Octoberfest and the Art and Science of Beer
Today is September 30. Which means that tomorrow is October 1. Which means – in case by now you’re wondering – that Octoberfest — which oddly enough starts in late September — is well underway.
Yes, yes, I realize that many may wonder what beer has to do with the Christian faith, but did you know that beer contains xanthohumol – an incredible cancer-fighting antioxident? (Of course, you’d have to drink about 118 gallons of beer a day to get any significant benefit.)
Okay, only slightly more seriously, beer and the religion have been intertwined for centuries. The Sumerians, who are credited with first fermenting beer, sang their recipes as hymns to Ninkasi, the god of beer, and the Vikings believed in Heiorun, a divine goat whose udder produced unlimited beer. In the Christian tradition, monks throughout Europe nearly perfected the art of brewing beer in the Middle Ages in large part because beer was a more trustworthy – as in cleaner – beverage than water. Not to be outdone by monks, Martin Luther’s beloved Katie was esteemed for her skills as a beer maker (or would that be mistress).
My favorite beer quotation? Martin Luther, talking about the power of the Word to create the Reformation: “I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything” (LW 51:77).
If you’re at all interested in beer, whether as an art, science, or religious practice, you might find the following video about Charlie “the Pope of Foam” Bamforth interesting. Charlie, is the head of Malting and Brewing Science at the University of California at Davis. Enjoy!
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“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Although credited to Benjamin Franklin it is unlikely he actually said, but I like the legend and the mix of religion and Americana! 🙂
I’d forgotten all about that one. Shameful, given I went to a college he founded. 🙂 Thanks for the reminder!
Hate to pop a bubble in your beer foam, but Munich’s Oktoberfest started on Sept. 21 (but does run until Oct. 6), so it’s mostly over. http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/09/oktoberfest-2013/100596/
But here in Texas, we’re just starting our Oktoberfests since we hope the weather will cool down some. Thanks for sharing the Pope of Foam!
What’s crazy is that I actually knew that, as I’d celebrated with a friend on the 21st. But somehow that didn’t make it into the post (maybe too much beer!). Thanks for the correction – I’ll amend it accordingly…and before I open another bottle.
A co-worker and I have now established Katharina’s birthday, January 29th, as brew holidays. As my namesake and a day before my own birth, they are historical celebrations, really 😉
Yes, beer and Christian faith do go together. If you find yourselves in Gettysburg, PA on or soon after 28 November please stop in to the Appalachian Brewing Company’s (ABC) Battlefield location for the release of a beer to honor Martin Luther. “Luther’s Bock” is being brewed as a Bock ALE in a cooperative effort between ABC and Gettysburg Seminary. See you at 6:00 on October 28th if you want to join the formal release of this Reformation Week beer.