Jessie Smith

Jessie Smith

Jessie Smith is the owner and principal scientist at Queen City Quality, a lab testing service designed with New York State breweries in mind.


Subscriber Exclusive

Quality Control, Beyond Beer: Reducing Stress (and Sulfur) in Your Beverages

In hard seltzers and other FMBs, sulfur as an off-flavor can be an even smellier obstacle than it is in beer. Here’s how to avoid it.

Subscriber Exclusive

Success on the Singles Scene: Best Practices for Benchtop Seamers

One of the most convenient packaging options for small, draft-focused breweries also happens to be fraught with shelf-life issues. Yet benchtop can seamers have their fans, and they have advantages, too. Here’s how to do it right.

Subscriber Exclusive

Quality Control: Embracing SOPs in the Lab

For anyone serious about quality, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a well-thought-out binder packed with standard operating procedures. Here’s how to get started on SOPs for your brewery’s quality program.

Bacillus: Mostly Harmless, Until It’s Not

Brewers don’t typically lose sleep over Bacillus, despite it being ubiquitous throughout the brewery. Being aware of it and knowing when it can cause problems can help ensure better, more consistent beer.

Subscriber Exclusive

Quality Control: Dealing with Diacetyl

Understanding this off-flavor, how to test for it, and how to reduce it is key to producing commercially viable beer.

Subscriber Exclusive

Canning Line Nightmares: What to Know About Megasphaera and Pectinatus

As brewers, we love our low DO levels and our cans of light, crisp lager in the summertime. Unfortunately, so do a couple of the stealthiest spoilage organisms known to the beer industry.

Using Spreadsheets to Track and Improve Fermentations

Widely available programs such as Excel or Google Sheets can be simple yet powerful tools for your brewing business, helping you achieve more consistent fermentations and a more predictable brewing schedule.

Brewing Quality: How to Start Up Your Sensory Panel

No brewery is too small or too short-handed to get a sensory panel going, and the education and expertise gained can be invaluable to the business. Here’s how to get your panel off the ground.