Brewing beer has been part of Catholic history for more than 1,500 years. Benedictine monks often served beer to travelers in medieval times because it was safer to drink than water, and monasteries around the world continue the brewing tradition today.
For the past five years, a small group of parishioners has been bringing that tradition to Sacred Heart Parish in Sauk Rapids. The St. Arnold Society meets monthly at the parish to brew, taste and talk about beer.
The group was started by former parishioner Larry Neusbaum who, in a welcome call from a parish staff person, talked about an interest in brewing beer and jokingly asked if there was a beer-brewing club. That person told him no, but he could start one if he wanted to.
So he did.
“It’s a community-builder,” said Tim Kummet, a member of the group.
The society is named for St. Arnold of Soissons, the patron saint of beer brewers. He was named a Benedictine bishop sometime around the year 1080 and was the founder of the abbey of Onendbourg in France. During an outbreak of illness, he encouraged the local people to drink beer instead of water, not knowing that boiling the water during the process of brewing eliminated the pathogens that were making people sick.
St. Arnold is often depicted with a mashing rake in his hand, a tool used in the brewing process.
The group started small, borrowing equipment and purchasing some from garage sales. Most of the members had never brewed beer before.
“We brew mostly from kits,” said Kummet, who now brews at home, too, and has even planted his own hops, a key ingredient of the recipe.
The first beer they tried was a Scottish Ale they named “Larry Beer” in honor of the society’s founder. Since then, the group has been naming their beers alphabetically with names like “Beatrice,” “Ezekiel” and “Holy Beer.”
They gathered in the parish kitchen Jan. 9 to bottle the latest creation, a Liberty Cream Ale called “Immaculate Fermentation.”
The fermenting process takes about four weeks, so one meeting will be spent putting the ingredients together and getting it ready to ferment. They will typically bottle it at the next meeting, although some meetings are just for tasting and discussion.
Group members keep in touch via email and pray for one another between meetings, Kummet said.
“It’s about fellowship, not getting drunk,” he said. “We share food and beer as we brew, coming together as a family of friends.”
St. Arnold would be proud.