Back in September, I blogged about Roc Brewing Co., a brand new Rochester NY microbrewery that was in its very earliest stages.

Chris Spinelli (left) and Jonathan Mervine (right) stand in the spot
that will soon occupy their tasting bar.

Over the weekend, I caught up with the beer-making entrepreneurs again and I got to see just how far they’ve come. Their building, a former VFW Post located right in the heart of the city, is revamped and looking good. After a guided tour of the unfinished facility and a sneak-peak at the floor plans, I was able to envision just how well everything will come together. The paint hits the walls this week and by mid-April, the custom built tasting bar will be installed and ready for action. They’re on target to open the doors in May or June, just in time for summer.

Although their facility is not yet ready for brewing, business partners Chris Spinelli and Jonathan Mervine have been working around the clock to get their beer and their name out to the community. They continue to make small batches of homebrew for tastings, events and festivals and they’ve certainly seen a noticeable increase in both interest and demand.

Completely renovating and remodeling an old building into a functioning brewery, perfecting original recipes, marketing their brand new company and obtaining all of the necessary State and Federal licensing takes up most of their time yet with some help from their families and friends, they’re also custom designing and manufacturing the bar and all of their tap handles.

It’s crazy to think that by the time they’re able to sell their first pint, they will have already have invested more than a year of planning, copious amounts of hard work and a whole lot of money. Then again, I guess that’s what opening your own business is all about. Some future customers/craft beer enthusiasts have left comments on their Facebook page saying that these guys are "living the American dream" and I think I have to agree. Although it’s apparent that opening a brewery is no cakewalk, it’s really refreshing to see normal, everyday guys turn their passion into a business that can allow them to earn a living doing what they love and also contribute to something bigger, like the craft beer movement.

With that in mind, make sure you continue to support your own small local brewers. There’s a whole lot of love and effort put into each and every can, bottle or keg. If that doesn’t leave a good taste in your mouth, what will?

TAGS [ ROC BREWING CO | CRAFT BREWERIES | LOCAL BREWERS ]

As an April Fools Day joke, we posted fake job openings for six different positions including Vice President of Evening & Weekend Operations, Drinking Department Managers, Entry Level Beer Tasters, Office Jester, Douchey Photo Model and Puke Cleaner Upper.

We advised applicants to submit their resume to aprilfools@kegworks.com and we didn’t expect much to come in, considering it was a joke.

We did receive the following resume however, and we felt compelled to post it here. Benjamin Dover applied for Drinking Department Manager and we have to admit that if it were a real position and Ben was a real guy, we’d probably bring him in for an interview. Check it out and toast your next drink to people with a fantastic sense of humor!

Here’s the cover letter:

I am writing to you today about the following position for your company that I found on your website; Drinking Department Manager. I believe that my background would make me a perfect candidate for the position.

Most recently, my experience has been in the radio station industry, doing upper management stuff. This included running trips to the store to stock the company beer fridge and babysitting coworkers to make sure they did what I told them to do.

I have attached my resume below for your review. I am confident that my experience would be an asset to your company. Thank you for your consideration for this position, and I look forward to the opportunity to speak with you in more detail about my experience.

Cheers!

Ben

And now for the resume:
__________________
Benjamin Dover
(716) 867-5309

Benjamin Dover
123 Main Street
Elma, NY 12345
(716) 867-5309

Education

Michigan University – Graduated: 4/1/2008
Degree – B.S. of Potato Vodka Making with a minor in Basket Weaving
Maintained a BAC of .05+ every day

Canisius College – Graduated: 4/1/2011
Degree – M.S. of Irish Whiskey Tasting

Relative Work Experience

YBANASS Radio Station
4/2008 – 3/2011
Upper Management
Ellicottville, NY

• Babysat the people that worked under me
• Told coworkers what to do all day
• Stocked company beer cooler
• Held coworkers hair back when they drank too much during the day

Externet Megacorpor Agility
1/2000 – 3/2008
Bottom Management
Erie, PA

• Motivated employees to drink like Olympians
• Organized happy hours
• Suggested beer pairings for food to colleagues when they were making dinner for their loved ones

Volunteer Work

Wellington Pub
1/2009 – Present
Shot Taster
Buffalo, NY

• Tasted various alcoholic shots before served as specials on menus
• Shot the shit with customers
• Inspected bathrooms for cleanliness
• Tasted food on occasion

TAGS [ APRIL FOOLS | FAKE RESUME ]

Maybe it’s a stretch but we’re going to go ahead and say that Charlie Sheen and KegWorks both do a decent job keeping "goddess" Bree Olson entertained.

Found on her personal Twitpic account, the caption reads "Lol now my party owes the bartenders 10 drinks."

That statement seems to suggest that it took her party a while to figure out what all of those letters on this original KegWorks bar sign mean. If you’ve already figured it out, you’ll know why she owed the bartenders drinks. If not, just visit this page for an explanation. Judging by the excitement around here I think it’s safe to say that if Bree needs any additional clarification, there are a few guys in our office who would be willing to help her out. Cheers!

TAGS [ BREE OLSON | IITYWIMWYBMAD? | CHARLIE SHEEN ]