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Who is Testing Your Beer?

My name is Jessie Smith. After years of day dreaming, I have started a company with the goal of being able to help as many breweries as possible to improve their beers. 


I started my career in the brewing industry as a way to avoid starting a PhD program. I always envisioned myself performing academic research, but after received my Bachelors in Biochemistry at the University of Buffalo, I decided to see what other industries could use my yeast research background.

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This led me to Saint Arnold Brewing Company and Houston, Texas. During my time there, I sharpened my microbiology skills and refined my palate for craft beer. I became a Certified Cicerone and helped to develop Saint Arnold’s sensory program. I was involved in establishing a yeast propagation system using existing equipment at the brewery. 


My next endeavor was to move back north and grow the lab for SingleCut Beersmiths. Here I was able to manage the lab and make quality decisions to help improve both SingleCut and contract beers from multiple breweries. 

What Are the Benefits of Quality Testing?

  • Saves money

    • The investment in quality testing leads to cost savings for the brewer in the end

  • Increases brand consistency

    • Gives you batches that are true to brand and style every time

    • Customer retention increases with consistency

  • Increases yeast health

    • This leads to decreased tank residency time

    • Which helps free up tank space

  • Prevents underattenuations

    • This can prevent costly dumped batches

  • Prevents off-flavors

    • Makes your beer better and can increase your shelf life

Why Choose Queen City Quality?

  • 7 years of experience in the craft beer industry

  • Hands on approach and personalized attention for your brewery and beers

  • Sample pick ups in the Buffalo area to make your busy brew day a little easier​

  • Data analysis and tracking to help identify trends

  • ​Quality testing with specialized equipment​

  • TTB Certified Chemist

  • Certified Cicerone

  • Expertise in these areas:

    • Yeast Health

    • Fermentation trends and improvements

    • Malt quality

    • Common brewery microorganisms and their impact

    • Sensory panel training

Quality Data

An IPA brand comparison where yeast handling changes led to fermentation improvements. This resulted in the brand reaching the target final gravity with higher consistency.

  • Green dashed line: target final gravity

  • Curve to the right means higher final gravity

  • The higher the curve, the greater the consistency

The density of propagated yeast increased from an average of 7.21 million cells/mL to 1.36 billion cells/mL upon process changes. This resulted in less frequent purchasing of yeast starters, greater ease of production planning, and increased consistency in fermentations.

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