Puritan Pub

Drunkenness is a sin, folks. God condemns it throughout Scripture. You can’t enjoy the richness of a good beer if you’re drunk. So don’t get drunk. First, it’s sinful. Second, it’s dangerous. Third, it insults you.

This should be a no brainer, you shouldn’t drive a car, steam roller or 747 if you’ve been drinking. I would add to that list any correspondence to your wife from another city.

Now I can’t prove that the following letter was written under the influence; we need to keep in mind that it has been translated from German into English. We shouldn’t forget that is was written nearly 500 years ago and idioms and terms of endearment have evolved since then. We should also keep in mind, however, that this was Dr. Luther. When the church needed a stubborn, pig headed wild boar to rescue the Gospel, God in his mercy and providence sent Dr. Martin Luther - he was no diplomat, he was far from irenic but he was the man for the moment.

The following is a revealing letter describing his love of good beer, good wine and his good woman, Katie - his brewster, his pretty lady… his lord?

To my kind, dear lord, Lady Catherine von Bora, Mrs. Doctor Luther, at Wittenberg

Grace and peace in Christ! Dear Sir Katie! I know of nothing to write to you since Master Philip, together with the others, is coming home. I have to remain here longer for the devout Sovereign’s sake. You might wonder how long I shall remain here, or how you might set me free. I think that Master Francis will set me free, just as I freed him—but not so soon.

Yesterday I drank something which did not agree with me, so that I had to sing: If I don’t drink well I have to suffer, and [yet] I do like to do it. I said to myself what good wine and beer I have at home, and also [what] a pretty lady or (should I say) lord. You would do well to ship the whole cellar full of my wine and a bottle of your beer to me here, as soon as you are able; otherwise I will not be able to return home because of the new beer.

With this I commend you to God, together with our young ones and all the members of our household. Amen.

July 29, 1534
The Man whom you Love
Martin Luther, Doctor

There are two kinds of beer drinkers - 1. beer drinkers, and 2. beer lovers.

Avoid the 1st. These are folks who buy mass produced beer by the case load. It doesn’t matter what it is but it’s usually cheap and watery. Bud, Miller, Coors, etc. Don’t even look at these beers and don’t hang around such unprincipled men.

“The selling of bad beer is a crime against Christian love.” - 13th Century Law, City of Augsburg, Germany.

Even before looking for a good import think local. There are brew pubs and there are micro-brewers. Thinking local will keep your money in your community and will get you fresher beer .

You know you are a beer lover when you start enjoying darker beers.
Beware of Guinness, it’s overrated and I think it’s just cold black coffee. They call it lightly carbonated, I call it flat.

Drink beer as you would drink fine wine. Hops are to beer as grapes are to wine.

Pour into a clear glass and study the color and clarity or the colloidal cloudiness. Look at it with the sun passing through it. Study the head, watch how long it takes to dissipate and study the lace that it leaves behind. Look at the color of the head. The head is the bloom of the beer and a measure of it’s quality.

Swirl the beer and then take a long sniff. Do you smell hops, yeast, spices, chocolate, coriander? mmmmmmmmmmmmm

Now take a mouthful. Let it slowly move from the front to the back of your tongue. How do the flavors change? How does it feel in your mouth? Is it fizzy, oily, tart, sweet, mysterious?

Swallow the brew. Wait for the aftertaste.

Repeat until the glass is empty and ask, “do I feel like another?” If so, that is a drinkable beer .

Have another and then take this caution from Calvin. “If a man knows that he has a weak head and that he cannot carry 3 glasses of wine without being overcome, and then drinks indiscreetly, is he not a hog?” - John Calvin

If you want to jump start toward the darker beers, try some Newcastle Brown Ale. It’s easy to find, it’s from England, it’s inexpensive and a great, drinkable introduction to browns.

Bless you all and quaff wisely.

“Men can go wrong with wine and women. Shall we then prohibit and abolish women?” - Martin Luther