Hidden within a small unit on a non-descript industrial estate on the western edge of our city is a giant 1,000 litre chemistry laboratory, of sorts – like the one you used at school, except these experiments are much more interesting.

With a focus on the highest quality from start to finish, it’s a long process for Tap Social, but one where the fruits of the labour go down exceptionally easily at the end of a hard day.

Using the traditional infusion mashing technique and the best available malted barley, cereals and hops (from Oxfordshire farms, naturally), these new kids on the block are mixing the ancient science of brewing into a modern art.

Trained at Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago, Tap Social’s award-winning head brewer Jason Bolger conjures up a criminally good range of brews and is a leading light in the UK’s craft ale revolution – with those in the know making a regular pilgrimage to this Prohibition-style drinking den.

However, on this cold February eve, I’ve hopped along to Botley’s perfectly-chilled microbrewery to explore the science behind the perfect pint – how is it brewed, aged and (most importantly) what does it taste like?

Science Oxford aims to deliver inspiring events to our city – sharing their passion for the wonders of the universe and encouraging us all to consider how scientific research and discoveries impact on the world around us every day.

With booze-themed hands-on experiments we seek to answer these all-important questions.

Of course, such extensive research involves lots of first-hand sampling, and that certainly achieved the desired reaction – though our results may have been slightly cloudy because of this.

But, what I can conclude is that science can be very good fun indeed – and that a bacon sandwich is scientifically-proven to be the best cure for a sore head the morning after the night before. Please drink responsibly.

See scienceoxford.com

For those of you who couldn’t get a ticket last time, Science Oxford are bringing back their unique CSI workshop to Cogges Farm in Witney on Friday, May 11, from 7-10pm. Get your Sherlock deerstalker on and travel back to Victorian England to become a forensic super-sleuth – using modern day techniques to establish whodunnit and how?