John M. Verive
Quercus Curious: On the Care and Feeding of Barrels in the BreweryThe old tech of the oak barrel still works beautifully in the brewery—but it does need a nice, solid thwack with the mallet now and then. Brewers are already janitors, plumbers, and microbiologists, among other things. Might as well add coopers to the list.
Gearhead: This Ain’t Your Dad’s Near-BeerAs demand grows for nonalcoholic craft beer, brewers and manufacturers are answering the call with a new wave of innovations—and the results have never tasted better.
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Fresher, Farther, Faster: Wet Hops, Beyond the HarvestHarvest-hopped beers are a seasonal delight no longer limited to breweries near the hop fields—nor even to the harvest season. Here’s a look at the logistics and tech that are expanding the harvest in time and space.
From Barleycorn to Beer: The Maltster’s Magic TrickBetween the farm and the brewery, much of beer’s flavor is born in the malthouse. Here we journey inside a traditional floor maltings—and inside a kernel of grain—to witness the daily toil and tools that turn a raw cereal into the soul of beer.
Gearhead: Dead Heads, Shockwaves, and the Search for the Perfect PumpThe beating hearts of a brewery aren’t glamorous and won’t impress casual visitors, but they can do a great deal to improve how brewers do their jobs. They can also make a lot of noise.
Gearhead: The Enviable Lightness of Craft LagerWhat does it mean to worship at the altar of crisp? For brewers, it means special attention to technique and to the cellar.
Gearhead: Yeast Just Want to Have Fun!Brewers don’t make beer, yeast do—but they also make a lot more yeast. Here’s a look at some of the specialized gear that brewers use to propagate and ensure consistent pitches from batch to batch.
Stainless Steel Is Forever: A Story of Well-Traveled GearSome brewhouses are forever, even if they don’t stay put—and more than a few have traveled their way around the country and even around the world. At each location, that unique set of equipment and the brewers who use it must form a connection that inevitably affects what we drink.
Home (Beer), Sweet Home (Gear)Among the many takeaways of the pandemic: Drinking beer at home can be a real pleasure. Here, our Gearhead considers some of the gadgets, equipment, and other improvements that can help make your beer-house a beer-home.
Dazed & Infused: THC in the BreweryLegal hurdles aside, there are also technical obstacles to getting the main psychoactive component of cannabis into beverages in a stable, predictable way. John M. Verive explains the challenge, the science, the gear—and why it’s coming to a brewery near you.
Thirst Responders: Draft Beer on WheelsThe entrepreneurs outfitting classic hot rods and fire engines with draft lines and cold boxes say they’re in the business of spreading joy—and in the meantime, they’re winning new converts to craft beer.
Gearing Up to Brew LagerGreat lager depends upon exacting attention to details—and not only when it comes to fermentation, and conditioning. Here, we climb the decks of brewhouses specifically designed with lager in mind to better appreciate what makes them different.