How Much Money Can You Make Working in a Brewery?

by Brooke Julia

Working in a brewery can seem like a dream come true for those who enjoy their pint of ale. You might envision a working life that seems more like time off than employment: the satisfaction of crafting delicious beer, the camaraderie of your fellow beer enthusiasts and the relaxation of drinking a few when the day is done can seem pretty hard to resist. Starting salaries aren't high, however, which means when you begin, you'll be doing it for love rather than money.

Getting Started

How much money you can make in a brewery depends on the size of the operation and what your position is. Brewpubs, which are small breweries in bars or restaurants, pay a little less than traditional breweries, where the focus is entirely on making beer rather than serving customers. Assistant brewers at small brewpubs earned $21,490 a year in 2011, according to, and $26,614 at large brewpubs. Assistants in small breweries averaged $24,325, while those in medium to large facilities made $32,842 a year.


Brewmasters include the head brewers who oversee the brewing process and the assistants who work under them. In small brewpubs, brewmasters averaged $45,829 a year, while in large brewpubs they averaged $50,985. Brewmasters in small breweries earned $42,411 a year in 2011, and those in medium to large breweries earned $74,366 a year.

Other Job Titles

Brewers and brewmasters might be the only employees at a small brewpub, but larger facilities hire more employees to handle the workload, such as packagers, laboratory technicians, head brewers and cellar managers. Packagers earned $21,948 a year at small breweries and $25,000 at large breweries in 2011. Cellar managers and laboratory technicians both earned between $29,000 and $39,000 a year, depending on the size of the brewery, while head brewers, who typically only work in medium to large breweries, averaged $47,181 a year.

Getting an Education

You may have thought you learned all you needed to know about beer by sampling every single microbrew at your local pub. The Brewers Association lists several schools that offer courses in professional brewing, however, that can help you get a foot in the door as a brewer. Courses range from several weeks to several months in length and provide you with a certificate upon completion. The exact classwork involved depends on the course taken and can cover topics ranging from physics and engineering to the etiquette of serving.

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