Okay, this event was actually much more interesting than that biology class.

The event began in the gorgeous tasting room, which features shuffleboard and a pool table, with a half hour of meeting, greeting, and drinking. After a quick speech by Yards founder Tom Kehoe (and a delicious cask-conditioned Love Stout), the crowd was separated into three groups and then led into the brewery itself where numerous stations were set up amongst the huge fermenting vessels and other brewing equipment. A professor from Penn spoke at length about the connection between the sense of smell and taste and how this effects the consumption of beer.

At other stations, employees of Yards went over everything from the process beer goes through to travel from a keg and into a glass to what types of chemical combinations yield what results. The knowledgeable Yards staff spouted off all sorts of facts like what gives the Philly Pale Ale its distinct taste (calcium chloride) and that hops not only help beer from spoiling but they also tend to help people fall asleep.

The best part of the event, however, may have been the beer that Yards brewed specifically for the Philadelphia Science Festival. Named E=MC Beered after an intense voting process, the Belgian strong ale was potent and delicious. The exclusive beer was about an 8.5%, amber in color with a slight head, and slightly hoppy but quite intense full-bodied flavor. It’s a shame it’ll only be around for a week.

Based solely on the excited attendees of this very successful event, if every science lesson could somehow incorporate beer, classrooms and audiences everywhere would be infinitely more engaged while imbibing the… ahem... “course material”

Related Articles:

Inside Brew: Yards Brewing Co.