It wasnt too long ago that many European-Americans graduated straight from mothers milk to beer.

Join Jack Harris, co-owner of Fort George Brewery, for the next installment of Science on Tap. Harris will teach the audience about and breweries through the eyes of a mid-19th century sailor.

Every beer you drink is the result of an artistic confluence of science, history, geography, politics, culture, economics and craft. On the cusp of the Industrial Revolution beer was just beginning to be mass-produced, little was known of yeast or bacteria and refrigeration was non-existent.

Harris will explore questions like: How do you make beer under these circumstances and how was the style of beer influenced by these variables? What would a sailor drink on the open seas or in distant ports? Why did Captain Cook have barrels of Spruce Beer when exploring the Sandwich Islands, and did the sailors actually get to sample some of the IPA they were transporting to Calcutta?

Harris has been a professional brewer since 1990 at six breweries between Lincoln City and Boulder, Colo. He loves beer and almost anything related with beerfortunately, he can relate almost everything to beer.

Science on Tap is a series that explores maritime science, history and technology in an informal setting. Fort George Brewery and the Columbia River Maritime Museum host it monthly.

The program is free and open to the public. Harris presentation is on June 7. It begins at 7 p.m. at Fort George Brewerys Lovell Building. Seasonal beers on tap, food and other refreshments are available for purchase beginning at 6 p.m.

For more information call 503.325.2323.