Quality Control Technician II
Lakeshore Brewing Co. · Grand Rapids, MI
Mar, 2022 · Present
Run daily micro plating and PCR screening for a 180,000-bbl brewery, detecting Lactobacillus/Pediococcus and wild yeast before packaging release across 40+ SKUs.
Built dissolved-oxygen and CO2 check protocols on can and bottle lines, cutting consumer DO/staling complaints 38% year over year.
Lead a 12-person trained sensory panel (triangle, true-to-brand, DOV) with weekly sessions and documented off-flavor calibration.
Prepared HACCP and SQF audit documentation and mock audits; facility scored 96 on most recent SQF certification audit.
Trained 5 cellar staff on aseptic sampling, sample chain-of-custody, and LIMS entry, reducing sample rejections 30%.
Lab Technician
Grand River Ales · Grand Rapids, MI
Jun, 2019 · Feb, 2022
Measured ABV, IBU, and SRM color on every batch using Anton Paar Alex/DMA density meters and UV-Vis spectrophotometry per ASBC methods, testing 1,500+ samples per year.
Performed yeast viability (methylene blue) and hemocytometer cell counts to set pitch rates, improving fermentation consistency across 14 core and seasonal brands.
Introduced in-process gravity and pH checkpoints that reduced batch dump rate 22% over two years.
Maintained LIMS records, calibration logs, and CIP verification swabs (ATP) with zero missing entries in two consecutive state inspections.
Ran proficiency samples with an external lab, bringing ABV agreement to within ±0.05%.
Quality Assurance Intern
Bridgewater Brewing · Kalamazoo, MI
May, 2018 · Aug, 2018
Supported QA team at a regional brewery with daily packaging line checks (fill heights, seam/crown inspection, TPO) on 3 lines.
Plated and read 400+ micro samples (HLP, WLN, UBA media) and logged results for release decisions.
Built a shelf-life tracking spreadsheet for retained packaged samples used in monthly sensory reviews.
Assisted with sensory panel setup and recruiting, growing trained tasters from 6 to 10.