This is a part of a continuing series of Q&As with members of the brewing community from across the US. Brewer Magazine will share business and personal insights from Brewmasters, Head Brewers, Brewing Managers, Sales Directors, QCQA Managers and others each weekend to help you get to know each other better in the industry and learn more to better develop your own brand.
Jamie Aslett, General Manager, Kiitos Brewing — Salt Lake City, Utah
BREWER: How does a typical day in your role look, and how do you balance operational demands with fostering a positive team environment?
ASLETT: My day consists of making sure the tavern and can shop are ready to serve customers at all times. This ranges from inventory to the tils having cash to bartending. From there it is organizing events, marketing, running to the bank, stores, and other breweries/distilleries to stock inventory, merch ordering, coaching the bartending staff, hiring, setting up and taking down the event space, and coordinating with groups we are sponsoring. When needed, I will be the bartender on duty or will help the brewers in the back on the canning line. In addition to all of this, we are opening a second location and I have spent many hours there physically building the space out myself as well as organizing the contractor, sub-contractors, sourcing materials, and organizing the business structure. I try to implement communication over everything. If we have clear communication, we can all help each other and know where/when to step in. Currently, I have been working 12–14, hour days to train the new hires for the new location and doing all of my other job duties. Regardless of how tired, cranky, or flustered I am, I make sure to put on the “Customer Service” face with my staff to maintain the positivity within the brewery.
BREWER: Are there any recent accomplishments for the brewery you want to tout and how is it going to improve your business going forward?
ASLETT: Where to begin……..
North American Beers Association Festival 2024
- Silver Medal – American Lager
- Silver Medal – Blonde Ale
- Silver Medal – Pale Ale
Great American Beer Festival 2024
- Gold Medal – Blonde Ale
- Gold Medal – Pale Ale
- Runner up for Best Brewery
- 2018 Gold Medal – Coffee Cream Ale
City Weekly Best of Awards 2024
- Third Place – Best Beer Selection
- Third Place – Best Brewery
- First Place – Best Beer, Coffee Cream Ale
- First Place – Best Sour, Blackberry Sour
We are the only brewery in the state of Utah who can make Gluten-Free from start to finish, and it tastes amazing. We constantly sell out of our Gluten-Free Golden Ale and just released our Gluten-Free IPA. The brewers are working on a darker Gluten-Free beer and are committed to making the best Gluten-Free Beer nationally. Fonio Beer. We are the second brewery in world history to make a beer 100% out of the Fonio grain. Brooklyn Brewery and a few others have made beers out of Fonio, but not only using the Fonio grain. This has gained us international attention. We have had people from Norway, Finland, the UK, and Chile ask us to send them samples. Reporters from Brazil, the UK, and all over America have reached out to write articles about this beer. We are confident our products will win more medals this year, gaining us more notoriety, but we will allow us to promote our new beers and new location(s) with the quality of product my brew staff can create. Additionally, we continually go out of our way to support our community, other businesses, and nonprofit organizations, gaining us local recognition and winning us local awards like Best Bar Games, Best Venue, and multiple sustainability awards. This is only a drop in the bucket for the awards the brewery and my brewers have won.
BREWER: What have you found to be the most effective way to handle customer feedback, both positive and negative?
ASLETT: Overall, we use feedback as a training tool. If it is positive feedback, I will use it as an opportunity to congratulate the staff member(s) involved while also letting the other staff know how or why the feedback was received. If it is negative, I will disseminate what the scenario was and if we were actually at fault. Here in Utah, we have many out of state customers who give us negative review about the state liquor laws. Unfortunately, we do not create the laws, but we do follow them to the letter, causing potential frustration. In a scenario like this, I remind the bartenders to stay positive with customer interactions and remind them it is a state law, not a Kiitos Brewing policy. If the complaint is about a staff member or an experience, I will talk to the individuals to see how it could have been handled differently. Should the complaint be about a product we make, I take that information to the brew staff and let them decide if action needs to be taken or not.
BREWER: What first drew you to the industry, and what keeps you passionate about being part of it today?
ASLETT: I have been a supporter of Kiitos Brewing for years. I am the Utah Alumni Chapter Chair for the University of Idaho and have hosted a majority of our events at Kiitos due to the alumni connection. The owner and I became great friends and would joke that I should work at Kiitos since I was such a large supporter and spent too much time at the brewery. I mentioned to him I was looking for a career change and he called me a few weeks later to offer me a job; it was the right place and the right time. It is not hard to stay motivated. My brew staff is the most talented team in the state and have been able to do incredible things. I am so happy to have the job of promoting them and everything they do. Additionally, I greatly enjoy event planning. As stated, I have hosted many events at the brewery before I even worked here. Now, I have the ability to organize so many unique events like Boozy Book Fairs, Fly Fishing Classes, paint nights, art markets, Vegan Fest, etc… making every day exciting. Additionally, I want my tavern staff to be as passionate about the brewery as I am so being able to coach them and step into the battlefield with them, allows me to spread help the staff grow and find their own sense of pride at Kiitos Brewing.
READ MORE: Can Your Brew Space be an Event Space?
BREWER: What are you sippin’ on right now from your brewery that you really enjoy?
ASLETT: Fonio, when we have it! We sell out so fast, which is great, but it is an amazing product and I absolutely love it. Our Gluten Free IPA is incredible. My overall favorites are the Tropical Haze IPA or the Chinchillin’ Cerveza, light Mexican Lager.
BREWER: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to new managers stepping into a role similar to yours?
ASLETT: Communication and organization. We have an Operations Meeting once a week but I communicate with my brew staff daily to remind them of upcoming events, if they need my help, or what things they would like the tavern staff to know. I also talk to my bartenders consistently throughout the day; giving them tips, advice, training, expectations/direction for a particular shift, or insight to a new beer. Even though I talk to my staff daily, I have four calendars throughout the office and the tavern that list the events, what is expected, and the staffing. Additionally, I have two Weekly Events Calendars posted for customers and staff knowledge on a more microscopic level. Even though these events are discussed, people forget or misunderstand but having the information readily available if I am not onsite is a massive help. The organization allows me to delegate tasks rather than herding a bunch of cats.
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