Brewery worker
Make beer for people to enjoy in pubs and restaurants or buy in shops.
Also known as: brewer
About the job
What it's like
You would make beer for people to enjoy in pubs and restaurants or buy in shops.
Some large breweries make huge quantities of beer. Small microbreweries make limited quantities of specialist and craft beers, often experimenting with different flavours and methods of brewing.
Depending on where you work you could concentrate on certain parts of the brewing process or work on all the stages.
You would:
Get equipment ready for brewing
Prepare, weigh and mix ingredients
Keep records of ingredients
Monitor the temperature and quality of the beer as it brews
Wash and clean brewing containers and the work area
Sterilise equipment
When the brewing process is complete you would fill the clean kegs, casks, bottles or cans and label them correctly.
You might load the beer on to lorries for distribution. At some smaller breweries you may also deliver to local customers.
Large breweries use computerised machinery and so increasingly only certain work, like weighing and measuring, is done by hand.
You would often be supervised by a technical brewer who would be responsible for the entire brewing process.
You’d need to have a reliable and responsible approach to hygiene, and health and safety issues.
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Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
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Retail -
Food and drink -
Chemical sciences
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- managing resources
- concentrating
- attention to detail
- observation
- cooperating
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
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Chemistry
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Health and Food Technology (Home economics)
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Science
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Foundation Apprenticeship: Hospitality
You can get a head start in this career by doing a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 and S6.
You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification which is the same level as a Higher. You'll also learn new skills and gain valuable experience in a work environment.
Discover what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.
Though there are no set qualifications to enter this job a selection of qualifications at SCQF level 4-6 are helpful.
Qualifications that demonstrate hygiene, health and safety knowledge and practical skills such as Skills for Work Food & Drink (SVQ level 2/3) or Modern Apprenticeship in Food and Drink Operations (SVQ level 2/3).
Entrants to the industry are usually expected to continue their education and training and pass one or more of the professional examinations set by the Institute of Brewing & Distilling (IBD).
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