Monasteries started brewing beer as early as the 5th century and at its peak, over monasteries in Europe were brewing their own beer. The monks followed a principle of being completely self-sufficient and also made it their duty to provide pilgrims and visitors with food and drink. Logically, they decided to start brewing their own beer since it was the beverage of choice, plus a great little money maker.
The monks attacked their new job with military precision, kept careful records of the recipes that they used and worked tirelessly to keep making their beers better. So why was so much emphasis placed on the quality of the beer? Monks believed that they needed to make the best product possible since they were working for God and a sub-par beer would be a major offense. In order to keep up with growing demand, they figured out new ways to mass-produce beer and added hops to it which not only balanced out the sweetness from the malt but also acted as a preservative.
Benedict , written in the sixth century, and pray seven hours a day. Like any family, Catholic monks need income for food, shelter, health care, and the local charities they support. In addition, their per capita cost is rising, as communities age and vocations to the monastic life decline, meaning there are fewer able-bodied monks left to work.
Only 12 brew beer. The origins of St. In , rebels bent on destroying both throne and steeple torched churches and monasteries, confiscating buildings, art and furniture. Men and women religious scattered, heading to Belgium, Switzerland and other neighboring countries, as well as to the New World. In , one band of brothers made it to Nova Scotia, Canada, where they farmed corn.
After membership dwindled, the community moved to Rhode Island, and then, in , to where it is now: Spencer , Mass. The monastery earned a living at first by making vestments for priests and jellies and jams. Meanwhile, in Belgium, surviving Trappist communities rebuilt their crumbling walls.
To raise money, they brewed, as their forefathers had done in medieval Europe, where beer was safer than water and integral to secular and religious culture.
They had no rules against drinking—those were for Protestants. Initially, their beer was mainly sold locally, but in Europe after the Second World War, sales took off.
I was born in Brussels in , and by the time I started drinking beer in the mids, the Trappists reigned supreme in a beer-crazy nation. My favorites were Chimay , Orval and Rochefort , magical elixirs, dry and fruity, brewed masterfully with malted barley, hops and yeast. The popularity expanded across the ocean, and some of the monasteries set up distribution networks around the United States.
I have found Chimay in bars in Ohio. In the abbot at St. An advisory group of non-monks, including business leaders and academics, concluded that more revenue was needed.
Their other market, for priestly vestments, was also shrinking. They looked at wind turbine electrical production. The Federal Aviation Administration ruled out their preferred location because it was on the flight pattern of a local airport. A second location suffered from weak wind. Finally, somebody suggested a brewery. The advisory board was skeptical. But after they tried a test beer, they liked it and approved the project.
Belgium, a tiny North Sea country of Westvleteren 12 has been ranked as the best beer in the world. Their beers are heavy in alcohol and taste more like a creamy cocktail than a beer. Belgian monks set up the International Trappist Association in to protect and market their brand. They retained lawyers and threatened to sue imitators. Only the I. On that first trip, they took a wrong turn and got lost. Live TV. This Day In History.
History Vault. Recommended for you. In they exported their beer, Westvleteren 12, for the first time to the United States. If the history of monks and beer begins with St. The eighteen monks of the Monastery of St. Photo by lablock under the Creative Commons License. Take a tour of the brewery, located in the hometown of the founder of western monasticism, St. Unfortunately, Birra Nursia is not available in the United States.
That the heart might be gladdened!
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