Philly NerdNite at Frankford Hall
Last wednesday during Philly Beer Week I attended an event that talked about beer while also enjoying some cold ones. The event was hosted by Philly Nerd Nite, and it was a beer event talking to people who enjoy beer. Thanks to the host Gina, Chris, and Simon for throwing a great event down at Frankford Hall in Fishtown of Philadelphia,PA.
Tap List from Frankford Hall
Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast
Oatmeal Stout 7.5% ABV
Catered Dreams by Forest and Main
IPA 6.0%
Here is a little about Philly NerdNite, Nerd Nite Philly is a monthly meeting of the nerds. Our events strive to bring you intellectual, entertaining talks to broaden your nerdy knowledge. This event was centered around Beer and Philly Beer Week.
Two of the organizers Chris and Simon.
List of Speakers
First, I want to talk about the speakers and what they talked about.
Dr. Roger Barth
The first part of the evening was spent talking about the "Origin of Beer." The speaker was Dr. Roger Barth, Chemistry Professor who teaches at West Chester University and is the author of The Chemistry of Beer.
Talking about the Origins of Beer
Dr. Roger Barth mentioned how the pyramid workers would be paid in beer and the reference to the old styles of beer from Dogfish Head Brewing. The followed an old recipe to create the beer called Midas Touch.
Midas Touch Ancient Ale by Dogfish Head Brewing
Dr. Barth also detailed the first mentions of hops in history, which was 822 A.D. Listening to Dr. Barth was very opening and I really enjoyed the history aspect of his talk.
Next up was Mary Grace Hodge and she discussed the Motivations for attending Craft Beer Events in Philadelphia.
Speaker, Mary Grace Hodge
Mary Grace did her Masters on this topic and the understanding on why people attend Craft Beer Events. She worked at Flying Fish Brewing and is currently teaching at Drexel University, she studied why people attended these events. Below there is a list of Push/Pull factors and Mary mentioned an factor for this event was Pull factor of Education.
Push and Pull Factors to Craft Beer Events
I found Mary Grace take on the factors to be spot on and the discussion on why people attended events after was enlightening as well. Mary Grace talked about how early on women would go to these events because of their husbands and boyfriends, they would look for the lightest beers. They were not really interested in going to the events but because their significant other attended, they did as well. I think now that has changed a little, you see more and more ladies going to these events, they are not going after the light beers anymore. They are looking for the hoppy brews and the IPA's.
Last up was Yards Brewing Company. The speaker from Yards was Frank Winslow, he discussed the Rub on Hops.
Yards Brewing
Yards portion was an interactive look at hops. It was for the visual learners in the room. Frank Brought with him five different types of hops. A few of them were: Denali, Cascade, Amarillo, and Eureka. The hops came in some different forms brewers might deal with an example of one is hop pellets. During the presentation nerdnite enthusiasts sampled Yards India Pale Ale, as they discussed hops, which makes sense pulling the presentation altogether. Frank talked about the hops as the fruit of the plant and the names of the hop part called the Strombile. He discussed the Alpha Acids and how they were hydrophilic and enjoyed being mixed with water.
Different types of hops
Discussion on Hops
What are Hops?
Frank discussed that hops grow clockwise up the vine. The discussion on hops was very in depth and hands on learning. Which I think is important for beer drinkers because if you enjoy hops the more you know about them helps you understand why you might enjoy that next IPA you drink.
Overall, I really enjoyed this unofficial Beer Week Event. This discussions on origins of beer, why people attend beer events, and hops were all enlightening. I look forward to the next Beer centric discussion from Philly NerdNite. Thanks to Chris, Gina, and Simon for throwing a great night. As well for having awesome discussion with Dr. Roger Barth, Mary Grace Hodge, and Frank Winslow. I did enjoy the intellect and I enjoyed furthering my nerdy knowledge on beer.
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