Mumbai (Harshit Yadav), December 05: While you are sipping your craft beer today, it is difficult to believe that monks were among the first brewers. The colorful creation of monasteries ales for centuries, from the Middle Ages to the present day, indeed impacted the beer business. Monks in the medieval era of Europe, along with being the leaders in brewing art, were also the ones responsible for brewing techniques that are used today.
Monks as Early Brewers.
The tradition of brewing beer among monks can be traced back to monks in the time of the early Middle Ages. Monasteries were a form of self-sufficient communal living where not only did the monks make their beer as a sustenance source, but it was also seen by the visitors as a gesture of hospitality and thus a success for the mission. The idea that first monastic breweries existed in the 6th century, through one of the revelations that St. Benedict of Nursia’s rule brought to the order was the idea that monks should engage in work, thus encompassing all the physical labors, which, of course, included brewing, was first encouraged in this way.
The monks regarded beer as a source of food for them, particularly during fasting times when home foods were forbidden. But, the remarkable nutritional content of beer was such that it could always be a family asset; come droughts or storms, it was the only caloric drink that kept everybody in shape. People were in search of clean water to drink, but the problem was that it was a rare resource. Hence, the people consumed beer, which was relatively safer, for phosphate water was often safe to drink he.
The Brewing Process in Monasteries.
To a great extent, brewing over the past few centuries has been very precise and advanced in monasteries. Monks were very good at using barley, hops, and other ingredients they grew in their monastery gardens, and they often made up new kinds of beer by combining these ingredients in various ways. Having turned into a way of life for monks, by the 12th century, beer brewing was considered to be the most common occupation of the monasteries. They even succeeded in more sophisticated techniques, such as fermentation and storage in oak casks, which helped the beer to have a better flavor and texture.
The monks’ most important contribution was the use of hops inbeer brewing, which started to be the main ingredient of it. In the early days, beer was mainly flavored with herbs and spices, but the monks figured that hops, apart from adding flavor, also acted as natural preservatives, thus allowing the beer to have a longer shelf life.
Legacy of Monastic Brewing.
Brewing in monasteries came to its heights during the medieval ages; the knowledge was handed down from generation to generation and became the basis of the brewing industry we have today. Some of these breweries tell a past that goes back to the very first monastic traditions. Three of the world’s oldest and best-known beers, such as Chimay, Westmalle, and Orval, are single-handedly brewed in Trappist monasteries and continue with the legacy of monastic brewing.
If the monks had not been so devoted to perfection in brewing, the craft beer sector would never have become a reality. They brought out the techniques of hops and fermentation, which opened the path for the beers that we have today. The monastery brewing legacy is a good example of how the old traditions can really create modern industries, and for those who love beer, it is the kind of history that makes one want to drink a toast!
