Brewery Lab Assistants

Kalamazoo Valley Community College•Kalamazoo, MI

69d

About The Position

Are you interested in learning about, and experiencing, the beer brewing process? Would you like to work with a nationally-recognized brewing education program, collaborating with others who have similar interests in a fast-paced, fun environment? Then, Kalamazoo Valley Community College may have a unique and exciting opportunity for you! Kalamazoo Valley is seeking lab assistants to work in the brewery lab in both the operations and/or the lab setting. This position helps with cleaning brew systems, fermentation and finishing vessels and other parts and equipment according to standard operating procedure (SOP) and performing metrics on beer such as testing gravities, yeast cell counts, and yeast viability assessments.

Requirements

Ability to multitask and adjust to changing priorities.
Mechanical aptitude.
Attention to detail.
High school diploma or equivalent required.

Nice To Haves

Post-secondary coursework in Chemistry and Brewing strongly desired.
Microbiological lab experience preferred.
Current Valley and/or WMU Sustainable Brewing students preferred.

Responsibilities

Transferring of beer via soft piping and pumps to finishing vessels.
Using Brewing Operations software for inventory and beer tracking purposes.
Assisting during brew days, including student and Brew Club brews.
Daily monitoring of fermentations.
Application of treatments such as dry hops or other additives.
Monitoring and correcting the carbonation of beer prior to packaging.
Operating cellar equipment such as pumps and tanks of compressed gasses.
Assembling and breaking down appropriate hose and part configuration depending on process.
Packaging finished beer via kegs.
Maintenance, transferring and emptying of kegs.
Setting up, adjusting, and operating lab equipment and instruments.
Performing, recording and testing results for beer metrics.