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Comment by theBryon on November 27, 2010 at 7:19pm

Thanks for your thoughts Bobby... Here's some more on Ben Franklin's misquoted quote taken from my blog series on beer and Christianity:

"The real Ben Franklin quote discusses Jesus' miracle of turning water into wine and equates that to the every day gift of rain and its effect on the growing grapes in vineyards that are destined to become wine.

"We hear of the conversion of water into wine at the marriage in Cana as of a miracle. But this conversion is, through the goodness of God, made every day before our eyes. Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy."

Ben Franklin's letter to André Morellet, French economist, circa 1779"

Comment by Rev. Bobby Beerman on November 27, 2010 at 2:08pm

Hello theBryon. Wow… There are lots of ways to approach this. I can go on at great lengths as I did a presentation about Beer and the History of Religion to a church here in Carbondale. Granted I didn’t just focus on Christianity as beer predates Christianity by thousands of years and has been tied to religious practices.

First to my mind is the quote misattributed to Ben Franklin, “Beer is proof that God exists and wants us to be happy.” If you think about it, water purification at the time did not exist. It was safer to drink beer than water. So the quote could be rephrased, “Beer is proof that God exists and wants us to flourish and persevere.” That is, if the quote wasn’t actually said by some colonial barfly just saying that beer is good.

For a long time beer was viewed as a gift from God. St. Arnold, patron saint of hops pickers and brewers, performed his “miracle” by dunking his crucifix in the brew kettle and called down God’s blessing. People who drank the blessed beer (instead of the unhealthy water near by) didn’t get sick. I put miracle in quotes because we know the brewing process kills of a lot of the water born pathogens.

Some people try to use beer and its irreducible complexity as proof that God exists. I say try because there is some question as to the validity of the irreducible complexity argument. If you take one critical part of step of brewing out you no longer have beer. It ceases to be beer. But beer was “naturally” happening before humans caught on and started reproducing it. Something as complex as beer happening in nature is argued as needing some intelligence behind it. See where that argument goes?

Anyway… Just some thoughts on the subject. Serve hot and enjoy with a cool one. Blessed be the brew.

Comment by theBryon on November 27, 2010 at 1:19pm

Looking to introduce two church friends (from my bible study) to homebrewing in the weeks to come. They've asked about it, so I figured I should put some thought into it before moving forward. Any recommendations on what to brew, and how to best handle the event? I always tread lightly regarding beer and fellow believers... But this presents a good opportunity to make new brew buddies and acknowledge God in the process...

Comment by Rev. Bobby Beerman on August 22, 2010 at 6:49pm

Today went well with my presentation. However, I think that might be because I had samples. Can't really go wrong with good beer in the morning. Two Trappist ales, a wheat ale, and a porter. The topic was well received - Beer and the History of Religion. It sparked some good conversation. Although I ended up with some basic beer education as well as the history part. "What's the difference between a beer and an ale?" was one questio asked more than once. It was fun to air the discussion. It helped me refine what I was writing - take out this bit, add that bit, etc.

Comment by Rev. Bobby Beerman on July 30, 2010 at 10:31am

Well, it almost time. I've put a lot of research (maybe too much) in to this and I'm almost ready. One of the local ministers is interested in me doing a presentation on the History of Beer and Religion. In researching for this paper I have found myself studying a lot of strange things. I want to make sure all my facts are spot on and well referenced. I’m sure this won’t be some people’s cup of tea but if I stick to the facts then they won’t complain too much.

Comment by theBryon on June 2, 2009 at 7:30pm

Hey all... very cool group to start... I've been pretty busy since October... Have not had the time to brew or blog as much as I like. But I SHALL RETURN!

It gladdens my heart to see so many Christian brew lovers...

Comment by Scott E. Kingsbury on April 17, 2009 at 6:52pm

"Quaintest thoughts, queerest fancies come to life and fade away. What care I how time advances; I am drinking ale today." -- Edgar Allan Poe

Comment by Rev. Bobby Beerman on April 17, 2009 at 3:26pm

Saint Benedict of Nursia should get a shout out, too. St. Arnold of Soissons was a Benedictine monk. Saint Benedict wrote the Benedictine Rules including a section on hospitality which states that abbeys should be able to take in weary travelers in need and offer them normal comforts. These comforts included ale. Much like the Abbey of St. Peter in Oudenburg, they started distributing ale to the surrounding communities.

Comment by Ken Howes on April 17, 2009 at 12:32pm

The first domestic unrest in the United States occurred after the US attempted to place an excise on whiskey. Pennsylvania went nuts. What is whiskey, after all, but distilled beer?

Comment by Scott E. Kingsbury on April 17, 2009 at 7:40am

Hey, Rev. Bobby - thank you for the info on the two St. Arnolds. I did not know the difference. An icon of a Saint holding a mashing rake is so cool.

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