On Saturday we had a large number of the shareholders come to the brewery for a day of brewing, meetings (aka James talking and them asking questions), learning about the process, ingredients and future of the company.
When they got there we were just masing in a brew that they had decided on, a black IPA, and they all got to help us mash in. Most were down below pouring the malt in as well as coming up to chat with my while I shoveled in the brew. It was nice having so many people interested in your job and you getting to talk to them about it WHILE you are doing it, especially in the middle of nowhere (aka Fraserburgh). The level of interest was quite high, but this may mostly be because it is their beer or brcause its their money that helped push the brewery forward.
After that they went for a chat with Martin and Bowman on ingredients used and what they get. I believe a tasting was carried out but I was brewing so I’m not positive. They then saw the wort into the kettle and were walked through what we were doing here. They then went back for a few beers and burgers (which I was then signed up to cook). After that they got to shovel out the mash tun (saving me a job) and again, they wanted to jump in there. It was a bit shocking.
They then did a bunch more talks and Q&A with James and Martin before more tasting and the chance to buy beer. I was lucky enough (again) to help with the sales. My mental math has decreased a fair bit since I’ve stopped doing retail but it came back quickly.
I do need to point out that at no other co-op job would anyone be doing this stuff. You rarely get to see the reward for what you do (unless you get published) and you would probably hate to hear that someone needs the cancer drug you made. While you are happy there is a cure for example, you don’t want to have to share it.
And that is just another reason why this experience, and beer industry in general, is the place to be. I’m a bit biased.
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