During lent spirits banned, allowed only diluted wine. But there are stories of one exception that I got from the German monks of the mendicant order of the Minims (or Paulinow) from the monastery Neudeck-Ob-der-AU, under the Munich.
This is the story of the XVII century, and it tells of how the monks managed to seek special permission to keep the beer post instead of fasting. Unlike ordinary people, during lent in the early XVII century, the monks could not eat solid food.
“However, the beer they had a special, very strong, rich in carbohydrates and nutrients. The monks consulted among themselves and decided that the consumption of “liquid bread” does not violate the rules of fasting” — said beer sommelier Martin Zuber.
And so in Germany, only on the water, it was difficult to keep fasting. German monks studied the local traditions and learned to brew beer, which was nutritious and kept the energy during fasting.
How monks were allowed to drink beer
But to go from water to the newly invented “liquid bread” was not possible. It required the blessing of the Pope. The monks sent a sample of one barrel of beer. But during transport through the Alps, the beer was cold, and then in the Italian heat has overheated. And at the time of tasting, it had a disgusting taste and aroma that the Pontiff, before that only tried wine, couldn’t take a SIP.
He decided to drink such a disgusting liquid — is truly a feat in God’s name, and therefore blessed the monks with a pure soul.
How to fast on beer
Stayed on the beer during Lent, the monks gradually began secretly selling a fancy beer called “Salvator” to residents. Today this beer is called doppelbock. It’s a pretty strong drink — it contains from seven to 12% alcohol and sometimes more.
These days there are followers of “Intoxicating brotherhood.” In 2011, the American journalist Jay Wilson agreed with the local brewery, which was allowed to cook a beer on the equipment. Of course, he cooked a beer with a recipe, as close to the very “Salvatore,” which saved the monks during the fasting of lent.
At his work, they gave the nod to this experiment. And throughout the post, Jay drank 4 cans of beer every day with a volume of 0.33 l. His experience the journalist described in the blog “the Monk part-time.” In a time of fasting, he managed to lose ten kg of weight.
