Cerebral Brewing takes “a scientific approach to beer” seriously, starting out with a QA/QC lab from day one. It shouldn’t be a surprise considering the name that they collect all the measurements and metrics whilst balancing it with artistic inspiration and creativity that has made them award winners from the very beginning. Dan McGuire and Sean Buchan created a space that doesn’t just brew great beers but does good for the community as well with multiple fundraisers and raising awareness of local causes.
The connection between Cerebral and Fermly predates both companies! Cerebral Headbrewer/Owner Buchan and Fermly Information Architect Danny Wang both used to homebrew, and crossed paths in the CAUTION: Brewing tap room. Through mutual interests, sound conversations (and several beers at the bar together), Buchan joined for a brewday at CAUTION: and helped with a batch of Lao Wang Lager all the while being both a beer geek and a photographer that day.
Cerebral has a well-fleshed-out QA/QC lab with Frank Novak as Quality Manager and rising Instagram Reels star. For confirmatory testing, Fermly is useful since according to Novak “Accurate ABVs have been inconsistent and questionable with the typical ABV calculators online. I was able to verify the accuracy of a new ABV calculation with Fermly's alcolyzer.”
What about those invisible tiny yeasty beasties and their bacteria brethren? Novak also does a significant amount of microbiological analysis, but sometimes speed is the name of the game in making important decisions when plating suggests there is something concerning. “Fermly allowed us to double check our quality control procedures through their real-time qPCR testing. We tested positive from our in-house media testing and were able to confirm our results; realizing our practices were legitimate and accurate,” says Novak “Our bottled barrel-aged beers are a large part of our beer portfolio and critical to our brand recognition. With that, knowing that our bottled products are clean and stable is how we keep our customers loyal.”
The Cerebral team continues to innovate in the beer world with accuracy, compassion, and creativity. The Fermly team loves working with a crew that sees the value in quality, because as Novak poignantly says “The quality of your products is directly related to the quality of your reputation.”