Has anyone here worked this type of position or known somebody who did this? If so, what was the job like? What were the pros/cons? Did it change the way you look at craft beer? I recently applied for a position and it seems like it would be a fun job but wanted to get some info from somebody who has worked in the industry. A co-worker who's been in the restaurant/bar industry for awhile says it can be pretty difficult.
It can be long hours, but it all depends on how well you manage your time. I would imagine that working for a small brewery, the pay may not be particularly good, if that's a concern. You may also want to consider the stability of the company. The success rate for small breweries has been pretty good lately, but some do fail. If they aren't well established, that would be a pretty big con. If you like sales in general, it's pretty fun work for the most part, and getting to talk beer all day isn't a bad thing in my book. I haven't been a sales rep for a small brewery, but I would imagine if you like the beer they produce, it couldn't do anything to hurt the way you look at craft beer. If you're selling something you don't stand behind, it could negatively affect how you look at beer I suppose. Honestly, the biggest con for me might be the money, but hey, when I finally found my way into the beer business I took a huge pay cut because it was where I wanted to be.
Thanks, this is very helpful. The brewery makes mostly decent beers and a couple really good ones. I'd say they're pretty well established locally and they're looking to expand in another fairly big (but also competitive) beer market in the state. Yeah, the pay does somewhat concern me but like you, I think I'd be okay with it as it would be more fulfilling that the job I do now.
just recently I saw one of these guys in action in a local bar , he was trying to push the bartender/brewer to carry his product line both kegs and bottles, the bartender was basically trying everything besides telling the guy to fuck off and get out to get him to leave without buying any of his product... It was enlightening for me to watch honestly I felt bad for the dude wasting so much of his time at the bar trying to get the bartenders attention , then sharing one of each of his bottles with the guy, talking about each one of them confidently like it was the best beer ever made, very eye opening experience for me, personally I would never want to be the reason my beer did not get sold so I could not imagine the responsibility these people feel everyday getting shut down, not a thing I personally could get into I felt so let down and bummed for the guy and I was just there having lunch and some brews, ... just my 2 cents.
