Botany of Beer

Botany of Beer comes to the Missouri Botanical Garden on Tuesday, October 27, from 5:30 to 7 PM. It's a lecture that looks at beer from a botanical angle, tracing how the drink has evolved over millennia and the relationship between humans and the plants grown for its ingredients. The session is for adults 21 and over, and samples of Schlafly beer are served.

Most of us think of beer as something that just happens in a brewery, but the lecture pulls it back to the soil. It follows the history of the plants that make it—the grains and the hops—and how people have worked with them over thousands of years to shape the drink into what it is today. If you've ever wondered why beer tastes the way it does or where the ingredients actually come from, this is exactly that conversation.

The tasting is part of the experience, not just a side note. Schlafly is a St. Louis name, so it's a local beer to go with a local talk. You'll get to sample their brews while the lecture walks through the science and history behind them, which makes the whole thing a bit more hands-on than your average talk.

It's held in the Farr Auditorium at the Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63110. Tickets are $40 for members and $50 for nonmembers. The session runs from 5:30 to 7 PM on Tuesday, October 27, and since it's for ages 21 and up, you'll want to have your ID ready.