MDI Science Café — Apple Culture: What Microbes Can Teach Us About the History of Maine Cider Craft

Description

Microorganisms are vital to cider-making, and may have some secrets to share! In this experiential presentation, Todd Little-Siebold, Ph.D., a history professor at College of the Atlantic (COA) in Bar Harbor, and Elli Hartig, a research assistant at the MDI Biological Laboratory, will explore the science of hard cider.

Little-Siedbold and Hartig will discuss the elements that go into giving each cider its unique flavor and aroma, including apples, yeasts, fermentation conditions, aging practices and terroir. Little-Siebold, an expert on local agricultural history, will highlight the history of apple culture in Maine. Hartig will discuss the role played by citizen science in tracking down heirloom apple varieties, the importance of genetics in identifying and tracing the origins of heirloom varieties and the diversity of yeasts and bacteria that give each regional cider its unique flavor.

Café attendees will have the opportunity to sample regional hard ciders, to “meet the yeasts” under a microscope and even to learn how to culture their own wild yeasts.

The location of this MDI Science Café is the Maine Center for Biomedical Innovation at the MDI Biological Laboratory, located at 159 Old Bar Harbor Rd in Salisbury Cove, Maine.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m. You may pre-register for this event.

MDI Science Cafés are offered in fulfillment of the institution’s mission to promote scientific literacy and increase public engagement with science. The popular events offer a chance to hear directly from speakers about trends in science. Short presentations delivered in everyday language are followed by lively, informal discussion.