Who knew that my favorite beer would be newsworthy? Papers across the globe are fascinated with my comment about beer in the Chicago Tribune interview. Maybe I’ll get some endorsement requests from Harp. Or maybe I’ll start a beer column on my blog and review beers that people send to me! I am kidding, though it is tempting.
I know it is surprising to many people, but even religious folk tilt a glass now and again. Please understand, I am not talking about abuse of alcohol which is not good for anyone; just the occasional enjoyment of the fruits of the earth. Beer is no stranger to the monastery or convent. In fact there are monks who have a venerable tradition of making beer. Check out this article on the abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteran in Belgium.
Generally alcohol is not prohibited in the Catholic tradition or in religious communities in particular. Individual communities or persons may choose to not partake of alcoholic beverages for their own reasons. There is no problem either way.
Other than Harp, I’d have to say Upper Canada and Bell’s (a Michigan brewery) rank up there for me. I also like to try whatever is local wherever I happen to be traveling or something that is exotic and difficult to come by. My siblings and I also enjoy Genesee beer (”Genny”) because it’s a hometown favorite. I am also always on the lookout for a good “non-alcoholic” beer like Labatts Nordic, Molsen Excel and St. Pauli N.A. Did you know that there are even gluten-free beers for those who are inclined by necessity? Aside from Downstairs at Eric’s (see my post Boreas Pass and the Rockies), I’d have to say another fine establishment with good beer is The Brickskeller in Washington, DC. Their beer list is phone book sized.
Well, that’s about it on beer. I’ll end this post with a good beer quote (you had to know this was coming) …
“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”
~ Benjamin Franklin (supposedly)Email This Post
Print This Post
{ 1 trackback }
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting thoughts on bere sis! Keep up the good work.
Bobby
Don’t forget the prayer of St. Bridget…”I’d like a great lake of beer for the King of Kings. I would like to be watching Heaven’s family drinking it through all eternity.”
I’d heard that modern beer-brewing techniques with stouts were due to monks, who were trying to get around the fasting restrictions during the “Monastic Lent” in the summer, since there were no restrictions to what one could drink.
And if ever you find it, try anything from the Big Sky Brewing Company out of Montana. Their Moose Drool and Summer Honey Ale beers are wonderful.
It’s good to see a positive reaction to this. There are some people who get all fuddy-duddy and Puritan if they see a priest or nun enjoy something. They can have a beer and a smoke, so what. And they can also get mad when the Cubs steal defeat from the jaws of victory yet again. The clergy give up so much and work so hard as it is. What are they, robots?
In Chicago, a trip to the Goose Island Brewery is always a good one. And Piece on North Ave. in Wicker Park has some good home brews, and in the summer they throw open the front windows for an al fresco street side experience for indoor tables along those windows.
Like the Germans say, mass vom fass – (pron: maahs vohm faahs) mug from keg. As fresh as it gets.
I am not a beer drinker and really do not like it. I prefer a good glass of Merlot.
Sr. Brigid is clearly in good company. The human Jesus liked wine and seemed to think it wasn’t a bad idea to have some. Look how much he made at Cana.
My dad was from Czechoslovakia and the chief engineer of a brewery (in the US) for most of his career. So beer runs in the family. Ironically, I’m only an occassional drinker. The type of beer I like depends largly on the mood I’m in. The light refreshing beers are good for summer and I prefer the black and tan during the colder months. I even like beer with juice or lemonade mixed into it (I forget the names for these concoctions!). Just about ALL Czech beer is good. It’s easy to find Pilsner Urquell here in this country. I highly recommend it. My favorite alcoholic beverages, however, are mixed drinks. Nothing like a nice, cold Marguerita with a platter of nachos!
I find it really odd that people see it as inappropriate for religious or clergy to drink alcohol. We are Catholics. Catholics always drink. What’s the big deal? I have never personally heard any objections to RC clergy drinking alcohol. That’s probably because I live in a VERY Catholic state. Catholicism, as well as beer, are all part of the prevailing culture.
donna
It’s a running joke that all potential ordinands within the Anglo-Catholic tradition here in the UK have a “gin habit”. It’s not strictly true, but if you head to the Shrine to Our Lady in Little Walsingham during Pilgrimage season, the place is filled with Priests, ordinands and potential ordinands all enjoying gin and tonic, red wine or a pint of real ale with us “mere mortals” who are trying to discern what our call is.
I love that quote from Franklin. My personal variation, however, is “Coffee is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” After all, you don’t have to have beer everyday. But without coffee the world would come to a slow, grinding halt in a shower of sparks. You know it’s true.
I really didn’t think nun’s drank beer and I don’t think I will be drinking when I’m a nun after I go over some job’s first and after I am a few year’s older so ya then I’ll be a nun for a year or two to see what it’s like to be one cause no one is rude to them I’m thinking
Nowadays, there is a bit of a blind spot regarding anything with alcohol. Beer wine and all the various derivatives had a very serious function until very recently. Fresh sweet water was virtually impossible to get hold. Which left towns and other large settlements with a bit of a problem. Even today, in parts of Africa, people travel well outside the area of their settlement to source water. Its not that they cannot dig a hole nearer. But it is virtually impossible to dig below the first polluted aquifer to the second. This was where the beer/wine came in to very effectively disinfect the water.
The phrase ’small beer’, described someone who could not afford full strength from the brewer and therefore safe beer.
These two nuns walk into a market (Broadway Market?) and the younger one says to the older one “I sure would like a nice cold beer, but I don’t know – what would the clerk (the Babe?) say? I’d be so embarrased.”
The older nun says “Just watch how a pro does it and learn something, my young sister.”
So she picks out a six pack and puts it on the counter. The clerk looks at the beer and looks at the sister. The sister says “I’ve heard that beer is very good for the hair, it adds body and conditioning.”
The clerks says “yeah, right” and rings her up.
Before she is able to leave the clerk tosses a bag of pretzels into her bag. She says “Hey, what’s the deal, I didn’t ask for those.”
The clerk winks – “Curlers”
Thanks, Rob! Made me smile!
I’ve smoked some marijuana in my time, but not for years now.