Lead Brewer

Old Market Pub & Brewery — Portland, Oregon
Full-time | $22–$26 per hour, depending on experience | Start ASAP

Old Market Pub & Brewery is seeking an experienced Lead Brewer to manage the day-to-day operation of our 15-barrel brewery.

This is a hands-on production role for someone comfortable working independently and taking ownership of brewing, cellar work, sanitation, quality, and brewery organization. The Lead Brewer will report to the Brewery Operations Manager, who will continue to oversee recipe development, production scheduling, ingredient ordering, and the overall brewing program.

Responsibilities

• Execute scheduled brews from milling through knockout

• Manage fermentation, yeast handling and pitching, dry hopping, conditioning, and transfers

• Perform tank, brewhouse, keg, and equipment cleaning and sanitation

• Monitor gravity, temperature, pH, carbonation, and overall beer quality

• Maintain accurate brewing, cellar, cleaning, and inventory records

• Package beer into kegs and assist with canning runs as needed

• Monitor ingredient and supply levels and communicate purchasing needs

• Perform basic equipment troubleshooting and routine brewery upkeep

• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe production space

• Communicate clearly with brewery management and pub staff

Qualifications

• Professional brewing experience in a production brewery required

• Strong brewing, cellar, fermentation, and sanitation knowledge

• Able to organize production and work independently with limited supervision

• Dependable, detail-oriented, and committed to consistent beer quality

• Comfortable troubleshooting common brewery and cellar issues

• Able, with or without reasonable accommodation, to safely lift 55 pounds and maneuver full kegs using appropriate equipment

• Able to work on your feet in wet, hot, cold, and physically demanding brewery conditions

• Formal brewing education is valued but not required with equivalent hands-on experience

Schedule

This is a full-time hourly position. Monday–Friday availability is required during the initial training and handoff period through the end of October. The regular schedule will offer more flexibility after training, based on production needs.

Compensation and Benefits

• $22–$26 per hour, depending on experience

• Health benefits

• 401(k) with profit sharing

• Sick pay

• Flexible scheduling after the initial training period

Eligibility and plan details will be discussed during the hiring process.

How to Apply

Send a résumé and a brief note describing your commercial brewing experience to OMPbrew@outlook.com. Please include “Lead Brewer” in the subject line.

The purpose of the Production Brewer I position is to monitor and handle beer throughout the cellaring process. The incumbent documents fermentation processes and relevant data, harvests yeast from preceding fermentations, carries out necessary dry-hopping and other additions, transfers beers to and from various vessels with centrifugal pumps and centrifuges, oversees the carbonation process, cleans tanks and vessels as needed, etc.  

• Production Brewer II does all of the above as well as successfully operates the production brewhouse. Incumbent documents fermentation processes and relevant data, harvests yeast from preceding fermentations, carries out necessary dry-hopping and other additions, transfers beers to and from various vessels with centrifugal pumps and centrifuges, oversees the carbonation process, cleans tanks and vessels as needed, etc. Incumbent is able to brew beer consistently with sanitation standards and predetermined specifications (flavor, appearance, aroma, specific gravity, etc.). Incumbent keeps all necessary records and data associated with the beers in an organized and accurate manner. 

This position relies heavily upon a strong work ethic and a dedication to a clean and organized work area. Often, responsibilities are accompanied by overlapping tasks as assigned by the Waterfront Assistant Production Manager, Waterfront Production Manager, and Head Brewer. 

• Employment: Regular Full-Time

• Production I Wage Range:$18/hr to $23/hr non-exempt DOE 

• Production II Wage Range: $24/hr to $27/hr non-exempt DOE 

• Schedule: Shifts rotate across all days of the week on a three-week cycle. This position requires flexibility to provide coverage as needed to meet operational requirements.

• Supervisory: None

• Closing Date: October 23rd, 2026

Essential Functions:

• General - Production I

  • Measuring and recording daily pH and gravities with Anton Parr density meter and pH meter

  • Tank cleaning with caustic and acid, and tank sanitation with peracetic acid

  • Harvesting yeast into storage tanks and kegs

  • Dry Hopping from a scissor lift into the tops of tanks

  • Dumping yeast, hops, and trub from tanks

  • Transferring beer through centrifugal pumps and centrifuge

  • Monitoring Dissolved Oxygen through Anton Paar Cbox

  • Carbonating Beer to spec and checking with Zahm or Anton Paar Cbox

  • General cleaning of the brewery

  • Input all tasks and ingredients used in process into Ekos (or other brewery inventory software)

  • Inventory counts assigned by Inventory and procurement team

  • Gather and organize ingredients using forklift

• General - Production II - All essential functions of Production I as well as

  • Gather and organize ingredients using forklift

  • Ability to perform Yeast propagation procedures

  • Perform all necessary forklift tasks for brewing operations including but not limited to malt tote changes, malt intake, chemical changes, hop retrieval, etc.

  • Operate grain mill system

  • Awareness of sidestream, frac tank, and spent grain levels and communicating or taking action when necessary

  • Recognize when recipes, malt/hops/yeast/etc, need to be adjusted and act accordingly

  • Ability to set up and utilize hop infuser and hop back

  • Stand in at morning leadership meetings for Waterfront Assistant Production Manager

  • Ability to assist in training new hires, which could include coaching in cellar or brew areas

  • Participate in recipe development and collaborations

  • Perform periodic maintenance on brewhouse

  • Ability to calibrate and balance mill, work through grain handling issues

  • Filling, emptying, and cleaning oak barrels

  • Basic working knowledge of all three brew houses and cellar across the company

  • Any other duties assigned by supervisor

• Communication:

  • Maintaining a high level of communication with leadership, department heads, managers, and staff

  • Respectfulness & professionalism in all communication 

  • Monitor and post on Slack (or a similar communication platform) with information on job duties

  • Collaborate on new ideas or ways to improve processes

  • Attend brewery department meetings as assigned

  • Answer process questions on the floor from other employees 

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, & Ideal Qualifications:

  • Must be 21 years of age or older

  • Previous work experience in a brewery cellar and brewhouse for the Production II position  

  • Ability to multitask and work without supervision once trained

  • Must possess or be teachable in the following: Basic math competency, basic mechanical competency, forklift operator's certification, and ability to safely operate brewery equipment such as forklifts, pallet jacks, canning line, pumps, etc.

  • Ability to read SDS labels on chemicals; knowledge of occupational hazards and safety precautions associated with work.

  • Ability to communicate with coworkers, often in a high-noise environment

  • Must be able to adapt to frequent changes in workload and adjust priorities quickly as circumstances dictate

  • Valid OLCC Server’s Permit preferred
    

Benefits We Offer (varying eligibility criteria):

Compensation: Competitive Wage + Benefits

Health benefits, paid sick time, paid time off, paid holidays, profit-sharing program, and paid volunteering

401(k) retirement plan with 4% employer match

Food/Beer/Merch perks 

Free counseling, legal, & financial services through Employee Assistance Program