Monks star in The Beer Option, but nuns are not absent. In fact, one of the main patronesses of beer, the great Doctor of the Church, St. Hildegard of Bingen, was a Benedictine abbess who touted the health benefits of hops and beer. In her book, Causes and Cures, she Read more…
This is the last of my posts reflecting on the Beauty of Faith Pilgrimage to Ireland. As author of The Beer Option, which presents the Catholic way to drink as rooted in feasting, fasting, and friendship, I kept my eyes open for evidence of Catholic drinking as well as the Read more…
Monks created brewing as we know it, with the first large scale breweries in Europe and many advances to brewing techniques and technology. There were thousands of brewing monasteries, but then suddenly they disappeared. The French Revolution and its aftermath, the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire and the Napoleonic Read more…
The Beer Option–the use of beer for evangelization and cultural renewal–continues to unfold. In particular, the footprint of Trappist beers, the flagship line of monastic brews, has grown throughout the world in just the last few years. In addition to the seven classics of the Lowlands (Belgium and the Netherlands), Read more…