What's My Line?

[FedoraDave]

I thought it might be interesting to start a thread in the following vein:

We often talk about our process, and the individual things we do with our brewing/bottling. Sharing ideas that have worked for us is what this forum is all about, after all. And we're aware that, while there are plenty of wrong ways to go about making beer, there's really no single right way; a lot of it is Brewer's Preference, and we do what works for us.

We all have our different disciplines in our work lives, also. Most of us are not blessed to be professional brewers, and I know I catch myself using ideas and techniques and disciplines from my job training and experience.

Hence this thread.

Whether you're a cop or a chemist, a chef or a cheauffer, your job influences more than just your work. Me, I've been a pest control technician for nearly 20 years. You might not think that was compatible with homebrewing, but folks around here know I've given advice on keeping fruit flies away from your beer, and heck, I recently posted a tutorial on rodent control methods. Gotta keep your stored grain clean and safe! I also catch myself triple-rinsing my carboys, kegs, and the vessels I pitch my yeast from. Triple-rinsing empty pesticide containers before discarding them is the law, so I do it automatically, and this has carried over to my brewing. The only time I really think it makes a difference is with the yeast. I want to get as much as possible pitched, and the extra rinsing (with wort) makes me feel I'm not dumping any down the drain.

So. How about you?

[philm00x]

For the last 6 years I've worked as a tire and lube tech for a couple companies. The only thing I can think of that I get from my job that transfers to brewing is wiping down the surfaces that gaskets touch with alcohol to make sure it's free of debris, then lubing up the gaskets (with beer, it's the gaskets on spigots on the fermenters and bottling buckets).

[Dawg LB Steve]

I run the parts dept at a forklift repair co., always have mechanics working on oodball material handling stuff beyond forklifts so I must constantly research what is needed. Going back to the late 70's when I started drag racing and even with my mechanical job in between then and now, which was building and improving machinery for the frozen food industry, I always had an attention to research and detail. I would say this has translated into my brewing by way of not jumping into a recipe or my progression from Mr Beer to AG, there was hours of research along the way, when working on a recipe, it may take a week or two to finalize it, with plenty of reading about that style and bunches of recipes to see what kind of trends for grains and hops.
Interesting thread Dave.

[teutonic terror]

Machine operator/machinist here!

Repetition is the mode here. Doing the same things over and over in the same order.
There really is a set procedure to holding very tight tolerances!
Perfectionist!

I've really scoured this and the old Mr Beer board, gleaning info on everyone's procedure and incorporating
them into my own, trying to perfect, as best as a home brewer can, the brewing process.

Never gonna be a professional brewer. Not enough time and/or money but my friends love my product!

[jimjohson]

I'm a cabinet maker since '85 and I've been helping to make the drawings, and following them for so long. I'm really being exact when building a recipe. However different woods shrink and swell at different rates, so you can't really work tighter than 1/8" tolerances. Resulting in there being a kind of a RDWHAH about my actual brewing, in that for me, relatively close counts on actual hop amounts or the timing of the "drop".

[Beer-lord]

I have owned a small business that sell advertising and promotional items as well as awards. I had a partner until 2000 and bought him out (might not have been the best decision). I'm very good dealing with people and that just comes naturally but retail stinks. Add in a mostly anemic economy and trying to pry money from most people doesn't come easy.
Brewing, to me is somewhat opposite of what I do though there are some comparisons to brewing and business.

[JimH]

Well, I don't know so much about my current "job" but my last one had some relevance to brewing. My six years in the Navy were as a machinist's mate in the nuclear plants on an aircraft carrier. Definitely one of the biggest things that relates to brewing is cleanliness controls. Keeping foreign material out of the piping is a huge deal, and so it is keeping foreign material out of beer. That and my knowledge of fluid systems, heat transfer, etc. has some impact on some of the things I do. Being crafty at maintenance also helps, as I think of ways to make wort chillers or heat sticks (haven't done it yet, but I have designs).

[JohnSant]

Not much to say about the last 10 or so years, being a disabled Vietnam Vet. Prior to not working I have worked as a stocker to a Manager of a Publishing Co. Before that I spent 20 yrs. in the Navy as a Boiler Tech. Which I feel may have some aspect to my brewing sense. I tested and treated the water for the Boilers aboard ship. I was also a Navy Instructor for testing and treating water and fuel oil for the plant. I think this has gave me some prospective on how to control the contamination of my beer. (after all those years using a hydrometer and only braking 2, I have broken 2 on this last batch, and have only been brewing for a few months)

[RickBeer]

John, you only broke one. The other likely committed suicide, a common occurrence when one hydrometer is broken, the other jumps to their death. That's why you always keep two.

[Gymrat]

I have been an electrician for the BNSF Railroad since the late 70s. Now I am the Electrician Trainer/Coordinator for our facility. This carries over to my brewing because I know how to plug my drill in to crush my grain. I will be retiring Dec 1 2015 which will give me far more time to brew.

[RickBeer]

This carries over to my brewing because I know how to plug my drill in to crush my grain.

Now that's funny.

[truckndad]

After driving a truck for a little over 20 years, and now working in trucking safety, I can tell you that getting in a hurry only leads to accidents. Whether pushing through that yellow light that turned red just a little too fast for you, or getting loaded later than you planned and just haphazardly securing it thinking that's good enough, only to have to sit for three hours later on to have a tow rig and forklift come to where you are to fix the load that shifted.

Same goes for brewing. Be patient. Don't hurry through sanitizing, cause sure enough you'll contaminate something. Don't think, oh crap, we have to leave soon, I'll just pitch the yeast now. The wort is probably still too hot. And pay attention to your surroundings, or you'll have a mess.

[Chuck N]

I've been a wire burner (welder) for the past thirty years. Nothing that really translates out to my brewing except that I can , maybe, stand closer to the brew pot than most.

[Ibasterd]

I'm a graphic/web designer for an advertising and design agency. I definitely spend a lot of time thinking about and designing my labels! As far as brewing goes, I suppose I spend a fair amount of time thinking about and crafting recipes as if I were "designing" them. I think I like creating something from an idea, so in that regard crafting and creating beer from raw elements is similar to graphic design.

[FrozenInTime]

Heck, I'm a ... well... I do nuttin all day. How does that relate to brewing, I do darn well what I want, when I want, as I want, and anything else I want. I guess that relates to brewing, I brew what I want(well, when I can git ingredints), when I want, how I want, etc. But, prior to being a retired truck driver, I was an avionics/electronics expert on fighter jets for 20 years where I learned to be quite anal about all aspects of the job, so I guess that translate to me being anal about my sanitation/brewing. All those years smellin weird chemicals kinda explains why I'm a little nuts at times, at least that's what the shrinks at the VA hospital tells me. I'm a disabled VET too John. Let's skip, hop, and jump together. Thanks for your service bro!