As a brewery gets larger and more staff is added, setting a baseline for what a brew team needs to have to function and build the culture of a brewhouse is vital.
Of course, communication is paramount.
“I guess the culture of any team is derived from all its members so as long as everyone is happy and can handle the appropriate ballbusting it all works out,” said Sloop Brewing‘s Adam Watson about his tight-knit crew that has worked together for years now. “We all love beer and like to make and promote great beer and our new beers. We have all been in the industry a while and like to at least think we are on top of what’s going on.”
Augie Carton likened his brew team at Carton Brewing as a “loose jam band” situation where if someone starts adding to the sound, they get invited to stick around. That has meant adding someone to the team about every 12-18 months over the last four years to bring the group to six total.
“We are all about creativity and you wouldn’t have landed at Carton if the creative side of brewing didn’t motivate you,” Carton said. “Whenever we are re-inventing a beer, or process, the whole team is involved in the discussion.”
Do some conflicts arise? Sure they can, but Watson said making beer is a team effort and dealing with issues can sometimes take a jocular tone.
“We all bust balls all day long so if something comes up it’s dealt with right away with humor and proper harassment,” he said.
Being honest from the beginning with the realities of the job and not being upset when someone doesn’t fit like you’d hoped has also been learned Carton said.
With a new beer he will usually reach out to everyone for their hopes and dreams and look for feedback. With a new process Carton says he tends to start with his head brewer and then reach out for feedback on our concept.
Being so close in proximity helps as well in communication for both breweries.
“The long term goals are all talked about frequently and everyone really knows their specific responsibilities,” Watson said.
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