Pros and Cons of Working as a Brewer

advantages and disadvantages of being a brewer

You think about becoming a brewer but want to get additional information about job prospects, working conditions, salaries, educational requirements, working hours and much more?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you all the pros and cons of being a brewer in the following article.

Brewer Job Profile

Job DescriptionBrewers brew beer and sometimes other drinks and make sure that the brewing process is done in an efficient and hygienic manner to guarantee high quality of the end product.
Salary$47,000 per year on average, most brewers make between $38,000 and $56,000 per year.
Job SecurityBrewers have decent job security since demand for beer is high and brewmasters also have a pretty specialized knowledge so that they are not easily replaceable.
Job SatisfactionMany brewers are pretty happy with their jobs since brewing is just their passion.
Work-Life BalanceBrewers have decent work-life balance since they rarely have to work on weekends or at nighttime.
Physically / Mentally Demanding?Working as a brewer can be physically demanding.
Future OutlookDecent since demand for beer will likely stay high and good brewers will always be needed.
RequirementsYou don’t necessarily need a fancy degree for becoming a brewer, even though it can help you find a decent job and to get promoted quicker than your competition.

Advantages of Being a Brewer

  1. Brewers often don’t have to work on weekends
  2. You don’t have to work in the late evening or at nighttime
  3. Brewery workers have pretty decent work-life balance
  4. Brewers don’t have to deal with lots of stress at work
  5. Most brewers don’t suffer from sleeping problems
  6. Brewing can be a passion
  7. Trying delicious beer is part of your job
  8. You see the results of your labor as a brewer
  9. Brewers don’t have to work in a classical office job
  10. Brewers can stay fit at work
  11. Brewers have decent job security
  12. Decent future outlook for brewers
  13. You don’t necessarily need a degree for becoming a brewer
  14. You can avoid student loan debt
  15. You are not at great risk of burnout as a brewer
  16. Many people will envy you for your job
  17. Brewers can work indoors

Brewers often don’t have to work on weekends

One advantage of being a brewer is that you don’t have to work on weekends most of the time.

In turn, you can make nice weekend trips with your family or just use the time to relax in your garden while bartenders and many other people often have to work on Saturdays or even Sundays.

You don’t have to work in the late evening or at nighttime

Becoming a brewery worker can also make sense since you don’t have to work at nighttime and can rather hang out with your favorite people after work and you will also come home from work rather early.

Brewery workers have pretty decent work-life balance

In general, since you will not have to work long hours and also don’t have to work on most weekends, you will have a pretty decent work-life balance as a brewer and will have more than enough time to spend with your loved ones.

Brewers don’t have to deal with lots of stress at work

You will also have a rather relaxed workday most of the time as a brewer since you will have to deal with as much time pressure as people working in private equity or other demanding jobs where you have to finish huge workloads within a rather short period of time.

Most brewers don’t suffer from sleeping problems

Since you will not have to work in the late evening or at nighttime, you will also be able to maintain a healthy sleeping pattern as a brewer and will not be at great risk of suffering from sleeping problems.

Brewing can be a passion

Many people also work in the brewing industry since this is really their passion and they just love to brew beer and other delicious drinks.

Hence, if you are passionate about this industry, your job will not even feel like real work to you but rather like a hobby from which you can make a living.

Trying delicious beer is part of your job

Another upside to working as a brewer is that you can also try delicious beers on a daily basis and if you are a beer lover, chances are that a brewer career will be quite interesting and exciting for you and that you may also have a great time at work.

You see the results of your labor as a brewer

While many other people who work in classical office jobs just prepare presentations and don’t see real results of their work, you as a brewer can see the progress and the end result of your efforts every day which may keep you motivated in the long run.

Brewers don’t have to work in a classical office job

You can also avoid sitting in front of a computer for your entire workday as many other people have to do and can rather work with your hands and feel like you are doing something useful.

Brewers can stay fit at work

Since you will work in a physical manner and have to carry heavy bags with ingredients from time to time, you will also be able to stay fit at work since you can burn lots of calories and don’t need to go to the gym as many other people just sitting in office chairs often have to do.

Brewers have decent job security

Another benefit of becoming a brewer is that you will also have pretty decent job security.

You will just be pretty specialized and will have lots of knowledge most other people don’t have and it will therefore be pretty hard to replace you.

Consequently, chances are that you will not have to worry about getting laid off much for the foreseeable future.

Decent future outlook for brewers

Since beer is consumed all over the world and demand for beer continues to stay high, many brewers will be needed for decades and this industry may be booming for many years to come from which you can benefit as a brewery worker since you will have more than enough to do.

You don’t necessarily need a degree for becoming a brewer

While you can get a degree in brewing or related sciences, it is not a prerequisite for working as a brewer in most breweries and you may therefore be able to start your brewer career without having to spend lots of time and money on college.

You can avoid student loan debt

While many of your friends may have to go to college to get their dream jobs and may have to take on significant student loans, you may not have to deal with those issues as a brewer and can rather start your brewer career right after finishing high school.

You are not at great risk of burnout as a brewer

Since brewers usually don’t have to deal with lots of stress at work, you will also not be at great risk of burnout as a brewer and can rather spend your workday in a pretty relaxed manner.

Many people will envy you for your job

If you tell your friends about your job as a brewer, many of them will also be pretty envious since brewing is considered cool and you will therefore have a pretty high standing in your circle of friends.

Brewers can work indoors

While scaffolders and many other people often have to work outdoors during times of bad weather, you as a brewer can spend your workday indoors and can even enjoy a nice drink during work.

As you can see, there are many reasons for becoming a brewer.

However, it is still not all upside and we also have to talk about all the drawbacks of a brewer career in the following so that you can much better decide whether you still want to work as a brewer or rather want to go for a different job instead.

Disadvantages of Working as a Brewer

  1. Brewers have a hard time making good money
  2. Hard to provide for your family as a brewery worker
  3. Some brewers even need to work a second job
  4. You may suffer from old-age poverty
  5. You have to work in a physical manner
  6. Hard to make a big positive impact on people’s lives
  7. Many tasks are pretty repetitive
  8. You may get bored with your brewer career in the long run
  9. Not good if you don’t like consuming alcohol
  10. Brewmasters have a high level of responsibility
  11. Brewers are not able to work remotely
  12. Limited promotion opportunities for brewers
  13. Some jobs may be lost to intelligent machines in the future

Brewers have a hard time making good money

One disadvantage of being a brewer is that you will have a pretty hard time making good money.

In fact, many brewery workers just receive pretty poor wages and you may therefore envy your friends working in investment banking or other industries where they make far more money than you.

Hard to provide for your family as a brewery worker

Due to your rather low salary, you may also have a pretty hard time providing for your family as a brewer and will also not be able to afford many nice things for your loved ones.

Some brewers even need to work a second job

If you live in expensive regions where living and housing costs are high, you may even need to work a second job since you may not be able to make enough from your brewer career to even cover your basic expenses.

You may suffer from old-age poverty

Another downside to becoming a brewer is that many brewers also suffer from old-age poverty since they are not able to save and invest enough money for retirement and may get into serious financial problems once they quit their active careers.

You have to work in a physical manner

You should also know that you also have to work in a physical manner as a brewery worker.

Hence, if you are not fine with working with your hands and exercising at work, you may be better off working as a compliance officer or in another field where you just have to work with a computer all day long.

Hard to make a big positive impact on people’s lives

Another problem with working as a brewer is that you will also have a hard time making a real positive impact on people’s lives.

While professors and many other people are able to alter the thought process of many people on a daily basis, you as a brewer will just care about making good beer and will therefore not have the same big impact on society.

Many tasks are pretty repetitive

You should also know that many tasks you do as a brewer are repetitive and working as a brewer will therefore not be the most exciting thing to do and you may also lose your motivation for your job due to that in the long run.

You may get bored with your brewer career in the long run

If you are not passionate about brewing, you may also get bored with your job pretty quickly and should rather go for something that is more interesting to you.

Not good if you don’t like consuming alcohol

Since you have to try your beer from time to time, becoming a brewer is also not great for you in case you don’t like alcohol and also if you are allergic to alcohol.

In such a case, you will be far better off going for a different job where you don’t have to try alcoholic substances.

Brewmasters have a high level of responsibility

You should also know that you have a pretty high level of responsibility as a brewmaster since you have to make sure that hygienic requirements are met and that the end product will be tasty and of high quality and just minor mistakes may ruin the end product and may lead to a significant loss for the brewing company you work for.

Brewers are not able to work remotely

Another reason not to become a brewer is that you will also not be able to work from home and compared to programmers and other people who are able to work remotely, you will just be less flexible and may have a harder time managing your private and professional life at the same time.

Limited promotion opportunities for brewers

You should also know that promotion opportunities for brewers are rather limited and while your friends may be able to climb the corporate ladder rather quickly, you may get disappointed with your own career prospects as a brewer in the long run.

Some jobs may be lost to intelligent machines in the future

Since processes will become increasingly automated in breweries, it is only a matter of time until some brewers will become obsolete in the future and you may therefore lose your job sooner or later and may have a hard time finding a job in a different industry since you will be pretty specialized and will not learn many skills needed in different fields.

Top 10 Being a Brewer Pros & Cons – Summary List

Being a Brewer ProsBeing a Brewer Cons
Brewers don’t have to work at nighttimeBrewers don’t make really good money
Brewers have decent work-life balanceMany brewers suffer from old-age poverty
Working as a brewer is not very stressfulYou may need a second job to pay your bills
You may not need a college degreeBrewers don’t have the highest social standing
You can avoid student loan debtTasks are pretty repetitive
Working as a brewer is coolYou may get bored as a brewer in the long run
You can try many delicious beersSome jobs may be lost to machines
Brewers have decent job securityHard to get out of the brewing industry
Brewers are not easily replaceableYou have to work in a physical manner
Brewing can be a passionBrewers have limited promotion opportunities

Should You Become A Brewer?

While brewers have decent work-life balance and also don’t have to deal with lots of stress at work, you should also know that brewery workers don’t make really good money and also promotion opportunities in this field are rather limited while exit options are rather poor.

In the end, it is on you to evaluate all the pros and cons of being a brewer so that you can better decide whether you still want to work as a brewer or rather want to work in a different field.

If you come to the conclusion that a brewer career is not for you, you may also want to check out the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of working in fast food

Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a driving instructor

Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a chef

Sources

https://www.statista.com/forecasts/944461/total-beer-market-size-in-the-us

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewing

Own research and interviews.

About the author

My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people about the different career paths that are possible in our current state of the world.

In my opinion, people often make the mistake to choose their profession solely based on how much money they can earn from it instead of doing what makes them really happy.

This is quite sad and I just want to give people a more objective picture of what a fulfilling career could look like.

I did the same when I started working in consulting after finishing my Master’s degree in Economics.

However, I’ve quit pretty soon after that since I haven’t found true meaning in my job.

Now I can do what I really love to do and I want to enable as many other people as well to go this exciting path towards happiness instead of money.

I conducted various interviews with employees to give you a good impression of what working in different fields will look like and that you can make the best possible decision regarding your future career choice.

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