Nerd Nite Philly

Posts Tagged ‘beer brewing’

Nerd Nite No. 18, September 19, 2012

Hey guys!

Oktoberfest is here! We at Nerd Nite are amped up to celebrate it with you in as nerdy a way as possible.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012
doors at 7:00, show at 7:30
Frankford Hall at Frankford & Girard
$5 cover

On tap:

“Becoming German: Redefining “Pennsylvania Dutch” in the 19th Century” by Zachary Langley

The so called “Pennsylvania Dutch”, a German ethnic group, began arriving in Pennsylvania in the 17thcentury. Over the course of nearly 200 years, they created a unique folk culture in the colony, and then state, of Pennsylvania. Sharing a common langauge, agricultural background, and often from similar regions of the German states, this group became a uniquely American culture, that is until the arrival of so called “New German” in the middle of the 1800’s. The noticable differences between these groups would spark a curiosity for many Pennsylvania Dutch to understand their place in a new German ethnic diaspora. The result was what has been termed the “Germanization” movement focused largely in the city of Philadelphia among urban Pennsylvania Dutch during the late 19th century. This presentation will explore the history of these two immigration movements, their differences and commonalities, and the attempts by the Pennsylvania Dutch to redefine their culture by rediscovering their European roots.Bio: Zach Langley is a Ph. D. candidate in American Studies at Penn State Harrisburg, focusing on Folk Life and American History. He is a emerging expert on Pennsylvania Dutch culture and Pennsylvania History. His pending dissertation is focused on the effects of the rise of industrialized culture and modern class structures during the Victorian Era on Pennsylvania Dutch identity. He is also the Director of Education for The Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation in Media, Pennsylvania.

“How Dolley Madison Helped Bring German Beer to America… Connecting historic beer technology with other facets of American food history.” by Trevor McElroy

Pennsylvania has the country’s oldest brewery and ice cream company, but have you ever wondered how people were able to enjoy ice cream or a cold lager before refrigerators? Or did you know cider, olive oil, and wine were produced using pretty similar methods throughout colonial America? This talk will discuss the connections between historic American beer, cider, and food technologies and how you can see the remains now.

Bio: Trevor McElroy is a Philly tour guide and “free lance historian”. He gives all types of tours in and around Philly, and has been a guide at Bartram’s Garden for a several years. He is also an Association of Phila. Tour Guides (APT) certified guide and board member.

“Water in America: What we can do to save our freshwater and what Great Lakes Brewing Co does to help.” by Mark Weinmann

Bio: Mark Weinman is the regional sales manager for Great Lakes Brewery. People appreciate him for his love of beer and soccer but resent him for graduating from St. Joes. He lives in Philly with his wife and daughter, and he knows a lot about water and isn’t afraid to admit it.

With accordion music in between speakers!
Don Bitterlich began playing the accordion at age seven and has hooked ever since. During his college years Don balanced his love of accordion and playing on Temple University’s soccer and football teams. He went on to play professionally for the Seattle Seahawks before returning to the Philadelphia region, performing accordion sets as often as he can.

Posted in Uncategorized |

Tags: accordionists, beer, beer brewing, German history, history, oktoberfest, refrigeration, technology, water |

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Nerd Nite No. 16, July 11, 2012

Dearest Nerds,

Please do join us for the next Nerd Nite:

Wednesday, July 11, 2012
doors at 7:00, show at 7:30
Frankford Hall at Frankford & Girard
$5 cover

“BEER MYTHS DEBUNKED!” by Suzanne Woods of Allagash Brewing Co. and Mark Weinman of Great Lakes Brewing Co.
Let’s debunk some beer myths. Why are triples lighter than dubbels? Why the fancy schmancy chalice for the aforementioned beers? Who put sugar in my beer? Why the skunk? I’m bloated and it’s all beer’s fault! Dark beer = strong beer. Suzanne will debunk some age-old myths and hopes to help people to become better beer lovers, tasters and activists. Mark will share his brewery’s story – What makes Great Lakes so, well . . . GREAT. He will execute a tutored tasting of the Wright Pils and Dortmunder Gold which Frankford Hall runs regularly.

Bios: Suzanne Woods has been slinging and singing about beer in Philly since 2001. She founded In Pursuit of Ale, a lady-centric beer clubs in June of 2005. She judged the World Beer Awards in 2007 and won the 2009 Memphis Taproom “Mystery Beer weekend challenge” by identifying 27 out of 30 beers. In other words, she drinks A LOT. She spends her days cruising I-95 as the Mid-Atlantic market manager for Allagash Brewing Co. Mark Weinman is the regional sales manager for Great Lakes Brewery. People appreciate him for his love of beer and soccer but resent him for graduating from St. Joes. He knows a lot about water and isn’t afraid to admit it.

“What is Float Glass?” by Jill Betters
Listen people, the stuff in your doors and windows just didn’t appear out of thin air. Come on down for a brief introduction to the materials and manufacturing processes of float glass, the sexiest building product out there today. There’s enough material to fill at least three hours, so bring tomatoes for the 20 minute mark.

Bio: Jill Betters spent five years working in the glass industry not using her Chemistry degree. She knows entirely too much about the insulating properties of spacer systems and fenestration heat transfer. Most of her nerding is now done via articles in Scientific American and beer “research”. Jill lives in Fishtown and spends a lot of her free time wreaking havoc in the neighborhood association.

“Traumatic Brain Injury? Technologically Beyond It!” by Thomas Dixon
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has been labeled the “signature injury” of the Iraq war because of the concussive forces at hand in explosions, which soldiers are surviving through in greater numbers due to improvements in body armor. Apparently, being hit by a car can lead to a similar presentation of symptoms, as had happened in my case. I ended up with an episodic memory deficit (i.e. difficulty with being able to keep track of my life’s events), while all other areas of functioning remained intact. In this talk, I aim to show how certain strategies, in light of currently available technology, have allowed me to both compensate for and go far beyond what is possible in organic episodic memory function.

Bio: One of Philly’s nerdy native sons, Thomas Dixon kept himself busy during college with mood disorder research in child and adolescent psychiatry at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and teaching ESL to immigrants. After coming back from teaching middle school students in S. Korea, and while preparing to enter medical school, his life changed drastically on a run on 11/22/10…

AND:
Music by Beta Test, a small ensemble playing contemporary classical music, video game/geek soundtracks, and rock music.

Posted in Uncategorized |

Tags: beer, beer brewing, brain injury, brains, glass, materials science, neuroscience, self-optimization, technology |

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