Beer: Port City Franconian Kellerbier

Person: Abbey Temoschuk, Yeast Wrangler

Hometown: Alexandria, Virginia

Price: $7 per 14 oz

Taste: Aromas of matchstick-mustiness meet mango in this deep golden copper-highlighted lager, which is 5.1 percent ABV. Mild sweetness on the first taste and firm bitterness on the finish, this lager is reminiscent of biting into a crisp Triscuit—simple, satisfying, and a respectful homage to the beers of Southern Germany.

Story: Like most regional breweries, Port City has a laboratory. That’s where you’ll find Abbey Temoschuk. She tests beer for sanitation, micro stability, and finished specifications such as ensuring the beers the brewery produces are the right color, clear instead of cloudy, and with the correct ABV percentage. “What’s most important is that it’s balanced, there aren’t any off flavors, and that things complement each other well,” she says.

Running all the taste tests at Port City, Temoschuk says drinking and tasting beer are radically different. “Smelling takes at least 30 seconds before you drink it. You take some notes and then finally you get to taste it, taking one sip at a time.” She further explains her process: “Before you take a sip, you pour [beer] into the glass and look to see, analyzing the haze, head retention, and color because those three things alone can tell you a lot about the beer and your brewing process.”

Where to try: Roofers Union, 2446 18th St NW; (202) 232-7663; roofersuniondc.com