Head of Fermentation, Barrel Management, and Blending
Garden Path Fermentation is looking for a dedicated, creative, inspired individual to take the reins of our multifaceted fermentation program. Located in the beautiful Skagit Valley in Northwest Washington, with its uniquely fertile soils and cool, temperate climate, Garden Path is one of very few producers in the world that’s able to make beer, wine, cider, and mead, all using ingredients sourced from our own backyard, and may be the only one to do so using only native yeast fermentation.
We’re a very small company (there are currently 10 of us), with a mission to capture the unique flavor and terroir of our abundant local ingredients and of each passing season while also striving to maintain a sense of subtlety, balance, and nuance in everything we make. Each of us is involved in a number of different areas, with a strong emphasis on community, cooperation, communication, and inclusiveness.
Our Head of Fermentation will work closely with the Co-Owners, our Operations Manager, and the other members of our production team to source ingredients, develop new recipes, processes, and ideas, plan our production, cellaring, and packaging schedule, adapting to circumstances as needed, curate blends, and oversee all aspects of beer, wine, cider, and mead making. The ideal candidate will have an exceptional palate and extensive professional experience, particularly with native/wild yeast fermentation, barrel-aging, barrel maintenance, blending, and natural conditioning, as well as unbridled creativity, strong leadership and organizational skills, and a deep, personal connection to our mission and values.
Our production is highly seasonal, focusing on cider and wine in the fall, spontaneous beer in the winter, fruit refermentation in summer and the remainder of our brewing and packaging as time allows. Our overall production volume is extremely modest; we released only 150bbl (4650 gallons) of beer, wine, cider, and mead in total last year.
The majority of our wort making is at Chuckanut Brewery, ¼ mile down the road, and transport it back to our facility in stainless steel totes for overnight, airborne inoculation in our coolship, open fermentation in an oak foudre, long-term barrel-aging, and/or future blending or refermentation with fruit or other local ingredients. We also have a small, 1hl electric pilot system and 3 bbl manual direct fire system that could be used for on-site experimentation, as well as a 15bbl direct fire system that’s currently stored offsite.
Beyond our brewing activities, we help tend to the nearby research orchard at Washington State University, where we’re able to source an abundance of traditional cider apples, perry pears, cherries, plums, and other fruits and a nearby vineyard from which we source our wine grapes, and we also maintain close relationships with a number of other local growers. In addition to our many agricultural partnerships, our long-term vision is to own and operate our own farm, where we could offer visitors a true seed-to-glass experience and we’re currently working closely with the county and other stakeholders to make that a reality.
Our facility, where we also operate an onsite Tasting Room & Bottle Shop, is located at the Port of Skagit, adjacent to Skagit Regional Airport in an agri-business park containing 477 acres of protected wetlands and 10 miles of hiking/biking trails. In addition to Chuckanut Brewery, Skagit Valley College’s Cardinal Craft Brew Academy, the Washington State University Bread Lab, which also serves as home to the King Arthur Baking School, Cairnspring Mills, Water Tank Bakery, Skagit Landing, NW Local Meats, and The Heritage Flight Museum are all less than ½ mile away.
We also own and operate The Great Northern Bottle Shop & Lounge in downtown Bellingham, a lively, small city of 90,000 and home of Western Washington University, 25 miles to the north.
Skagit is a rural, largely agricultural county of 130,000 people, stretching from the Salish Sea to the Cascade Mountains. We’re situated approximately 65 miles north of Seattle and 50 miles south of the Canadian border.
If this all sounds exciting and you think you might be the right fit, please send a cover letter and current résumé to jobs@gardenpathwa.com.
Responsibilities:
- Barrel management & maintenance
- Cellar management
- Blending
- Yeast capture and cultivation
- Maintaining, shepherding, and prepping our house yeast cultures
- Ingredient sourcing and selection
- Formulating recipes & procedures
- Overseeing all fermentation activity, including spontaneous fermentation of beer and natural fermentation of wine and cider
- Developing, implementing, and maintaining an ongoing production plan, making changes as needed to accommodate all variables, including ingredient availability, fermentation, maturation, and conditioning
- Coordinating and overseeing wort production and transportation, fruit processing, preparation, and handling, and all other production activities
- Establishing production & packaging SOPs
- Training, educating, and overseeing production staff
- Establishing and maintaining a QA/QC program
- Producing pilot batches
- Conducting research & experimentation
- Maintaining documentation and recordkeeping of all production-related activities
- Assisting, as needed with
- Orchard & vineyard management
- Hiring
- Reporting
- Events
Job Type: Full-time (36-40 hours/week)
Minimum Qualifications:
- At least 2 years professional brewing, winemaking, cidermaking, and/or meadmaking experience, with an emphasis on native/wild yeast fermentation, barrel-aging, barrel maintenance, blending, and natural conditioning
- Forklift training, experience, and certification
- Chemical safety training
- Production safety training
- Ability to climb ladders and operate in small spaces
- Ability to lift and move heavy objects and engage in repetitive motion
Starting Base Compensation: $22.50-$27.75/hour, depending on experience
Additional Benefits:
- Health Insurance Reimbursement up to $5850/year with the possibility of a future group plan
- Profit Sharing
- Generous PTO
- Flexible Schedule
- Product Allocations
- Employee Discounts
- Travel
Garden Path Fermentation is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified applicants, irrespective of race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, and/or any other protected category under state and/or federal law.