Otter Creek Brewery Intern
Andrew Peters, 2008.5
I felt my performance during my internship was exceptional as my enthusiasm for learning the craft of brewing fueled my desire to learn as much as I could. The opportunity to get a free brewing education is not an easy thing to come by and I knew I had to take as much away from the experience as I could if I wanted it to take the place of official brewing school experience, which most breweries require in order to gain employment. I think the enthusiasm and energy I brought to the brewery everyday was quite a boost to everyone I was working with and having me there, willing to learn and constantly asking questions, was just as exciting for them. The brewers that I worked with, Mike, Ron, Simon and Zach were unbelievably knowledgeable and all had incredible tricks of the trade to share, in addition to the basics of their craft. Their little tidbits of information were really what they were excited to share and as a result I couldn’t help but take it all in.
My good performance wasn’t just a gauge of my enthusiasm but most importantly, how quickly I learned all the skills I was taught and how I executed them independently. Overall I think learning everything at the start seemed very overwhelming but after reflecting each night it all seemed manageable. On my second day of learning how to brew, I was honored when I asked Simon how long it normally took to teach someone how to brew on Otter Creek’s system and he said it normally takes two weeks and the shortest was 3 days. The next day he thought I was ready to take the helm and I had my go at matching the record of learning to brew in 3 days. Unfortunately I had to ask for assistance near the end as that part of the process wasn’t clear to me because I wasn’t shown yet.
Given my attention to detail and my ability to think things through I think all the brewers were much more willing to let me loose because they thought it would be the best way for me to learn. They essentially awarded me independence for learning so quickly and they were able to trust what I was doing was correct and they did not always have to look over my shoulder. I appreciate that trust as it allowed me to figure systems and techniques out for myself and because of that I am now a better brewer.
The easiest thing that I learned about myself from my brewing internship was that I am a morning person. In order to learn the brewing process from start to finish, I needed to see the beginning, which began for the morning brewer at 6am. Getting up before the dinning hall employees had even arrived to work was definitely something new while at Middlebury College, but I have to say, it was very refreshing. From hearing my alarm clock at roughly 5:30am and being able to jump out of bed and hop in the shower I learned that when I’m passionate about something, I’m willing to do anything for it.
As a result of having extreme passion for brewing, I was able to withstand long grueling days of hard work that sometimes included an extreme manual task. On one particular occasion I learned how far I could push my body and still have a positive attitude about something I love. On this day I had just returned to the brewery after having a fever for a couple of days and manual labor was the last thing on my body’s mind. However, that day there wasn’t much happening and Mike asked me to take inventory on some random pallets of grain. Of course I enthusiastically agreed to do it having no idea what I was getting into and by the end, after I made a spreadsheet tallying the grain, I learned that I had moved over 2,500lbs of grain, by hand.
Interning at Otter Creek at that specific time was a great learning experience about the industry and managing a business. I’m not too sure how much I can divulge about Otter Creek’s business situation as that would be unfair to them, but I can say that a management change halfway through the month was a total surprise to everyone in the brewery except for the owner. I will basically say that going through that experience, having known the people who were let go and understanding how and why the remaining employees felt the way they did, was very valuable. I was able to look more from the outside on the situation and how people were dealing with change with less attachment than them so I was able to reflect and see both sides of what was happening. The new management has definitely proven themselves in other industries, owning and officiating very successful businesses. They are great people and seemed to be good leaders. The enthusiasm they brought to the company was received by the employees very similarly to the boost I brought at the beginning of January and everything seems to be going well.
Overall, the surprise management change really added a beneficial twist to my internship. I signed up to learn how to brew and essentially manage a brewery but in the end I received so much more. I now understand what it is like for a business you know and love to undergo significant change and how that affects the people within. The most valuable lesson from that is how to manage people’s different reactions in a respectful manor but to try to glean the positives from the current situation. Currently, I’m now living in Boulder, CO and I have to say I would not have a job if it wasn’t for this internship. The relationships I made and the relationships I was able to continue while at the brewery still exist and I have still been in close contact with most people there. Everyone there was very enthusiastic about helping me get a job out here at a brewery because I think they know and appreciate the positive change I make when I’m around. In the end it was very sad to let go and say goodbye as I have known many of the Otter Creek employees for a couple of years now. At my new job at Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery I still get to work along side a very passionate, open and enthusiastic staff and I continue to use what I’ve learned at Otter Creek to produce even better beer for one of the best brewpubs in the country.
Contact the Career Services Office for more information on this internship!