How monks perfected beer
And found salvation in the blessings of liquid bread.
In the history of beer brewing, monks have a special place in heaven. They found the perfect triangulation of spirituality, nutrition and self-sufficiency to create a product that many still think of as ‘divine.’
During a recent trip to Bavaria, my wife and I visited the Weltenburg Abbey, (Weltenburger Klosterbrauerei) the oldest monastic brewery in the world. They proudly stamp ‘1050’, the year of their founding, on all their bottles, cans and T-shirts. The oldest monastic brewery claim is disputed by another Bavarian monastery, Weihenstephan Abbey, who say they got going ten years earlier in 1040.
What can’t be argued is that monks revolutionized beer-making, and to this day beers monastic breweries produce are still among the finest in the world. I can attest to the heavenly, creamy texture of the Weltenburger Dunkel we sampled. It was nutty brown and earthy —yet still surprisingly refreshing.
Sipping from a tall stein in their beer garden overlooking the Danube, I wondered what drove monks to become such master brewers? With a little research I discovered some of the history behind this lasting gift to the world. By the way, if you travel to Northern Europe, you may want to spend a few hours exploring a monastic brewery.
