Day 1: Now Officially a Brewer!

See Above: When I was a home brewer, it was a much simpler time.

On the bottom, you can see me "racking" a particularly astounding oatmeal stout. Cleanup time: 10 - 15 minutes.

On the top, you can see the 50 or so "pigs" that I had the fortune of cleaning today. Cleanup time: 3 hours.

Today was my first day as a brewer at Lone Peak Brewery. Here is today's lesson: professional brewing and home brewing are VERY VERY DIFFERENT. They are worlds apart in fact. One is a job and one is a hobby. Can anyone tell me a hobby they have that entails a 9 hour day of repetitive tasks and heavy lifting? Here is my advice to you "aspiring brewers" who have tons of home brewing experience. Go spend a day at a brewery. When you are there make sure you stay from the heating of the hot liquor tank, to the cleaning of the kettle and lauter tun.

I don't want to paint a negative picture about today. I had an incredible day. It was filled with hard work, learning, the smell of beer brewing, and ended with a huge sense of self satisfaction. I am excitedly looking forward to my future in this industry. For the time being, I am going to have to work hard learning the ropes, and hopefully have a little fun in the process.