Hey, friends. We've just lost our longtime head brewer who had become as much a family member as he was a critical part of our executive team. He moved for family reasons and we are in the midst of trying to (somehow) replace him. As many of you know, it is much harder to replace his wisdom, vision, marketing skills, brand identity awareness, and brewery operations skills than to replace his high skill at making beer. How do you go about this when looking to bring in the right people? What interview questions do you ask, what answers do you look for?

Specific to our current pandemic: We need a head brewer who can help us identify which of our taproom's best sellers translate best to packaged beer and wholesale (since the taproom can't open). What questions can I ask during an interview to communicate that we need skills in linking great beer with our brand and making decisions between which beers to push (and what not to push). What sorts of best practices do you all use to decide which beers will resonate in To-go sales and wholesale? Any and all advice (or previous mistakes to avoid) are appreciated!