Unemployed Again

captdownshift wrote: Green Hell IPA, a 12.9 ABV IPA brewed with German Hops.

And sold only in huge ~2L bottles. The Green Hell has a large serving size.

Advan046 wrote: An industry that seems to focus a lot on doing the best over anything is the Medical Devices or Medicine industry. Maybe look that way.

I nearly spat coffee on my monitor. This was the exact opposite of my experience at a medical device company- it was all about changing nothing because FDA approval is hard, and covering your ass was goal #1. Does not sound like what Beer Baron wants.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote: I nearly spat coffee on my monitor. This was the exact opposite of my experience at a medical device company- it was all about changing nothing because FDA approval is hard, and covering your ass was goal #1. Does not sound like what Beer Baron wants.

Probably not. I have a low tolerance for bullE36 M3. I hate dishonesty.

I don't mind if a job requires sitting and wasting time if there's a big gap, or if I've set up my process to run so well and smoothly that it only needs occasional check-ins. I just don't like having to look busy to justify filling time. Similarly, I don't mind if something is kind of bullE36 M3 "just because" or if a job is "just a job" if people are honest about it. I just don't do well having to pretend that bullE36 M3 busy work is important.

Heck, you could tell me "the gubmint office says we need to stretch this 1 week job out to 7 weeks, so just do 2 hours of work and then waste 6 hours," as long as they don't mind me bringing a book or tablet and kicking it during the downtime. I'd go nuts if they told me I had to do that work, but do it at 1/4speed, or do the work and then just do something completely pointless that looks busy.

Like... I could spend an 8 hour shift packing bottles into cases (done it!), but if we packed all the cases in 2 hours, I would not spend 6 hours having someone unpack the boxes, put the bottles on a conveyor, and then me re-pack them. Doesn't matter that either way I'm spending 8 hours packing bottles into boxes.

In reply to Beer Baron:

i'd sugest you apply for something at our company, as the culture would suit you well, but it doesn't seem like office-work does?

Sounds to me like the company you worked for rests quite a lot of their reputation on the unpaid /underappreciated work you did for them. Chances are, the next guy in will not be as diligent as you were so the quality may suffer. Two things could happen. 1. The market share of your previous employer might decline, possibly leading them to talk to you about a re-hire at a wage commensurate with your true worth and some mutually-agreed-upon work rules. 2. Other beer companies will find out /may already know who was responsible for your ex-company's product quality. This might lead to a better job with someone else.

If you prove you can do something well (and it certainly sounds that way), you enjoy it (other than draconian hours /politics), and that something has a subjective side to it (like singing, acting, or making something that tastes a certain way), then prospective employers may feel you have the magic /voodoo necessary for them to grab market share or start their company with a good reputation.

There is a certain amount of artistry in what you do. It's hard to quantify but the yardstick most people will use will be whatever happens to you ex-company post-Baron. If that's the case (of high quality adult beverages), you may be a few months a way from a better situation.

Also, if you took your previous employer from here to HERE, figure out how to quantify that on your resume. I hate to see people with artistic talent drum themselves out of their chosen field because of one bad job experience. You went from I'm-not-a-beer-anything to an actual Beer Baron (Head Brewmaster for Pete's sake) in a mighty short time. Your ex placed their entire reputation in your capable hands. Holy E36 M3 dude. Who does that? You must've been worth it.

petegossett wrote: In reply to Beer Baron: i'd sugest you apply for something at our company, as the culture would suit you well, but it doesn't seem like office-work does?

Well... it's not office-work per-se that doesn't suit me. It's being sedentary/stationary for an extended period. I need to move and fidget. Stand up, sit down, pace, etc. A cube farm where workers are expected to just sit, keep typing away with heads down until the assigned 15 minute break would get me ready to burst. I can do fine in an office that understands I'm going to work in fits and starts alternating between periods of mad, frantic, high velocity work, and then getting up to pace the halls, twirling and clicking a pen, before diving back into another mad period of furiously tackling a problem.

Brewing fit that work style well because I did really well with the hurry-up-and-wait pace.

In reply to Beer Baron:

See if there's anything here that interests you, or even if there isn't feel free to submit your resume and put me down as a reference. We're completely employee-owned, and I've been very impressed over the 4-years I've been here how non-corporate-like this place is - that's to say things are done from a logical standpoint, and with the belief that taking care of our customers and employees will benefit the company long-term. Don't be afraid to apply for something outside your experience/knowledge - they hired me for a programmer/analyst position with absolutely zero training or experience(of course I wouldn't have passed the interview without serious help from several board members here! ).

Jerry From LA wrote: Also, if you took your previous employer from here to HERE, figure out how to quantify that on your resume. I hate to see people with artistic talent drum themselves out of their chosen field because of one bad job experience. You went from I'm-not-a-beer-anything to an actual Beer Baron (Head Brewmaster for Pete's sake) in a mighty short time. Your ex placed their entire reputation in your capable hands. Holy E36 M3 dude. Who does that? You must've been worth it.

Actually, I do have a good sense of how to quantify what I was able to do. With no equipment upgrades, I took the processes I was given and refined them to cut average production times by 15%, improve average yield by over 5%, and improve process flow by over 15%, resulting in approximately 33%-40% improved production capability above projected theoretical maximum output. All this while maintaining highest consistency standards, and not losing or compromising a batch to external contamination (I had one cross contamination of house yeast strains in our packaging tank, identified the source of the problem and put in new procedures to prevent it from happening again; the offending beer got pulled back to the bar and blew out fast because it was actually quite good, just not to style specifications).

I have clear subjective improvements as well. I have a strong brewing and recipe development philosophy that "the best beer should never demand attention, but should always reward it." Result is, I took base recipes that were kind of "compromise" or "gateway" beers - the type that are broadly palatable but not really exciting (think "Sam Adams") - and turned them into beers that were genuinely broadly appealing where you could crush them at a tail gate, or pair them at a gourmet tasting dinner.

In reply to Beer Baron:

That is one bitchin' cover letter right there. I say keep doing what you're doing. Eventually, someone will pay you what you're worth so whatever pains you about the job will be ameliorated by your Porsche.

petegossett wrote: In reply to Beer Baron: See if there's anything here that interests you, or even if there isn't feel free to submit your resume and put me down as a reference. We're completely employee-owned, and I've been very impressed over the 4-years I've been here how non-corporate-like this place is - that's to say things are done from a logical standpoint, and with the belief that taking care of our customers *and* employees will benefit the company long-term. Don't be afraid to apply for something outside your experience/knowledge - they hired me for a programmer/analyst position with absolutely zero training or experience(of course I wouldn't have passed the interview without serious help from several board members here! ).

Do they still do remote? You and i spoke about thisbsine a number of years ago, and I'm still not exactly near danville.

Beer Baron wrote:

Jerry From LA wrote: Also, if you took your previous employer from here to HERE, figure out how to quantify that on your resume. I hate to see people with artistic talent drum themselves out of their chosen field because of one bad job experience. You went from I'm-not-a-beer-anything to an actual Beer Baron (Head Brewmaster for Pete's sake) in a mighty short time. Your ex placed their entire reputation in your capable hands. Holy E36 M3 dude. Who does that? You must've been worth it.

Actually, I do have a good sense of how to quantify what I was able to do. With no equipment upgrades, I took the processes I was given and refined them to cut average production times by 15%, improve average yield by over 5%, and improve process flow by over 15%, resulting in approximately 33%-40% improved production capability above projected theoretical maximum output. All this while maintaining highest consistency standards, and not losing or compromising a batch to external contamination (I had *one* cross contamination of house yeast strains in our packaging tank, identified the source of the problem and put in new procedures to prevent it from happening again; the offending beer got pulled back to the bar and blew out *fast* because it was actually quite good, just not to style specifications). I have clear subjective improvements as well. I have a strong brewing and recipe development philosophy that "the best beer should never demand attention, but should always reward it." Result is, I took base recipes that were kind of "compromise" or "gateway" beers - the type that are broadly palatable but not really *exciting* (think "Sam Adams") - and turned them into beers that were genuinely broadly *appealing* where you could crush them at a tail gate, or pair them at a gourmet tasting dinner.

Ah, so you made a Grain Belt beer!

In reply to mtn:

Im still bummed i had to give up nordeast to move south. Yuengling isn't the same.

I'm still kicking myself for not buying any when I was in MN a few weeks ago. But it came down to 24 (or 30?) Grain Belts or 12 Spotted Cows. I went for the Spotted Cow, since I figure that Grain Belt isn't that different from Old Style.

In reply to mndsm:

Yes, but it seems only experienced developers are hired in as full-time remote workers, or people(like me) who've worked here for a period of time.

We have offices in FL though. I know there's one in Maitland & think one or two others.

mndsm wrote: In reply to mtn: Im still bummed i had to give up nordeast to move south. Yuengling isn't the same.

It doesn't still taste like boring sugar water?

mtn wrote: I'm still kicking myself for not buying any when I was in MN a few weeks ago. But it came down to 24 (or 30?) Grain Belts or 12 Spotted Cows. I went for the Spotted Cow, since I figure that Grain Belt isn't that different from Old Style.

Spotted is a poor excuse for beer.

In reply to petegossett:

Good to know.

mndsm wrote:

mtn wrote: I'm still kicking myself for not buying any when I was in MN a few weeks ago. But it came down to 24 (or 30?) Grain Belts or 12 Spotted Cows. I went for the Spotted Cow, since I figure that Grain Belt isn't that different from Old Style.

Spotted is a poor excuse for beer.

I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.

mtn wrote:

mndsm wrote:

mtn wrote: I'm still kicking myself for not buying any when I was in MN a few weeks ago. But it came down to 24 (or 30?) Grain Belts or 12 Spotted Cows. I went for the Spotted Cow, since I figure that Grain Belt isn't that different from Old Style.

Spotted is a poor excuse for beer.

I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.

Its sour, unbalanced....it's just not good.

mtn wrote: Ah, so you made a Grain Belt beer!

My first gig as a professional brewer was at August Schell's, who owns and brews Grain Belt. I made quite a bit of Grain Belt and Nordeast in a short time. For adjunct lager, I preferred Schell's Deer Brand over Grain Belt, and Hauenstein above that.

Schell's Pils is excellent and a serious inspiration for me. I put together a pilot batch of a pilsner recently taking some cues from that one.

Of Schell's beers in similar veins, my preference goes: Pilsner > Firebrick > Hauenstein > Deer Brand > Grain Belt.

mndsm wrote:

mtn wrote:

mndsm wrote:

mtn wrote: I'm still kicking myself for not buying any when I was in MN a few weeks ago. But it came down to 24 (or 30?) Grain Belts or 12 Spotted Cows. I went for the Spotted Cow, since I figure that Grain Belt isn't that different from Old Style.

Spotted is a poor excuse for beer.

I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.

Its sour, unbalanced....it's just not good.

You're the first person I've ever heard call Spotted Cow sour. My wife says its too rich.

Yo Baron, I'm just gonna leave this here... http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/food/article/20828873/smithsonians-national-museum-of-american-history-hiring-a-beer-historian

https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/file-uploader/SI%20Brewing%20History_Historian%20job%20announcement_7-22-2016.pdf

Beer nerds may want to drop everything for this career opportunity. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History is hiring a beer historian/scholar for a three-year appointment. Curator Paula Johnson explains that the gig is a new position funded by the Brewers Association and that the museum is seeking someone who can "focus and dedicate efforts towards research, documentation, and collecting American brewing history."

GameboyRMH wrote:

captdownshift wrote: Green Hell IPA, a 12.9 ABV IPA brewed with German Hops.

And sold only in huge ~2L bottles. The Green Hell has a large serving size.

It has to really get people E36 M3faced to make them forget about the bitterness.......I am still confused with why they are even popular.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote:

Advan046 wrote: An industry that seems to focus a lot on doing the best over anything is the Medical Devices or Medicine industry. Maybe look that way.

I nearly spat coffee on my monitor. This was the exact opposite of my experience at a medical device company- it was all about changing nothing because FDA approval is hard, and covering your ass was goal #1. Does not sound like what Beer Baron wants.

The Medical Device industry is both manic and bi-polar. On the one extreme you have people who are doing incredibly innovative things and driving/dragging and kicking the supporting technology to new levels.

On the other extreme you have the stultifying environment of regulation and compliance. Then again, this might be your cup of tea; someone has to do it.

The creative side tends to be at the start-up level. This can also be the easiest to get a foot in the door if you have no credentials. Main skill is the ability to work and learn at a crazy pace. Not for the 9-5 union-benefits crowd. Can be both rewarding and soul crushing.

If the start-up flies, it tends to get bought by the big guys like Medtroinc or Boston Scientific. The big guys are hard to infiltrate without Phds or at least a master's degree. Pay can be very good, but environment is very corporate. Beyond litigation, not much innovation happening in these places as ¯_(ツ)_/¯ mentions.

There has been a recent urgency within the FDA to police the Medical device industry due to the number of recalls in the industry.

Subscribe to the MD&DI magazine if you want to get a flavor of the industry. It is very broad and very interesting field especially when you consider the bleeding edge supplier network that has evolved alongside the Medical device industry. If you are in California in Feb, or NJ on July, scam a free pass to the MD&DI show and be prepared to be blown away by the thousands of suppliers displaying their goods. These thousands of suppliers are also known as "Employers"

FYI my experience with the medical industry was fantastic. I wish I could have stayed there, but geography beckoned.

E-mail if you want more info