ever.

There's been some things and procedures done in the brewery that I don't necessarily always agree with, but I obviously can't state them. I find it funny that most ALL the brewing records are done with a pencil and notebook as opposed to computer work.

So, I guess my perspective on craft beer hasn't changed? I did start to feel like it became my job to be even more knowledgeable of beer and to go out and try even more beers, but maybe that's just me being an alcoholic? I'm starting at Speakeasy on Wednesday! Woo!

 

I have consumed and continue to consume a great deal of craft beer. Plus I know a great number of people that create, consume, deal, and distribute craft beer. I am a craft beer gamer.

 

Ive designed a pint glass for a brewery if that counts...

 

I work in pricing and category analytics for a really big brewery (if you follow my posts, it isn't hard to figure out which one) focusing on growing both our sales and the entire beer category in the client I work with (a very large chain retailer). I have perhaps the best job in the world, I get to sit around, ponder beer all day and have the best data and tools money can buy to help me learn more about the beer business.

For example, my project for this morning (well, it will be when my planogram data server comes back up) is figuring out how to expand and reprice the mix-6 section in Utah for my client. I'll put together a presentation, my thoughts, my insights and send it off to the buyers for that part of the country and then maybe we'll see some cool stuff as a result.

I also do things like tracking pricing of the top 250 packages in by market compared to other large competitors, track display execution in every store in the country and whatever other insane projects our clients or my field teams dream up. Yesterday I got: "Hey, do you think you could develop a pricing strategy for an entire state this afternoon for the entire portfolio?"

Overall, I've been a beer geek since college and it's why I took the job I have now (had some higher paying offers, but loving what you do is worth a lot of money to me). I'm a business motivated person and have always viewed beer as a business as well as a passion. My biggest frustration working in the beer business is that craft breweries get away with murder, whereas I can barely take a dump without written permission from 3 levels of the legal department (the one I just took was awful and now I have to file a environmental impact report). Because I'm very pro craft beer, I generally keep these thoughts to myself and assume that some of the shadier things I know about by small breweries are done out of ignorance of the law and not actual malice. My job is growing the beer category, not narc'ing out brewers because they didn't follow paragraph 3, line 7a, clause 22 version 3 of the state liquor code.

I'm fortunate to work with a great team and the worst day working in the beer industry is better than the average day anywhere else. If I have a terrible day, I just go get an IPA out of the fridge and go to my list of fun projects and pick one to take my mind off of things.

 

Can you talk a little about how you got to the position you're at right now? I got a degree in music performance from a good school, so that doesn't necessarily help out as far as getting positions like you do. I worked the packaging line at Anchor the last 7 months and while I would have loved to have stayed here(currently typing from the reception desk), I was offered a full time job for Speakeasy in which I'll be given a lot more responsibilities, be able to learn a lot more, and since its a growing brewery, I'd like to think there's room to move up.

 

From down here at distribution level, it seems you're unaware of all the not-so-legal activities that the 'non-craft' brewers are always dabbling (or full-on engaging) in.

It's good to like your work though, I wouldn't be able to do that. Planograms and numbers and execution and spreadsheets... no thanks.

 

Could it be...Satan?

Red team really needs to be better about calling people back.

 

Eh, I never said that anybody was perfect, though if a distributor is doing shady stuff, he usually isn't just doing it on one brand and then being above board with his craft stuff. If you have a shady distributor, he's doing shady stuff with whatever he wants to move and will make him the most cash.

 

There isn't really a good story for me, I just applied online and had a good education and background. Where I have seen a lot of growth in career paths for the craft business is in brewery reps who can really tell the story and sell their brewery's product. Beer is very much a relationship driven business (it's starting to skew to more data intensive, but it's a lot of relationship building). If you have some experience in the brewhouse, can present yourself well and sell, lots of breweries are looking for reps. I actually know a rep who has a degree in music performance, but couldn't get a career going, so now he sells beer.

 

I was referring to the shady practices of ABI in particular, and to an extent I am less sure of, MC. Their teams of world-class lawers are paid to do more than to prevent laws from being broken.

 

I work for a growing local craft brewery currently. Marketing, packaging operations, events, new market logistics, etc. Managed a brewpub prior to this job. Love the industry, the culture surrounding the industry, and the people involved.