Prayer, patience, and a clever workaround for fasting season gave birth to some of the world’s finest beer. This piece of non-fiction describes how and why the monks of medieval Europe were so fond of brewing.
Key vocab
修道士 – xiū dào shì – monk
酿造 – niàng zào – to brew
祈祷 – qí dǎo – to pray
得天独厚 – dé tiān dú hòu – blessed with unique advantages
至关重要 – zhì guān zhòng yào – of crucial importance
啤酒花 – pí jiǔ huā – hops
变质 – biàn zhì – to spoil/deteriorate
精湛 – jīng zhàn – exquisite/refined (of skill)
慈善事业 – cí shàn shì yè – charitable causes
很多人喝啤酒，但是很少人知道，现代啤酒的历史和一群修道士有着密切的关系。故事要从中世纪的欧洲说起。
中世纪时期，基督教修道院遍布欧洲各地。修道士们过着严格而有规律的生活——每天祈祷、劳动、读书。其中有一条非常重要的规定：每年的四旬斋期间，修道士不能吃固体食物，只能喝液体。这段时间长达四十天，对身体的要求非常高。于是修道士们想到了一个办法——酿造一种营养丰富的饮料来维持体力。他们把这种饮料叫做”液体面包”。这种饮料，就是啤酒。
修道院有许多得天独厚的条件，非常适合酿造啤酒。首先，修道院通常建在水源干净的地方，而干净的水对酿造好啤酒至关重要。其次，修道院拥有大片农田，可以自己种植大麦和其他谷物。更重要的是，修道士们受过良好的教育，懂得记录和总结经验。他们把每一次酿造的方法、比例、时间都详细地写下来，一代一代地传下去。普通的村庄酿酒师没有这种条件，所以修道院的酿造技术越来越精湛，越来越先进。
修道士们对啤酒最重要的贡献之一，是发现了啤酒花的价值。在此之前，啤酒是一种又甜又厚、很快就会变质的饮料。修道士们发现，加入啤酒花以后，啤酒不但可以保存更长时间，味道也变得更加丰富、更加平衡。这个发现彻底改变了啤酒的历史，让啤酒从一种粗糙的地方性饮料变成了可以长途运输、广泛销售的商品。
今天，修道院酿酒的传统依然存在。比利时的特拉普派修道院是其中最著名的代表。全世界只有少数几个修道院获得了”正宗特拉普”的认证，他们酿造的啤酒被许多人认为是世界上最好的啤酒之一。修道士们至今仍然亲手参与酿造过程，酿酒所得的收入用于维持修道院的运营和慈善事业。
从”液体面包”到世界级精酿啤酒，这段历史提醒我们：很多改变世界的发明，并不是来自实验室或者工厂，而是来自一群安静地生活、认真地工作、耐心地积累经验的人。也许，好东西从来都需要时间。
Many people drink beer, but few know that the history of modern beer is closely connected to a group of monks. The story begins in medieval Europe.
During the Middle Ages, Christian monasteries were spread throughout Europe. The monks lived strict and disciplined lives—praying, laboring, and reading every day. Among their rules was a very important one: during the forty days of Lent each year, monks were not allowed to eat solid food and could only drink liquids. This period lasted forty days and placed very high demands on the body. So the monks came up with an idea—to brew a nutritious drink to maintain their strength. They called this drink ‘liquid bread.’ This drink was beer.
Monasteries had many unique advantages that made them very suitable for brewing beer. First, monasteries were usually built in places with clean water sources, and clean water is crucial for brewing good beer. Second, monasteries owned large stretches of farmland, allowing them to grow their own barley and other grains. Even more importantly, the monks were well educated and knew how to record and summarize their experiences. They wrote down the method, proportions, and timing of each brew in detail, passing it down from generation to generation. Ordinary village brewers did not have these conditions, so the monasteries’ brewing techniques became increasingly refined and advanced.
One of the monks’ most important contributions to beer was discovering the value of hops. Before this, beer was a sweet, thick drink that spoiled quickly. The monks discovered that after adding hops, beer could not only be preserved for a longer time, but its flavor also became richer and more balanced. This discovery completely changed the history of beer, transforming it from a crude local drink into a commodity that could be transported over long distances and sold widely.
Today, the tradition of monastery brewing still exists. The Trappist monasteries of Belgium are the most famous representatives. Only a few monasteries in the entire world have received the ‘Authentic Trappist’ certification, and the beer they brew is considered by many to be among the best in the world. To this day, the monks still personally participate in the brewing process, and the income from brewing is used to maintain the monastery’s operations and charitable causes.
From ‘liquid bread’ to world-class craft beer, this history reminds us that many world-changing inventions do not come from laboratories or factories, but from a group of people who live quietly, work diligently, and patiently accumulate experience. Perhaps good things have always needed time.
