Science of Sour

I always have a good time at the Museum of Life and Science’s «adult after hours events». They usually have the events set up through the two stories of the main building, with local vendors, museum volunteers and employees at different booths and tables throughout. The Science of Sour event had everything from pickle tasting tables to local restaurants [Mixed Korean Bistro] passing out kimchee/​sauerkraut samples to sourdough versus rye bread tastings [Boulted Bread] to build you own pickle derby cars. While full drinks are available for purchase, they also had a handful of beer/​liquor vendors passing out samples: Haw River Farmhouse Ales, Bull City Burger & Brewery passing out a Golden Pickle ale, Mystic and Fair Game Beverage Co. handing out liquor samples and even a couple business with kombucha samplings. Joe Van Gogh was also passing out some iced coffee upstairs! In addition to the local business, there were lots of «science» stations: make your own sauerkraut workshop, a hands on station to see dough with gluten versus no gluten, and the Fermentophone was awesome! A multi-​sensory installation in which an algorithmically generated musical composition is performed by LIVING cultures of bacteria and yeast!
The after hours events are always laid out with lots of space for the large crowd that gathers. I do think the tickets for these events are a little steep for what you get [$ 25/​non-​members & $ 20/​members]. It’s convenient because you get a lot of information, but you also might find yourself trying to be sold products by some of the local vendors. Also, make sure you «plan» out your evening when you get to the event and check the handout they give you. They usually have special Q&A’s or sign-​up required activities, so you’ll have to make sure you’re on top of that. Overall, the after hours events remind me of a pop-​up shop that you have to pay to get into BUT get the benefit of being guaranteed a tasting/​testing of products. AND in addition to the local pop-​up shops, you also get science «how-​to» lessons on the subject being discussed. If this is your idea of a good night, then you’ll love these events.