HEAD BREWER - orange county, CAlifornia
Location: Costa Mesa and Orange, California
Company: Gunwhale Ales (www.gunwhaleales.com)
Position: Head Brewer
Compensation: We offer salary commensurate with experience and paid vacation
Start Date: Immediately
ABOUT GUNWHALE
Gunwhale Ales is a production brewery and beer brand headquartered in Orange County, California. We are seeking an experienced Head Brewer to join our team to make a significant contribution towards the success of the brewery. Approaching our 5 year anniversary, we are a growing operation and are looking to highlight the creativity and artisanship of a world class brewer, as well as support them with a fun and unique West Coast brand.
Gunwhale’s main production facility is located near the historic Orange Circle, Chapman University, Angels Stadium and the Honda Center. We have a state of the art 20 Hectolitre brewhouse with RO Water System, Decoction Kettle, Hammer Mill, Mash Filter, and Canning Line.
Our smaller fermentation facility has 10bbl tanks for small batch production and keeping the taproom menus interesting. We have some dedicated wild tanks here, and an oak foeder with a developed house culture for blending. This location is in a popular mixed-use district of Costa Mesa and is home to creatives, shopping, nightlife, and highly touted food and beverage destinations. We are near numerous corporate headquarters, universities, and John Wayne Airport; the area enjoys great density and access, with international retail brands and world-class breweries.
Both locations have fun and popular taprooms and we have distribution throughout California. We have won various awards including GABF, CA State, and have been rewarded with press in national press outlets. Orange County has a perfect climate year-round, and is adjacent to popular Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, and Irvine. We are also very close to other major brewing markets (LA and San Diego).
Gunwhale is a company that has an engaging environment, a great culture, and looks to foster community around drinking beer. The founders are active, artistic/technical hybrids and are very hands on in the day to day operations. We are lean and dedicated, so the ideal candidate is a motivated self-starter, creative, responsible, and has a dedication to learning. They should be able to work within a team as well as feel comfortable taking charge and getting results (obsessed with making consistent, world-class beer). Due to our focus, they would ideally enjoy and have experience with farmhouse beer styles and brewing. This job will be fun and challenging, but in the end rewarding…our team will support your growth, leadership, and look to leverage your passion (because we share it).
OUR APPROACH
GUNWHALE ALES STRIKE A BALANCE BETWEEN THE RAW, WILD SPIRIT OF FARMHOUSE BREWING, AND THE PIONEERING HOP FORWARD STYLES OF CALIFORNIA.
WE HAVE AN OBSESSION WITH YEAST DRIVEN SAISONS, AROMATIC, HOPPY PALE BEERS, AND OTHER RUSTIC, WILD AND SOUR ALES. THIS GIVES OUR BEERS UNCOMMON QUALITIES THAT ARE BOTH SURPRISINGLY DELICATE AND NUANCED, YET REFINED AND ROBUST IN THEIR SIMPLICITY.
FROM BRIGHT, BILLOWY SUMMER ALES TO RUSTIC, FORTIFYING STORMERS THAT STAND UP TO THE ROUGHER SEAS, GUNWHALE MAKES BEERS THAT REFLECT THE CULINARY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE WEST COAST.
JOB DUTIES
• Brewing means a ridiculous amount of cleaning and sanitation. Be devoted to it.
• Oversee all aspects of wort production, including inventory control, handling raw materials, operating a brewhouse, transferring, vessel and heat exchanger CIP.
• Yeast management, including cropping, starters, pitch rates, cell counts, generation tracking.
• Manage cellar production, including gravity, pressure, pH, and temperature.
• Transferring beer and filtering, tank dumps, carbonation, fining.
• Packaging beer into kegs, cans, and bottles.
• Maintenance of cooperage and equipment, as well as supervision of outside contractors.
• Design and implement production schedules, ingredient selection, and record keeping.
• Design and implementation of quality control program with SOPs.
• Design and implement a wild and barrel aging program with SOPs.
• Scale up existing recipes as well as recipe formulation and brewing of batches.
• Submit required excise tax paperwork on a regular basis to TTB and ABC.
• Deliver kegs to key accounts and perform basic tap system maintenance.
• Represent the brewery and its brand at various events such as trade shows, festivals, etc.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Have a work ethic second to none and eager to prove yourself
• Have a fervent love for the craft beer industry and/or homebrewing.
• Minimum 3 years relevant brewing in a production brewery or brewpub.
• Sensory training or certification preferred. A formal brewing education is ideal but not necessary.
• Samples of beer brewed by the candidate will be required beyond the initial interview.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
REQUIREMENTS
• Ability to frequently stand, sit, squat, crouch, crawl and climb
• Ability to lift 55 lbs. to shoulder height, repeatedly employing traditional lifting methods.
• Ability to lift / move full kegs (+/- 150 lbs.)
• Ability to work in loud, noisy, slippery, hot, humid, and cold environments for extended periods of time
• Ability to work safely around hazardous chemicals, high voltage, hot liquids, compressed gases, pressurized vessels, etc.
• Can operate a forklift
• Can operate a canning line
• Have a clean driving record with a "Class C" license
• Must be flexible with your schedule (think weekends, late nights, etc)
TO APPLY
This is a full-time position. Candidate must live in Orange County or is willing to relocate.
Gunwhale Ales is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Candidates must pass a background check.
Please email a cover letter, resume, and references to: brewerjob@gunwhaleales.com. We look forward to receiving your applications.