Monk Brewery

It was during the early Middle Ages that what we think of as modern beer was born. Brewers had been using malted barley as the main source of fermentable sugar for hundreds of years, but the use of hops as a bittering and flavoring agent did not become common until around the twelfth century. Before that time, many different herbs and spices were used to balance the sweet malt flavors in beer; everything from spruce boughs to dried flowers to bitter roots had found their way into brew kettles. Around 1150, however, German monks began commonly using wild hops in beer and the ingredient quickly caught on. Brewers found that hops added a very pleasing, thirst quenching bitterness and, as an added benefit, the hops acted as a natural preservative extending the life of their beers.

Monks were very much the preeminent brewers of the Middle Ages, with virtually every monastery having a brewery on site. Historians credit monks with many brewing innovations beyond the introduction of hops, including the idea of lagering, or cold storing, beer to improve flavor. Even in modern times the monastic brewing tradition holds, with a number of Belgian monasteries ranking today among the greatest breweries in the world.

Plzen Home of Pilsner (Lager) : Czech

Mr BEER