Catholic Fire

For more than 60 years, the Trappist monks at St. Joseph's Abbey had relied on jams and jellies to support their monastery and community work in Spencer, Mass. But a few years ago, they realized the "expense line was rising at a faster rate than our income," said Friar Issac. So in the spirit of their heritage (Trappist monks have been brewing beer in Europe for centuries), the monks at St. Joseph decided to start a brewery. Spencer Brewery opened its doors earlier this year as the first Trappist brewery outside of Europe. Continue reading.

Benedictine monks in Norcia, Italy, celebrate their first year of beer production. It looks like a good way to evangelize!

"I would like a great lake of beer for the King of Kings: I would like the people of heaven to be drinking it through time eternal." ~ St. Brigid of Ireland In the Middle Ages, beer (which is made from cereal grains) was one of the safest, most nutritious everyday drinks for northern Europeans -- since grapes didn't grow in that colder climate, and water was often polluted. Occasionally a batch would go bad, and people would blame the devil for the problem. To keep demons away, brewers would place religious statues in their brew house and also ask the local priest to bless a new batch. *** Bock beer is a darker, stronger beer which began in northern Germany. It is brewed in the fall aged through the winter, and served in the early spring. Beer festivals traditionally began on St. Joseph's Day (March 19) and often included the blessing of new beer. *** Many monasteries brewed their own beer. It was a staple of the monks' diet because of its nutritional qualities (...