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This week, 500 years ago, Martin Luther launched a Protestant Reformation that not only revamped how Europe worshipped but also changed the very essence of the beer that it drank.
As part of his protest, the Saxon monk and his followers promoted hops in beer as an act of rebellion against the Catholic Church they opposed.
It’s sometimes amazing the way beer informs our history…and in this case how a German priest changed beer as we know it today.
You see, in the 16th century, the immensely rich and powerful Catholic Church controlled much of Germany’s resources.
As NPR explains, the church held a crucial monopoly “on Gruit, a mixture of herbs and botanicals (sweet gale, mug wort, yarrow, ground ivy, heather, rosemary, juniper berries, ginger, cinnamon) used to flavor and preserve beer.
Most everything the Catholic church controlled, they taxed (which furthered their riches) and further pissed off Martin Luther, himself an acknowledged beer drinker.
And as part of his of rebellion, Luther and his followers turned to the lowly hop as an alternative for their own brewing needs.
Hops back then were seen as not much more than invasive weeds…but they were plentiful, and weren’t controlled or taxed by the church…And as they also quickly proved themselves to be an effective beer preservative….this rebellion was ON!
So as NPR puts it… “If you were a Protestant brewer and wanted to thumb your nose at Catholicism, you used hops instead of herbs.”
Luther Lager
Truth be told, (and we do that sometimes) even before the Protestant Reformation, some Germans were experimenting with hops as an alternative to Gruit compositions. But as Martin Luther’s movement took hold and spread throughout Europe, hops fast became the new norm for brewers especially for those rebelling against the Pope.
So it turns out that in the course of changing religion, Martin Luther also changed beer as we know it today…
And while some might celebrate his life with meditation and prayer…We’ll celebrate his history with a toast!
