SC - The Church, gruits and hops

[Nick Sasso]

Adamantius,

I am , indeed, no anti-Papist in monks clothing.  I believe that the interests
of the people were being served to a large degree in this scenario.  Though
several orders and local churches derived personal gain at various times in the
Middle Ages, the monsateries were a seat for cultural and social development in
many areas.

In my readings, I came across several references to gruits being a major funding
source for a few monasteries in Germany and and Holland,  but mainly the British
Isles.  I exceeded my reference whe I included Germany as a mjor element.  The
mandates were not decrees from the Holy See, but rather  Monsegnors and Bishops
in localities.  They found it necessary to get involved as Germany developed
more of the hops beginning in the 8th century.  The hops became more and more
pouplar in Germany, with Benedictine monks benefiting as they were major
cultivators from early on.  It was mainly in this environment of conflict
between the factions that the local governments and churchs mandated grut over
hops.  Sort of a cutural preservation against continentalism from what I read.

The rebellion aspect would have been those seeking 'modernization' of tastes and
practices espousing hops usage.  They were eventually successful as grut
references for bittering beer become ever more scarce into the end of 17th
century.  While I, a good Franciscan, can and will fault the Benedictines for a
good many things :o), I do not begrudge them a little hop cultivation in the 8th
century.  Nor does there seem any evil intended by those supporting the grut.
They were protecting their interests as well as a lifestyle cornerstone for the
people.

As hops moved west (starting in Asia and then Eastern Europe) they filtered into
England.  A bitter rivalry ensued for centuries as to which was superior.
Gruits won out for a long time as the 'home team' and supported by the Church
and Brewing Guilds.  As late as the 16th Century, author Boorde is said to have
described hops as a natural drink for a Dutchman, but instills fatness and sloth
in an Englishman.

(The 15th century in England found battles between those who espoued hops and
those favoring gruts.  The term ale has historically been used for grut
flavored/bittered malt beverages.  The term beer, used to delineate hops
bittering, seems to have been a compromise for those avoiding the hops.)

Hope this gives more on my readings and learnings.  Unfortunately, some of it is
from notes before my responsible bibliographying days.  But I do have a couple
of sources.

fra niccolo dofrancesco
(Nick Sasso)

La Pensee, Clive, _The Historical Companion to House Brewing_.  London: Montag
Publications, 1990.

(i lost the author), _Hops into Europe_.  a chapter from a book on food and
ingredients developing in England in 14th century CE.  I lost the bibliography
page when I loaned my photocopies out.


Philip & Susan Troy wrote:

> I hate to ask...I just know this is going to make trouble, but I have to
> go ahead and ask.
>
> Fra Niccolo <grizly_nick at rocketmail.com> wrote:
>
> > You have just sparked a new light for me with this hops thread of
> > thought!  Hops were developed as a bittering alternative to gruits as
> > the latter was controlled and mandated by the church.  Their decreased
> > use was a political and economic statement by the common many.  They
> > later found that it gave longer preservative effect and offered more
> > stable bittering qualities.
>
> Could you tell us a little more about this mandate from the Church?
> Please understand I'm not disputing what you say, but I wonder if you
> can tell us a bit more about the Church's role in the shift from mixed
> gruits to hops. The explanation that naturally occurs to me is that a
> high percentage of the trained "medical professionals" of the day were
> clergymen and nuns, and a lot of brewing was done in  monasteries
> (heavy-gravity beers being an excellent restorative while fasting!), so
> I expect a lot of what was brewed in monasteries was made according to
> what amounted to a medical prescription.
>
> The SCA seems to have a lot of members who immediately conclude that
> everything from the Black Plague to global warming and El Niño  are the
> results of the conspiracies of the Evil Church, and while I'm not
> assuming you are one such, I was just wondering why you make the above
> claim. Any more info available? I hadn't run across anything like it in
> my own reading on the subject, so I was curious.
>
> Adamantius
> ______________________________________
> Phil & Susan Troy
> troy at asan.com
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