Lead Brewer

POSITION DESCRIPTION: LEAD BREWER

Horse & Dragon Brewing Company is an established ten-year-old craft brewery located in Fort Collins, CO. We are known for producing high quality, great tasting craft beers and are active participants in our community and in the vibrant beer culture that exists in Fort Collins and throughout Colorado. We are looking for a creative, experienced brewer to join us full-time on or before May 15, 2024 and to be a key player on our team. We will be accepting applications until the position is filled.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Our brewers are responsible for all aspects of beer development and production for the company and the Lead Brewer will be responsible for making great tasting, quality beers on our 15 barrel system. Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Recipe formulation. Lots of latitude to create tasty versions of multiple craft beer styles as well as working with the team to develop new, interesting craft beers to complement our established core and seasonal brands.
• Brewing operations. Brew, cellar, package, and clean equipment for beers produced. Monitor and manage yeast health.
• Taste and Quality. Maintain excellent quality of our existing core brands as well as work across the production process to ensure the highest quality beer offerings possible. Improvement of quality processes and upgrading lab analysis capability is constantly ongoing and the Lead Brewer should be able and willing to contribute to these improvements.
• Packaging. We expect the new Lead Brewer to have experience working with kegging, canning and bottling equipment and operations.
• Communication. The Lead Brewer will be expected to work closely and communicate daily with the Director of Operations and General Manager and have regular interactions with the owners, tasting room and sales team.
• Record keeping. The Lead Brewer will be responsible for regular and timely logging of beer batches to enable smooth operations of the supply chain, bookkeeping, and sales sides of the company.
• Community outreach. The Lead Brewer may be called upon to participate in area festivals, forums and public relations activities on behalf of the company. The Lead Brewer will be part of our customer and consumer facing marketing plan to continue to introduce and grow our brands and spread the word about Horse & Dragon Brewing Company beers.

QUALIFICATIONS: We require an experienced production craft brewer with the following qualifications:

• Passionate about design, production, and sale of craft beers and the ability to scale production while maintaining or improving quality.
• Ability to work across styles and with various ingredients for recipe formulation including accurate prediction of flavor profile, ABV, etc.
• Minimum 3 years experience working in commercial breweries with duties including : new recipe creation, brewing, transferring, cellaring, packaging (kegging, canning, and bottling), cleaning, quality control, sensory training and analysis, lab analytics, and production planning.
• Experience with and willingness to maintain and repair brewing equipment and machinery.
• Dedication to keeping the brewery a clean, safe and productive working environment; must be willing to wear proper PPE.
• Must be a flexible contributor to our small team, must have a positive attitude, strong work ethic, and be willing to work outside of normal business hours when required.
• Experience in small brewery environments covering multiple roles preferred.
• Experience with barrel-aging and blending beers a plus.
• Recognized brewing qualifications, certifications or other education preferred, although experience will substitute for formal degrees or certifications in brewing science.

ABILITIES AND SKILLS:

• Must be able to handle the rigors of working in a production brewery:
• Able to lift 55 lbs and move 165 lbs.
• Able to work on your feet for 8-10 hours per day.
• Able to crouch, balance, work in tight spaces, climb and work on ladders, and handle sometimes repetitive and/or rigorous motions.
• Able to work safely in damp and often noisy environments with hot liquids, chemicals, gasses, moving machinery, and airborne particles.
• Able to be flexible to work non-standard work week.
• Must have good time management and task scheduling skills.
• Must be responsible enough to be self-directed and work effectively on your own as well as work collaboratively and positively with other team members.
• Must have excellent interpersonal skills to work closely with a small team.
• Must be legally allowed to live and work in the United States.

POSTION DETAILS:

• This is a full-time, 40-hour per week position, typically working Monday - Friday, 8 hours per day.
• Starting remuneration will be $25/hour.
• Benefits include paid time off, paid company holidays, matching Simple IRA retirement plan, company sponsored knowledge building, monthly fresh & tasty craft beer allowance.

Horse & Dragon Brewing Company is an equal opportunity employer and encourages enthusiastic, talented brewers of all stripes to explore and pursue this interesting opportunity in the Napa Valley of Beer: Colorado!

PROCESS: Interested parties who meet the above qualifications should send resume and any other relevant information to BOTH Luke and Tatum (please copy both) at: LukeM@hdbrew.com and Tatum@hdbrew.com with “Lead Brewer Application” in the subject line. You will be contacted within 7 days of when we receive your information.