Holy Spirits! Why Some Cathedrals Are Cashing In On The Craft Beer Craze
Relax with a beer at a cathedral? From beer festivals to bespoke brands, beer and cathedrals are becoming an increasingly popular pairing in the United Kingdom.
York Minster is the latest to focus on beer. Aptly named The Poisoned Chalice, its limited edition beer commemorates the 800th anniversary of the city’s patron St. William of York.
The name reflects St. William’s mysterious demise. According to legend, he is said to have unknowingly drunk from a poisoned communion chalice. The truth of that will never be known. Modern drinkers can drink The Poisoned Chalice — the beer that is — with peace of mind since it is the result of a York Minster and Brew York special collaboration.
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In fact, the beer was deliberately created to help bring the story of the city’s patron saint to life in a way that reaches beyond normal visitors.
“We are hoping to connect people, particularly a new generation, with the story of St. William, which has largely been forgotten in modern times,” said Joe Priestley, a York Minster spokesman. “The reaction to the beer has been overwhelmingly positive. The story has captured the public’s imagination and given them a new lens through which to explore his turbulent life and appointment as archbishop, which was riddled with political and religious disputes.”
York Minster is but the latest cathedral to explore the value of a beer link. Many other cathedrals in the U.K. have their own beers available, usually for sale in the cathedral shops and cafes.
In 2023, St. Edmundsbury in Suffolk worked with a local brewer, Artefact Brewing, to create a series of beers inspired by the Cathedral. These were named “The Dean’s Undoing,” “The Canon’s Comforts” and “The Vergers Reward,” while the cathedral’s iconic vaulted ceiling inspired the accompanying labels.
As a fundraising method, beer is an ideal product since it can be sold in the cathedral cafes, as well as in shops, as a souvenir to take home.
Over at Gloucester Cathedral, they even have a specially blessed ale available. Setting out to raise funds for the restoration of cloisters made famous by the “Harry Potter” films, Gloucester Cathedral turned to beer. Last year, the Dean of Gloucester, Andrew Zihani, officially blessed CathedrALE at the Gloucester Brewery.
“I think there’s a wonderful image of our cloisters on the cans and I hope this will be a way for those who haven’t been to the cathedral before to come and see the glory of the building and come to know the deep wonder, the spirituality, the peace, the prayfulness of the cathedral,” he said.
Working with local brewers ensures that the resultant beer truly represents the area and supports local businesses. In Gloucester, Pietro Lovato, head brewer of Gloucester Brewery, said he was happy to be a part of it.
“One of the guys at the cathedral approached us, and it seemed like a perfect match for our ethos” he said. “I do believe it is paramount for us to leave the place in a better place than we found it, and this product is doing some incredible work when it comes to that.”
Cathedrals have always had links with brewing. Most of English cathedrals, such as St. Edmundsbury in Suffolk, owe their origins to monastic orders, who used to brew their own beer.
St. Edmundsbury’s Catherine Rayson said the cathedral “sits on the footprint of the Abbey of St. Edmund, which was once one of the largest medieval abbeys in Europe. At the heart of the Rule of St. Benedict was hospitality and providing for the many pilgrims, as well as the monks themselves, which meant brewing was one of the core activities of the monastic community here.”
She added that drinks, “most likely in the form of weaker beer, commonly called ‘small beer,” would have been enjoyed by pilgrims on this site for hundreds of years.”
By hosting the annual East Anglian Beer and Cider Festival, St. Edmundsbury is continuing this tradition of hospitality.
Some of those visitors return throughout the year, to attend worship or other events. Revenue from the events supports St. Edmundsbury’s ministry, education, social action and music programs.
Indeed, the beer and cathedrals combination seems set to continue, having proven to be a winning formula.
“Over the six days of the festival, an average of six and a half thousand people visit the Cathedral and its grounds, the vast majority of whom have never visited St. Edmundsbury before,” Rayson added. “We witness many good conversations and a universal delight in the beauty of the space.”
Angela Youngman is a freelance journalist who has written for a wide range of British and international publications.