Oliver said, “There is some theoretical knowledge needed, as you’re essentially monitoring and facilitating natural chemical reactions. But you also have to instinctively get it. I mostly just taste them along the way.” Oliver was quick to add, “But it’s not like a big party back here. It’s extremely hot and dangerous work.”

There was no doubt about that as we left the humid 90+ degree room and walked into the cooler, which was filled with kegs that hold the four types of beer Devil’s serves year-round – their Gold Leaf Lager, Vienna Lager, Wintergreen Weiss (Hefeweizen), and Eight Point IPA – as well six other brews that Oliver says he rotates throughout the year, such as the Summer Haze.

I assumed that the medalist brews would be off limits to any future alterations, but Oliver insisted that was not the case. “The process is very recipe-driven, and there’s always fine- tuning and manipulation that can be done. There are some beers I would not touch, but we have modified award winners in the past.”

Showing me a book of hop and malt varieties that looked as much like a physics manual as a catalog, it was clear that Oliver continues to draw his brewing passion from the possibilities that lie within the “infinite number of combinations” the ingredients provide. He added that another key component in his beers has been the fresh well water available onsite at the brewery – a departure from the city water he had used in previous locations.

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The popularity and success of Oliver’s beers and the brewing company have led to the recent addition of growlers to the Devil’s Backbone menu – refillable, reusable bottles that will be available to those visiting the brewery and in a few regional retail markets. Oliver said that the company is also considering future plans to enter into the world of the six-pack, but that will require an entirely separate production facility and brewer.

“The great thing is the operation here will provide the perfect pilot facility to test out batches for larger-scale production. That’s a nice carrot to offer a brewmaster.”

I am quite sure that another carrot will be the opportunity to work with Oliver.

“I shoot from the hip, but it’s not haphazard,” he said. “That’s my style of philosophy. A friend of mine told me once he was born to brew, and well – I guess I was too.”

17 www.artizenmagazine.com