Brewmaster – Brewing Operations, Product Development & Quality

Miski Brewing Company; Barrie; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Group benefits

Vacation time

Personal days

Employee discount

Job summary

Miski Brewing Company in Barrie, Ontario is seeking an experienced Brewmaster to provide senior technical leadership across brewing operations, new beer development, and quality. This is a hands-on, production-floor role requiring active brewing, equipment operation, and mentorship of the brewing team.

You will be responsible for developing new beers using quinoa and other alternative grains, scaling recipes for production, and ensuring consistency and quality in every batch.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years of hands-on commercial beer-brewing experience.
• Ability to operate brewing equipment and manage fermentation and cellar operations.
• Experience developing and scaling beer recipes for production.
• Strong knowledge of brewing science, fermentation, yeast management, and process control.
• Willingness to work hands-on on the production floor.

Responsibilities

• Perform and oversee commercial brewhouse operations, including mashing, wort production, fermentation, conditioning, filtration, carbonation, and product release.
• Provide senior day-to-day technical direction to the Lead Brewer and team; coordinate priorities with ownership.
• Monitor fermentation performance, yeast handling, and process parameters; diagnose issues and implement fixes.
• Lead beer development, recipe formulation, pilot brewing, and scale-up to production.
• Maintain SOPs, batch records, sampling plans, and quality documentation; ensure gluten-free controls and GMP compliance.
• Coach and mentor brewing staff; evaluate equipment and process improvements.
• Communicate readiness and priority needs to ownership; ensure production targets are met.

Skills

Hands-on brewing

Leadership

Fermentation management

Quality control

Problem-solving

Brewing process optimization

Tools

Brewing equipment

Job description

Miski Brewing Company Corp. – Barrie, Ontario

Position: Full-Time, Permanent

Schedule: Approximately 40 hours per week

Reports To: Ownership / Directors

Compensation: Competitive, commensurate with qualifications and experience, to be discussed during the interview process.

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Miski Brewing Company is a dedicated gluten-free craft brewery in Barrie, Ontario, producing innovative beers with quinoa and other alternative grains. Our team combines practical brewing expertise, disciplined production, technical curiosity, and a commitment to exceptional beer quality.

POSITION SUMMARY

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on commercial Brewmaster to provide senior technical leadership across brewing operations, new beer development, and beer quality. This is a working brewery leadership position: the successful candidate must be ready to brew beer, run equipment, manage fermentation and cellar processes, and troubleshoot on the production floor—not simply direct projects from an office or laboratory. Reporting to ownership, the Brewmaster will serve as the senior brewing technical authority, providing direction and mentorship to the existing Lead Brewer and brewing/production team. Responsibilities include maintaining reliable day-to-day production, creating and scaling new beer styles, improving existing recipes and processes, and ensuring consistency and quality in every batch. Production and personnel decisions remain subject to company direction and established reporting arrangements.

Important: This is a commercial beer-brewing role, not a standalone food science, quality assurance, or laboratory position. Significant hands-on brewery experience is required.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Hands-On Brewing & Production Leadership

• Actively perform and oversee commercial brewhouse operations, including ingredient preparation, mashing, wort production, transfers, fermentation, conditioning, filtration, carbonation, and product release.
• Provide senior day-to-day technical direction to the Lead Brewer and brewing team; coordinate brewing priorities, staffing needs, raw materials, and production execution with ownership.
• Monitor fermentation performance, yeast handling, process parameters, yields, and equipment operation; diagnose issues and implement practical corrections.
• Support cellar work, cleaning and sanitation (CIP), packaging/canning activities, and production coverage when required.
• Promote safe operating practices, effective equipment use, preventive maintenance, and continuous improvement in brewery efficiency.

2. Beer Development & Brewing Innovation

• Lead the creation, recipe formulation, pilot brewing, testing, refinement, and commercial scale-up of new beers and beer styles.
• Develop and optimize formulations using quinoa, buckwheat, millet, and other alternative grains, with attention to flavour, fermentation, body, stability, and repeatability.
• Improve existing beers through controlled adjustments to ingredients, enzymes, yeast, brewing methods, and process parameters.
• Maintain clear trial protocols, brewing specifications, recipe records, sensory results, and scale-up instructions from pilot to commercial production.
• Work with ownership and relevant partners on product concepts, feasibility, production validation, and launches.

3. Beer Quality, Consistency & Process Control

• Own the technical brewing aspects of beer quality and consistency, from raw-material suitability through fermentation, conditioning, packaging, and finished beer.
• Establish and monitor brewery-specific checks such as gravity, pH, alcohol content, sensory profile, carbonation, microbiological controls where applicable, and finished-product specifications.
• Investigate off-flavours, fermentation deviations, recipe inconsistencies, alcohol variance, shelf-life concerns, and process failures; implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Strengthen brewing SOPs, batch records, sampling plans, calibration routines, traceability, sanitation, and quality documentation in collaboration with the team.
• Support applicable gluten-free controls, GMP, HACCP-based practices, certification, labelling, and regulatory requirements as they relate to beer production.

4. Team Leadership & Operational Improvement

• Coach, train, and provide technical guidance to the Lead Brewer, brewer, cellar, and packaging personnel, while promoting accountability and collaboration.
• Help evaluate equipment, suppliers, brewing technologies, and process improvements that support productivity, quality, and new product development.
• Communicate issues and recommendations clearly to ownership, including production readiness, quality risks, material needs, and operational priorities.
• Perform other brewery-related responsibilities as reasonably required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Minimum five years of substantial, recent, hands-on commercial beer-brewing experience; seven or more years and technical leadership experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to independently operate commercial brewing equipment and manage brewing, fermentation, cellar operations, transfers, cleaning/CIP, and production troubleshooting.
• Proven involvement in developing, trialling, improving, or scaling beer recipes for commercial production.
• Strong working knowledge of brewing science, fermentation, yeast management, process control, sensory evaluation, beer stability, and beer quality.
• Ability to lead and mentor brewing personnel while remaining actively involved in physical brewery work.
• Sound equipment aptitude, safe working practices, strong documentation skills, and ability to work effectively in a production environment.
• Able to work flexible hours when operationally necessary and safely perform brewery-floor duties, including standing for extended periods and lifting up to approximately 25 kg (55 lb).
• Valid Smart Serve certification, or ability to obtain it as required.

PREFERRED ASSETS

• Formal brewing education or recognized professional brewing qualifications (for example, Siebel, IBD, VLB Berlin, or equivalent).
• Experience with alternative grains, gluten-free brewing, enzymes, specialized fermentation, and pilot-to-commercial recipe scale-up.
• Familiarity with brewery quality systems, lab methods, data analysis, packaging, GMP, traceability, and HACCP-based requirements.
• Experience supporting equipment commissioning, technical improvements, and a growing craft brewery.

WORKING CONDITIONS

This is primarily a production-floor position in a working brewery, with exposure to wet environments, changing temperatures, noise, pressurized systems, chemicals, and moving equipment. Required personal protective equipment and safety procedures must be followed.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Compensation commensurate with relevant commercial brewing experience and qualifications; discussed during the hiring process. Overtime, where applicable, handled in accordance with Ontario employment standards.
• Group benefits after the applicable eligibility period.
• Two weeks of paid annual vacation, increasing to three weeks after two years of continuous employment.
• Five paid personal days annually, in accordance with company policy.
• Employee discount on Miski Brewing products, in accordance with company policy.
• Potential eligibility for performance-based incentives related to approved new-product development and commercialization, subject to plan terms.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Please describe your commercial brewing experience, the size and type of brewhouses you have operated, and examples of beers you have personally developed or scaled into production. Only candidates who are legally authorized to work in Canada will be considered.

Equal Opportunity & Employment Eligibility

Miski Brewing Company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and welcomes applications from qualified individuals who are legally authorized to work in Canada.