Field Trip Report

November 17, 2010

Victory Brewing Company

Christine McGeorge

 

Our host was the General Manager himself Matt Krueger. The tour of the establishment revealed the dining room(s), kitchen, and a quick behind the scenes tour of the vats where they brew their beer. Mr. Krueger expects every employee to have good posture and a lack of tardiness. He explained that you can never communicate enough in restaurant industry and to keep your job you must pay attention to the job. He likes his employees to be innovative and won't fly off the handle, and he expects his employees to be able to train their minds and bodies to approach their jobs with optimism and a cheerful attitude. He likes working at Victory Brewing Company because the energy involved is inviting.

    Our host also gave us a brief history lesson on the origin of beer. It all started with Nomadic people who grew tired of following their herds of cattle around and decided it was time to put down roots once and for all. They became farmers particularly barley which they made into bread and then they allowed the bread to get wet and sit out to ferment. The Romans brewed beer then about 500 to 1000 years A.D. the Europeans started brewing beer. Oktoberfest was made into a holiday in 1810. In 1870, Adolphus Busch started his beer brewing business. In 1935, when Prohibition ended 160 beer pubs popped up and in the late 1900's beer appeals to a diverse group of people.

    The quick tour of the brewery consisted of Mr. Krueger telling us about the hot side and cold side of the brewing process. The ingredients for a good beer are water, barley seeds, hops, and yeast. He added that the barley seeds were the main ingredient in making the yeast. Apparently, one of the first things to do to make beer you mix hot water with crushed grains and cannibus sitiva leaves. Pale Malt is a pale beer and the color of beer is directly related to the color of the grain.

    The possible advantages to working at Victory Brewing Company is it looks like fun and I'd get to learn more about the beer making process. Plus, there are wait staff and bartending jobs that could put me in direct contact with customers. The possible disadvantages to working there are the long drives to and from work.