Brewery Operations

Roles & Responsibilities

What the Head Brewer role means, what success looks like, and what Barry expects.

Your Role: Head Brewer

Title	Head Brewer, Kildare Brewing Company
Reports to	Barry Flanagan (Owner)
Location	KBC Brewery, Lock 13 Brewpub, Sallins, Co. Kildare
Core Hours	Monday to Friday (flexible, but 40 hours minimum)
Key Tools	Breww (brewery management), physical logbooks, delivery van

Key Responsibilities

Brewing — Plan and execute the brew schedule. Maintain recipe consistency. Hit target gravities and volumes every time.
Quality Control — Monitor fermentation, check gravity readings, taste every batch. No beer leaves this brewery that isn't right.
Packaging — Can and keg to specification. Label correctly. Date code everything.
Cleaning & CIP — Daily cleaning schedule followed without exception. CIP logs completed for every clean. See Cleaning & CIP.
Deliveries — Thursday/Friday keg deliveries to Lock 13 and stockist accounts. Van maintained and roadworthy. See Ingredients & Kegs.
Paperwork — Batch records, CIP logs, cleaning schedules, water discharge logs, ingredient receiving logs — all up to date, all the time. See Batch Recording.
Ingredient Management — Order ingredients on time. Check deliveries against orders. FIFO rotation. Proper storage.
Brewery Maintenance — Equipment in good working order. Report issues immediately. Keep everything organised.
Water Compliance — Irish Water discharge monitoring and logging as required. See Water Discharge.
Safety — Follow all H&S procedures. Wear PPE. Report hazards. Complete all mandatory training.

What Success Looks Like

Beer quality is consistently excellent — no off-flavours, no infections, no short fills. Every pint poured at Lock 13 and every keg delivered to a stockist represents KBC.
The brewery is clean, organised, and audit-ready at all times — Barry can walk in at any time, announced or unannounced, and see a professional operation.
All paperwork is current — batch records, CIP logs, cleaning logs, discharge logs. Open any logbook and it's complete and up to date.
Kegs are delivered on time — every Thursday/Friday to Lock 13 and stockists. Never late. Never short.
Costs are controlled — no waste, no expired ingredients, no unnecessary spend. You know the cost per keg for every beer.
You take ownership — treat the brewery as if it were your own business. Don't wait to be told. See a problem, fix it.
Proactive communication — if something is wrong, say it early. Barry should never be surprised by a problem that should have been flagged.

What Barry Expects

Walk into the brewery at any time and see a clean, well-organised operation.
Open any logbook and see it fully up to date.
Ask about any batch and get a complete answer with data.
Never be surprised by a problem that should have been flagged.
Always have good beer available — stock levels managed, no gaps, no excuses.
Paperwork is always done — this is non-negotiable. No "I'll catch up on Monday."

Laneway Keg Storage

The keg storage area on the laneway behind Lock 13 is KBC's responsibility. This means:

Empty kegs returned and organised by style
Full kegs stored upright, not stacked more than 2 high
Area swept and tidy — no rubbish, no old stock, no clutter
Presentable at all times — guests and staff walk past this area daily

Barry will check this area regularly. There is no excuse for it to be messy.