Brewing Science into Everyday Life: BCB Student JP Flores Launches “Brewing Scientists” in Carrboro

UNC Bioinformatics and Computational Biology student JP Flores is bringing research out of the lab and into the community––through beer cans. As part of Science For Good, the nonprofit he co-founded, Flores and collaborator Angelique Allen (University of Oregon) launched Brewing Scientists, a national initiative that turns beer and seltzer labels into science stories. Their latest release, Loopapalooza Pale Ale and Fold Skool Fizz (a blood orange–grapefruit seltzer), was brewed in partnership with Steel String Brewery in Carrboro. Each label highlights DNA folding and chromatin structure.

The project is supported and funded by a Research!America Civic Engagement Microgrant and reflects Flores’ broader mission to reimagine how scientists engage with the public. By pairing breweries with local scientists across the country, Brewing Scientists creates opportunities to embed research into everyday culture and connect with audiences who may not otherwise attend a lecture or science festival.

With more than ten pilot sites underway nationwide, Brewing Scientists is rapidly scaling into a model for community-rooted, non-traditional science communication. Loopapalooza and Fold Skool Fizz are now available on tap and in cans at both the Steel String Brewery Taproom in Carrboro and Pluck Farm in Mebane.