Consultant to the Brewing and Beer & Cider Packaging Industry
ABOUT ME
A quick overview of my business achievements
Graeme Hall B.Sc., Dip. Brew., FIBD, D.M.S.
I have been in the Brewing Industry for over 30 years, and have worked for 4 different breweries from Junior Brewer at Young & Co. in Wandsworth, Brewer at S.H.Wards in Sheffield, Brewhouse and Fermentation Manager at Vaux in Sunderland to Operations and Packaging Manager at Robinson's in Stockport for 20 years.
Having been sponsored by Young's to do my Brewing Degree at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, I got my first full time Brewing job at Wards, which was quite an experimentally ale brewery, where I brewed German style wheat beers and brewed the first Waggledance honey beer as well as a wide range of traditional ales.
It was there that I completed my post grad Diploma in Management Studies.
At Vaux, having started as Shift Manager, I worked my way up to Brewhouse and Fermentation Manager, where I designed 2 new beers, namely "Super Scorpion Dry Lager" an 8% lager that was clean and crisp and did not drink its weight and "Lambtons", a beer that went on the livery of all the Vaux vehicles at the time.
At Robinson's I was responsible for the processing (cold conditioning, stabilising and filtration) and either Bottling, Cask Racking or Kegging (including Petainers) of over 400 products from approximately 60 breweries.
In the time there, I was involved in, and latterly lead, the project teams that replaced every piece on bottling equipment in the Bottling Hall, installed and commissioned 19 tanks with SCADA control, installed an in-line 16 head Cask Washer and 5 head Racker. I purchased a Keg Washer, labeller and keg seal applicators as well as the Petainer filler.
I received a Distinction in my HACCP Level 3 assessment in 2016 and I Passed the IOSH Managing Safety course in 2015
In 2013 I was fortunate enough to become Chairman of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD) - Great Northern Section.
In the same year I was also Chairman of the Manchester Brewing School Society (MBSS) and the Oldham Brewery Sample Room 32 Club (OBSR 32)
I regularly Judge on the SIBA NW and the Beer X Finals Panel
In 2017 I was invited onto the IBD Board of Examiners for the Packaging Diploma.
I also became an auditor for SIBA for the FSQ audit.
In 2018 I became a Cask Marque and Beer Marque auditor and was honoured to become a Fellow of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling.
In 2020 I was involved in re-writing the Learning Material for the IBD General Certificate in Packaging and in 2021 I did the same for the Diploma in Packaging.