In addition to all of the getting-to-know-yous, the inquires about previous experience, and the general seeking to understand whether a new employee might be a good fit, Lark Carlyle Ludlow, the owner and brewer at Tahquamenon Falls Brewery and Pub in Michigan has one important thing to share: Twice a year, once in the late fall and again in early spring, usually the month of April, you’ll be laid off. It’s nothing personal, and there’s a full expectation that you’ll be rehired, but given the seasonality of the brewery’s location, in the state’s Upper Peninsula and inside a state park, there’s just not enough consumer bandwidth to keep a full complement of employees during the down season.
“For some it works out perfectly,” says Ludlow. “There’s another wage earner in the household, or they use it to spend time with family. But for others, it’s tough. Maybe they have to have two jobs just to make ends meet.”
There are about 6,700 breweries operating in the country right now, and the majority of them are open year-round. Situated in populated areas, they operate like any other business with set hours, closing only on holidays (if at all). But there are a handful of breweries that are located in areas that are largely seasonal. Some are in beach communities that see the majority of business in the warm months; others are in the mountains, where winter conditions make roads impassible or just unsafe. Usually the ones that have to close or modify their hours are the ones in major vacation areas that see a big influx of folks when the weather is nice and then the population plummets when it’s not.