So, I'm still dragging ass about documenting our experiences at NHC, the BNA4 party, and our trip to Lagunitas & Russian River brewpub. I'll get there eventually, but in the mean time you can see some very embarrassing photos from the BN Bus Tour here. Basically though, it was an amazing and inspiring trip, and it was great to meet fellow BN'ers, rub shoulders with brewing celebrities like Vinnie Cilurzo and Tomme Arthur, and judge the second round of NHC.
A lot of things have led me to the decision that it's time to leave New York City for good. It was the combination of the lease on my overpriced apartment ending, a feeling of coming back from NHC and dreading returning to work, and the general underlying problem that there just aren't that many pro brewing opportunities in NYC. As much as I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working at Sixpoint and getting to know the guys down there, there is no way they will be hiring in the next year unless someone quits, and the last 2 people they have hired on as only part-time workers.
So I've decided to finally take the plunge and move on from New York. The plan right now is to leave at the end of July or August at the latest and be in a new city by September. The obvious choices are the brewing cities, and Clarissa and I are partial to the idea of Portland, Boulder/Denver, or the Bay area. My strategy for looking for work was to:
1) Check in with Sixpoint and Captain Lawrence on the off chance that they need someone (no).
2) Put my resume on ProBrewer.com and respond to any jobs that sound good.
3) Send my resume to the best breweries around. So far I've sent it to Russian River, Rogue, and Victory. Why not start with the best, right?
4) In the event that I don't get hired before I move, just go to a brewing city, (probably Portland) and be ready to pimp myself out to all the breweries. I'll be bringing the resume, my "beer resume" i.e. samples, and some letters of recommendation. I'm willing to work for free, if I have enough cash to last a while, for the right brewery.
If any of you have any comments on where you think would be a great place to live, or leads on brewing jobs, feel free to leave them in the comments or email me. I'd love to get a better idea of Portland life, as I've still never been there and we are contemplating a move to an unknown area.
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4 comments:
Seanywonton!!! Michelle just returned from Portland for a wedding and loved it! She indulged in Rogue a' many while she was there. From her report, it sounds like you kids would really enjoy Portland. Of course, I wish you luck wherever you end up and look forward to seeing you do well in the industry of dreams!
Thanks man! Of course I'm a little worried that I will have to put in more time "proving myself" in Portland, since I won't have any connections etc., and I really don't want to take another crap job for income while I try to get in to pro brewing. I'd rather wash kegs for 8 bucks an hour than do another stint as an office monkey!
Trying to stay positive and hopeful that I can find a placement in the first couple of months, but there are no guarantees. At least the chances should be higher that someone needs a brewer due to the vast amount of breweries out there.
This is exciting news....& hence the bottle giveaway. NYCHG will miss you, but I can see an Athens boy fitting in very easily in Portland. Keep us posted!
Greetings from Portland. Just stumbled upon your blog today. First thing you should do when you arrive here is join the Oregon Brew Crew homebrew club, you couldn't ask for a better networking opportunity. Lots of brewers in the area are members or help out with the club. The unemployment rate is really high here right now, but again we do have new breweries opening all the time. Best of luck on the move.
-Derek
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