Quality Technician I

About the Role

As a Quality Technician I at Firestone Walker Brewing Company, you will ensure product quality throughout the production process. This role involves daily interaction with production processes and personnel across all brewery areas.

Key Responsibilities

• Analytical
• Collect samples for fermentation and brewhouse testing.
• Maintain laboratory cleanliness and instrumentation, perform routine maintenance, and troubleshoot basic analytical issues.
• Manage the QC analytical database, including data entry, record keeping, trending, data analysis, and follow-up with brewing and cellaring teams.
• Perform routine testing for bitterness units, color, VDKs, alcohols, end gravities, pHs, haze, and other required tests.
• Work safely, maintain a clean and safe working environment, understand hazards, and utilize appropriate personal protective equipment.
• Microbial
• Collect sterile samples from all production areas, including fermentation tanks, CIP and P3 water, oak barrels, bright beer tanks, whiskey barrels, packaged product, filtration, and production water (DAW, ROW, ozone).
• Provide sterile sample containers to packaging staff for micro sampling.
• Plate various in-process, finished product, and water samples for microbial analysis.
• Ensure proper maintenance of micro supplies for sterility.
• Prepare media, sterile water, sterile saline, and other reagents.
• Maintain inventory of micro supplies and update the order list.
• Clean and autoclave micro equipment.
• Sensory Analysis
• Run, record, and analyze sensory panel results.
• Conduct panel testing for true to type and release tastings on all packaged products.
• Perform threshold testing.
• Complete age profiles to test flavor stability and shelf life.
• Conduct descriptive panels for beer flavor attributes.
• Perform preference and difference tests.
• Taste raw materials, including CO2, RO, and de-aerated water.
• Complete bright beer and fermenter release testing.
• Maintain organized warm and cold beer libraries.
• Packaging
• Complete BBT release testing and verify AE, alcohol, color, pH, micro, CO2, and DO.
• Perform package testing for CO2, TPO, DO, HSO, AE, alcohol, density, pH, bottle fill heights, crimp checks, secure seal testing, seam checks on cans, and keg testing and sample collection.
• Collect Micro/Sensory/Analytical samples.
• All Function Areas
• Complete all assigned safety training.
• Perform required data entry.
• Undertake other duties as assigned.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• High degree of accuracy and efficiency.
• Ability to pull samples from tanks, kegs, barrels, production lines, and water sources.
• Proficiency in performing analytical, microbial, packaging, or sensory analysis in laboratory environments.