Tag: science of beer

MoSH’s Science of Beer Is Back for More Hoppy Times

Post author By Abigail Morici
Post date January 9, 2024

Always a hoppy time. (Photo: Courtesy MoSH)

Ah, beer. The great connector of people. One of the oldest drinks in the world. The third most popular beverage after water and tea. It’s no wonder that the Museum of Science & History’s annual Science of Beer event is so popular. This year’s event, happening on January 12th, is likely to sell out, says John Milliken, the event’s coordinator.

As in years past, the Science of Beer is an opportunity to taste some of Memphis’ beer, enjoy snacks, and participate in interactive beer-themed activities. All of the proceeds go to MoSH’s education department, with the breweries and food vendors donating drinks and food. “People don’t realize that pre-pandemic we reached out to over 141,000 kids,” says Milliken. “We’re just now rebuilding our education and community engagement. We’re not where we were at before, but that’s our goal.”

Eighteen beer vendors, local and regional, will join the event as will several local eateries. “When you come to the Science of Beer, you’ll get a commemorative glass and then you’ll make a personal necklace and put around it your neck, and when you go and see the different beer stations, in between them you can clean your palate with a pretzel,” Milliken says.

But, wait, there’s more! There’ll be trivia about Memphis, science, and beer, with prizes. The University of Memphis’ Center for Applied Earth Sciences and Engineering Research (CAESER), Protect Our Aquifer, and Wolf River Conservancy will offer demonstrations, and Rhodes College’s physics department will create beer-flavored ice cream with liquid nitrogen. Board to Beers will have four stations of games for guests to play and enjoy, and attendees can play Giant Jenga and mini golf while wearing beer goggles.

VIP tickets are available and include early access and special food vendors in a VIP lounge. Tickets are $75/VIP, $55/general admission, and $40/designated driver. Tickets for members are offered at a discounted rate. Find out more at moshmemphis.com/event/science-of-beer-2.

Science of Beer, Museum of Science & History, 3050 Central Ave., Friday, January 12, 6:30-9 p.m., $35-$75.

Tags MoSH, science of beer

We Saw You

We Saw You: Beer 101

Eric Papineau and Jon Duncan with yours truly at Science of Beer (Credit: Justin Lawhead)

Heinken was my beer of choice back in the day. That’s about all I drank when I drank beer. So, if there had been a Science of Beer class at the old Memphis State University, I’d probably have made a “C” because of my limited knowledge about the subject. My beer preferences from the time I began drinking beer began with (A.) Schlitz, (B.) Busch, and, finally, (C.) Heineken. Or “greenies.”

Today, beer lovers can learn while they drink at Science of Beer, the annual event at Museum of Science & History (MoSH). This year’s tasting was held January 13th. It also included food as well as information about specific beers and beer in general.

Science of Beer is a “beer festival” where guests get to learn as well as taste different variations of beer, says MoSH director of development Jared Bulluck. “It’s really awesome to see the beer and food community come together to help celebrate an institution such as MoSH. And coming without question to this event.”

Science of Beer 2023 at MoSH (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Jon Duncan, Eric Papineau, Wendy and Justin Lawhead at Science of Beer (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Lethelea Grayer and Rose Ford at Science of Beer (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Cindy, Byron, Connor, and Jackson Phillips at Science of Beer (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Bulluck adds, “Beer vendors also talk about how their specific beers are created. Some of them choose to create a beer for the event. Some bring whatever they’re brewing at the time. It’s an opportunity for brewers to try something new and see how it lands with the guests.”

Memphis Made Brewing Co. created “Shrunken Head” beer for the event in honor of the museum’s popular shrunken-head exhibit. “It’s a Belgian style Wit ale with orange peel and coriander. “

Shrunken Head beer honored MoSh’s iconic shrunken head exhibit (Credit: Jared Bulluck)

“But it tastes like MoSH,” says Bullock. “MoSH tastes like an inspiring, exciting museum.”

The museum held Science of Beer in 2022, but, Bulluck says, “This one was kind of our big hurrah and our big sell-out since COVID. MoSH is excited to have sold-out events again. We had over 700 people. That included vendors.”

And they raised more than $40,000 for the museum, Bulluck adds.

On their way out, guests voted for their favorite beer and food sampled at the event. Here are the winners:

BEER

First: Hampline Brewing

Second: Memphis — Filling Station

Third: Athens Distributing Co. — Thistly Cross

FOOD:

First: Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken

Second: Bosco’s Squared

Third: A tie between Margie’s 901 Homemade Ice Cream and Cakes and Maciel’s Tortas & Tacos.

The next Science of Beer will be held January 12, 2024.

Will Lamb and Grant Van Horn at Science of Beer (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Dylan and Hanna Rutherford at Science of Beer (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Derek Hardaway and Jimisha McMorris at Science of Beer (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Jamie Odom and Robert Bond at Science of Beer (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Tags Jared Bulluck, Museum of Science & History, science of beer

We Recommend We Saw You

Science of Beer, Homebrewer’s Dinner, Carnival Memphis, Jewish Chinese Culinary Mashup, Iris Orchestra

Post author By Michael Donahue
Post date January 28, 2020

CREDIT: Jason Viera

Jason Viera

This beer has quite a head on (in) it.

Usually, when you go out to grab a cold one at your favorite drinking hole, you don’t get a lecture. Until maybe after you get home.

The seventh-annual Science of Beer, which was held January 17th at the Pink Palace Museum, featured mini-lectures, as well as talks with brewers and other beer-themed activities, along with more than 20 beer stations and almost the same number of food stations.

Each guest received a 16-ounce glass along with other items you don’t get at your local pub: a tasting card and a map of the event.

The combination beer tasting and education workshop raises money for the Pink Palace’s Education Department.

About 500 people attended and $30,000 was raised, says Pink Palace manager of marketing Bill Walsh.

Michael Donahue

Brandon Closson, Doyle Schaeffer, and Amanda Rast at Science of Beer.

Michael Donahue

Science of Beer

Michael Donahue

Bridgett Hauer and Clinton Ward at Science of Beer

Michael Donahue

Nate Oliva, Spencer Coplan, Gerald Darling, Spencer McMillin, and Conrad Phillips at the Homebrewer’s Dinner.

And speaking of beer…

If measured in karats, Caritas Community Center & Cafe dinners would be way up there. Take the Homebrewer’s Dinner, which was held January 17th. Former Caritas chef de cuisine Spencer McMillin was at the helm.

“I created this dinner with Michael Lee of Midsouth Malts (a home brewers supply store) to honor the underdog heroes of the Memphis brewing scene,” McMillin says. “The big boys – Wiseacre, High Cotton, Memphis Made, etc. – get all the credit – and they produce amazing beers – but there are people in the background making good stuff, too.

“The hit of the night was the 22-year-old barley wine aged for six months in a Jack Daniels barrel served with my dessert.”

That dessert was a parfait of coconut-caramel custard, almond toffee, white chocolate mousse, and candied bacon beer.

Also in the kitchen were Caritas chef de cuisine Conrad Phillips, Spencer Coplan and Gerald Darling from Wok’n in Memphis, and Nate Oliva.

Meet the 2020 Carnival Memphis king and queen: Ray Gill and Carter Stovall.

Ray Gill is king and Carter Stovall is queen of Carnival Memphis 2020.

Carnival Memphis will celebrate the commercial real estate development industry. The Business and Industry Salute will be held February 13th at Hilton Memphis.

Gill, founder of Gill Properties, and his wife, Betha, are the parents of three children, Brown, York, and Lizzie, who were members of the Carnival Memphis Royal Court.

Stovall, daughter of Baylor and Howard Stovall IV, is a junior at Cornell University, where she is studying pre-med.

The queen comes from a long line of Carnival Memphis lineage. William Howard Stovall II, her great-grandfather, was king in 1948; her grandfather, William Howard Stovall III, was king in 1976; and her father was king in 1976. Her mother was queen in 1993.

Carter and her brother, Quint, were Royal Pages in 2008. She served as the University Club of Memphis princess in the 2018 Royal Court.

Gill and Stovall will be presented at the Crown & Sceptre Ball, which will be held May 29th at the Hilton Memphis.

Hugh Mallory is Carnival Memphis’ president.

Boy Scouts Scouting Deserts Program, Red Zone Ministries, and Thrive Memphis are the recipients of this year’s Carnival Children’s Charity Initiative.

Michael Donahue

Spencer Coplan and Cara Greenstein at the Jewish Chinese Culinary Mashup dinner.

If you were lucky enough to attend the Jewish Chinese Culinary Mashup dinner, which was held January 19th at Puck Food Hall, you would have tasted matzo ball wonton soup and matzo encrusted amberjack fish, among other delicacies.

Spencer Coplan, chef/owner of Wok’n in Memphis, and Cara Greenstein joined forces for the dinner, Coplan says: “I’m Jewish. She’s Jewish. Jews love Chinese food.”

Chinese restaurants are “open on Christmas. It’s always been a thing. So, we talked about doing this for a couple of months now.”

They figured January was the first time to do the dinner, which is the inaugural event for Coplan’s Culinary Artisans Dinner Series. “Each month we’re going to do a collaboration with a chef, blogger, or someone who is involved in the food scene. We’re going to do a dinner with them.”

He and Greenstein met two weeks ago “and went over some fun ideas for the menu – bringing Chinese food and Israeli food together. This is what we came up with. It was mainly my food ideas.”

The next Culinary Artisans Dinner Series will be held February 24th at SoLa restaurant in Oxford, Mississippi. Coplan will team with SoLa chef/owner Erika Lipe. “It’s going to be more of an la carte. Guests can order what they want. She and I are collaborating on the menu. We both do Asian-inspired food with Southern twists, so we’re going to come up with some fun food ideas together and both our teams will execute the dinner.”

For information on the SoLo dinner, call (662)-238-3500.

Michael Donahue

Ashley Phoummavong, Amaia Johnson, Spencer Coplan, Gerald Darling, Omar Hernandez, and Ben Curtis at the Jewish Chinese Culinary Mashup dinner.

MIchael Donahue

Nick Manlavi and Zach Jennings at the Jewish Chinese Culinary Mashup dinner.

Michael Donahue

Melissa Peeler and Nancy Bogatin at Irish Orchestra party.

January 26th was a great day for the Iris. That night, members of Iris Orchestra were guests at a party at the home of Milton Schaeffer. They got to carry wine and food instead of musical instruments.

“Milton has thrown numerous parties for Iris over the years, and they are all over-the-top fabulous,” says Marcia Kaufmann, Iris Orchestra executive director.

The recent party was “a thank you for donors who had stepped up for the Iris 2020 Vision challenge – to increase their giving by 20 percent in honor of our 20th season and for the musicians who make it all worthwhile.”

About 115 people attended.

WE SAW YOU AROUND TOWN