Sunday, August 5, 2007
A Medieval Tale
Last night's beer with Kenny and his friends at Brewerks in Clarke Quay made me recall the simple joy of being Catholic. Beer. One cannot truly call himself a Catholic if he doesn't like the occassional beer or two or if he can't hold his alchol for that matter.
Out of my mind? Certainly not.
It may come as a surprise to many that beer was nurtured by Catholic monks across Europe. The malt that was nurtured by monks were highly valued, therefore, large-scale breweries were set up in monastic settlements that sprang up across Europe from the 5th century onwards *talk about vocation promotion*. And mind you, these monks were never sustainance brewers, in other words, they supplied the needs of thristy travellers and pilgrams, making ale the financial stability of the monastries. In England where monastries were so central to the development of brewing that the industy aadopted the monk's method of marking the strength of the beer with crosses.
The early Church looked kindly on ale, regarding it as a blessing from God. In fact the early name for yeast was 'God is Good'. St. Florian in Bavaria was reknown for his brewery skills.
Beer in the medieval period wasn't like what it is today. Beer was more than an intoxicating refreshment, it provided a safe drink in an age when the purity of water and milk were uncertain, and drinks like tea and coffee were unknown. The brewing process of beer removed impurities and dieseses, making it a safe drink. This reason was not understood, but the effects were widely welcomed.
The names of Ridleys Bishops Ale and Marston's Merrie Monk reflect the early Church connection with brewing and beer. Today, monastries in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany still brew beer. The world famous Chimay ales derives from the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de Scourmont in Belgium.
As Hilaire Belloc once said, "Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, there’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino!"
Labels: Beer, Early Church, Monks, Rants/Musings/Thoughts, Religious
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Well, Hilaire Belloc did say: "Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, there’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino!"
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