4 months ago

Homebrewing has given me a feel for malt bills and yeast strains, but scaling up feels like a different beast. I spend weekends on the rescue sailing crew, which keeps me used to checking equipment before it matters. Lately I’ve been looking at job postings for junior brewer roles in midsize packagers. One thing that keeps coming up is the cleaning‑in‑place step they mention in the SOPs. They list a CIP cycle but don’t give the flow rate or pressure specs, just say follow the manufacturer’s guide. I’ve talked to a couple of brewers who said they rely on the vendor’s manual, but I wonder if there’s an industry norm that transcends individual equipment. In a typical midsize brewery running a 10‑barrel fermenter, what flow rate (in liters per minute) and pressure (in bar) are commonly set for the alkaline wash phase of a CIP cycle, and what quick test, such as a conductivity rinse or ATP swab, do most operators perform right after to confirm that surfaces are truly clean?

2 months ago

Are soft skills overrated for brewers trying to stay relevant?