Beer and the Reformation

500 years ago a German monk named Martin Luther published 95 criticisms challenging the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church – notably the sale of indulgences.   

The reform movement began in Germany in 1517 but soon spread throughout much of northern Europe.  Although he intended to reform Catholicism and not break it apart the result led to the creation of Protestant churches separate from the Roman Catholic Church.  The Church of England broke from the Roman Catholic Church later in the 16th Century.   

Luther’s act of conscientious defiance changed the world religiously, economically, politically, socially, and intellectually.   It even changed beer as we know it today.  Yup – beer.   

During a time where water was unsafe, beer was drunk by everyone and was the nutritional and social fuel of Germany.   Coincidentally, the Catholic Church had a stranglehold on beer production, since it held the monopoly on gruit — the mixture of herbs and botanicals used to flavor and preserve beer.  Hops – on the other hand – were considered noxious weeds and were not taxed by the church.  As a consequence a Protestant brewer who might care to defy the Catholic Church used hops to preserve and flavor his brew instead of the herbs.   

As it turns out hopped beer travels well and the export of this hopped beer may have contributed to the spread of Protestantism.  Plenty of breweries today sport a picture of Martin Luther on their wall.   

You can learn more about this historical tidbit here.