To the naked eye, it’s probably fairly obvious that at Short’s we have brewers (to brew the beer), chefs and kitchen staff (to cook the food), pub tenders (our patented beer and food delivery system), packline workers (to ready our beer in kegs and bottles for transportation to your pint glass), Beer Liberators (the purveyors of Short’s beer knowledge), and teams of admin, maintenance, management, creative, and executive staff members to help facilitate the operations of our Northern Michigan craft brewery. But have you heard of our Cellarmen?
At Short’s we have a group of five incredible individuals (Forrest Moline, Matt Hunter, Erik Anderson, Tyler Krych, and Anthony Michanowicz) that unite to create one epic Cellar Team (think Power Rangers epic). Not many people hear or talk about the job of a Cellarman, but it’s one of huge importance!
So just what do our Cellarmen do? In short, our Cellarmen take care of our beers between the brewing and packaging phases. Working in unison like a military platoon, the Cellarmen ensure that every step of our process is completed the same way with each batch of every brew. They guide the beer from fermentation to conditioning to centrifuge, monitor the progress of each beer using the power of science, and spend an incredible amount of time cleaning and sanitizing the Cellar and every brewing gizmo and gadget in the brewery in order to keep our beers tasty, safe, and uncontaminated (If you’re wondering how clean our Cellar floors are, just know that every member of our Cellar Team has vowed that they would eat off of the Cellar floor – the Cellar is super-duper clean).
Today, we want to take a moment and introduce you to each of these good humans. Read about Forrest, Tyler, Matt, Erik, and Anthony below:
Forrest, our Cellar Manager, Production Facility chef, beer dinner organizer, and Puggle parent finds himself most inspired by Lager IPA’s like MMMKay “MMMKay?” According to Forrest, he chose to seek a career in the beer industry because he “loves beer and likes to shower in it.” Right now (and knowing Forrest, maybe always), his favorite things are food, eating, and cooking!
Tyler also known as TK has been with Short’s for almost 2 years and started working in our Cellar over a year ago. TK’s favorite specialty release is Freedom of ‘78. He isn’t shy to say “I love guava,” and he’s currently the owner of a family of polydactyl cats (think 24 digits instead of 20). He loves disc golf, jamming on his guitar, and shredding the Gnar on any form of board.
Matt has been with Short’s for a total of over two years, but took a brief intermission to work on his Jersey accent and golf game on the east coast. Matt says he’s pretty into his career “for the fame and glory.” Matt is inspired by all beer and all styles as long as they are done the right way! He enjoys hoppy beers because he finds them to be “eminently crushable.” If you’re lucky, you might catch Matt jamming in Northern Michigan.
Outside of work, Erik can often be seen taking full advantage of our Northern Michigan trails and waterways – his car seems to always have a kayak on top or skis in the trunk! Like Forrest, Erik is a fan of many beers, including India Pale Lagers. Erik’s favorite place to drink a Short’s beer on planet earth is on the beach at Isle Royale, on one of the Great Lakes, or in the UP.
Anthony, the newest addition to our Cellar Team loves fishing and ControversiALE. A Northern Michigan native, Anthony began working for Short’s a mere 7 months ago and applied for a position at our Production Facility on the recommendation of a friend. Anthony says that he loves what we do and where we live because of the people and the scenery in Northern Michigan.
Other fun and fast Cellar facts:
– Our Cellarmen have a type of secret language to communicate to each other in their busy, loud environment. While they’re all wearing earplugs, it is sometimes easier to speak to each other using a form of communication that is a combination of words, hand signs, and dance moves. This code has yet to be cracked by other members of the Short’s family.
– Cellarmen must have a refined palate in order to taste beers at various stages throughout the fermentation, conditioning, and packaging process. This is to determine if the beers taste the way they should (the right, way every time).
– Many pieces of equipment in our Cellar have nicknames. One of those lucky pieces of machinery is “Lucy”. Lucy is the name of our Centrifuge. Our Centrifuge helps us to package a bright (translucent in clarity) beer. Lucy works by spinning our beer and stripping out any unwanted yeast, hop, or protein left behind from the brewing and fermentation processes.
– You must love doughnuts to be a Cellarman.
We’re pretty lucky to have not one, not two, but FIVE rad Cellar dudes guiding our beers from brew house to bottling line. Want to learn more about the life of a Short’s Cellarman? Listen to the Life of a Cellarman episode of Short’s Cast from March, 2014.
