99 Bottles of Beer: Global Brewing Traditions 2500.B.C - Present October 10, 2009

"99 Bottles of Beer: Global Brewing Traditions 2500.B.C - Present" begins with an outdoor beer fair featuring tastings from 21st Amendment Brewery, Anchor Steam Brewing, Hoppy Brewing Co., Eel River Brewing Co., Butte Creek Brewing Co. among other beer makers. Expert food pairings will be provided by Henry's Publick House and Grill of Berkeley. For visitors interested in hands-on brewing, a workshop on how packaging effects flavor will be led by 21st Amendment.

At the symposium, from 3pm to 5pm, Fritz Maytag, president and brew master of Anchor Steam Brewing, will share his experience of leading the revival of micro-brewing in the Bay Area. He will be joined by Charles Bamforth, the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences at UC Davis.

"For a myriad of reasons, beer has achieved a status often perceived as inferior to that of wine," says Bamforth. "Thoroughly unjustified! My presentation will highlight how beer is vastly more complex, much harder to make, considerably more interesting and better for your health." Other speakers will include Christine Hastorf, a UC Berkeley professor of anthropology, who will discuss the archeology of beer, and Bruce Paton, executive chef of the Cathedral Hotel in San Francisco, who will offer his expertise on the best pairing of food and beer.

The beer fair accompanies the museum's newest exhibition, also named "99 Bottles of Beer: Global Brewing Traditions 2500.B.C - Present." Curated by Ira Jacknis, a research anthropologist at the museum, the exhibition presents 130 beer-related objects from many eras and broad geography. This rich display reveals the striking unities and diversities of human cultures as they come together to celebrate the fruit of the grain.

Tickets start at $20.

Official Website: http://hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu/beer/