Beer with a Scientist tackles aging: Still no cure, but beer makes it easier

Got questions about aging? Grab a beer with Leah Siskind, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Louisville.

Brewers know that creating craft beer is a science, as well as a creative art, but did you know that beer could possibly cure aging? No? Good, because there is no cure for aging, but having a beer with a scientist explaining the aging process makes that mortality truth easier to deal with. It’s also a super cool promotional idea for a brewery.

At the next Beer with a Scientist program, Leah Siskind, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Louisville, will present “Everyone is Aging: So Why Haven’t We Found a Scientific Cure?” tonight from 8 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, July 16, at Against the Grain Brewery, 401 E. Main St.

The Beer with a Scientist program is now in its third month and is the brainchild of University of Louisville cancer researcher Levi Beverly, Ph.D. Once a month, the public is invited to Louisville’s Against the Grain brewpub for exactly what the title promises: Beer and science.

Beverly created the monthly series as a way to connect with people who don’t have scientific backgrounds but want to know about scientific topics. “We lose sight of the fact that most people have never even met a Ph.D., never talked to one,” he said. “[However], whenever I go someplace, if I strike up a conversation at a bar and I tell someone what I do for a living, they always have questions. It leads to a whole conversation.”

Against the Grain’s Sam Cruz believes Beer with a Scientist bridges what he sees as a disconnect between scientists and the general public. “If you don’t know about something, it’s hard to care,” he said. “I think that’s why this works; what we’re doing with these talks is letting people take the time to think about these things.”

Organizers add that they encourage Beer with a Scientist patrons to drink responsibly. Admission is free.