John M. Verive
Gearhead: You Down with PPE? (Be Injury-Free)Arguably the most important gear in the brewhouse is what we wear ourselves: personal protective equipment, the armor that keeps us from harm amid the boiling-hot, corrosive, slippery dangers of manufacturing beer.
Recapturing CO2: It’s a GasBrewers are dumping their blow-off buckets and reusing precious carbon dioxide rather than releasing it into the atmosphere. The benefits include cost savings, reducing greenhouse emissions—and, some say, better beer.
The Sustainable Brewery: Making Beer on Hard ModeIt’s not easy to prioritize the planet and its people alongside the product, but even small steps taken by small breweries can have a big impact. Water use is one area where breweries can make an outsized difference.
American Real Ale: What Condition Cask Condition Is InDoes slow, subtle cask ale still have a place in today’s variety-driven, can-cluttered American scene? Along with a primer on the gear and vocabulary, here’s why this is an endangered tradition this side of the Atlantic—and why it refuses to die.
Gearhead: Pilot Breweries Fly Us into the Great UnknownSome brew systems make beer for us to drink. Others just solve mysteries—providing an acceptable outlet for failure and serving as the lifeblood of craft beer. John M. Verive is on the case.
Gearhead: Outside the Beer Box: New Solutions, for the New SolutionsThe rising interest in hard seltzer and other not-so-beery beverages has led to new looks at existing gear in the brewhouse—as well as investments in equipment or partnerships that could have wider benefits.
Gearhead: Mills for the GristCracking that barley kernel isn’t what it used to be. Today, brewers who want to dial in their grist and brew better, more efficient beer have a wide range of options. John M. Verive demystifies the increasingly complex options.
Gearhead: The Brewer’s ToolboxIn this edition of Gearhead, John M. Verive zooms in on the arsenal of less specialized, more humdrum (and often more beloved) tools that brewers use every day.
Gearhead: Monster Mashes & Tuns of FunAs brewers pursue ever higher gravities for richer, stronger, thicker stouts, something immediately becomes clear: Most breweries weren’t made for this. Here’s a closer look at how breweries are adjusting for huge grists, long boils, and viscous beers.
Hop It Like It's Hot: Whirlpools, “Dip Hopping,” and More Ways to Squeeze Out AromaPull levers, turn knobs, spin wort—from whirlpools to “dip hopping,” here is a detailed look at some specific hot-side techniques and gear for dialing in substantial hop flavor and aroma.
Gearhead: Side Pulls & Slow PoursNewly adopted tricks borrowed from Old World beer culture are helping to elevate service and presentation, reimagining what draft beer looks like.
Gearhead: Keeping an Eye on a Brewery’s Microscopic WorkforceFor a price, automated cell counters can save valuable lab time otherwise spent peering into microscopes and counting manually.