Q&A
Feminism &
Beer Science
Craft beer, quality testing and being a woman in the beer world
B
eer scientist Dana Garves brewed her
first batch of beer with her dad in their
Seattle home’s basement when she was
17. Garves says her mom was furious,
but the memory has fueled her love for
craft beer ever since.
Garves studied chemistry at the University of Oregon,
where she put together a database of chemistry experi-
ment resources for teachers from K-12 through grad
school. She then took a job doing water quality testing at
a local company in Eugene, but quickly found it unsatis-
fying.
Soon after, Garves found herself in the Ninkasi beer
lab working as a beer technician, where in 2014 she
developed six vials of yeast to send to space to brew a
beer called Ground Control.
At Ninkasi, where she developed a love for the craft
beer community in Eugene, Garves also saw a fast-grow-
ing demand for quality control in commercial brewing.
She knew it was her chance to shake up the craft beer
industry. By the end of 2014, Garves dropped her secure
job at Ninkasi and started Oregon BrewLab out of her
garage.
One of the few quality-testing facilities in the nation,
Oregon BrewLab provides analysis on alcohol content,
calories, IBU, color, pH, degree of fermentation, protein,
carbs and total acidity for commercial breweries and
homebrewers. The tests cost as little as $20 each, and
By Tran Nguyen
Oregon BrewLab guarantees results within 48 hours.
Within three years, more than 170 clients across the
United States, Canada and Puerto Rico have sought her
services, Garves says.
“I wanted to do science for people who are curious,
who are inquisitive, who have to know the answer — not
just estimates,” she says.
One of very few women in a male-dominated industry,
Garves also uses her platform to speak out against sexism
in the craft beer industry and to support other brewers
and scientists.
“The one way women could fight this is to trust each
other,” she says. “If you own a sexist brewery, I don’t
want to work with you.”
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(541) 852-0006
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541-505-8962
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