Brothers Brew: Benedictine Brewery and St. Michael Taproom to open in September

With autumn drawing ever nearer, Mount Angel is readying itself for Oktoberfest. Simultaneously, the long awaited brewery and taproom from the monks at the Mount Angel Abbey is preparing to open its doors to the public. 

The Benedictine Brewery and the St. Michael Taproom are scheduled to open with streamlined service the same weekend as Oktoberfest, September 13th through 16th, 2018.

The brewery's grand opening is scheduled for September 22nd and 23rd, open each day from noon until 8 p.m..

Ora et Labeera

Mount Angel Abbey was founded in 1882by Benedictine monks from the Abbey of Engelberg in Switzerland. Still today, Benedictine monks follow a life goverened by ora et labora, prayer and work, as prescribed by their sixth-century founder, St. Benedict of Nursia.

Work, hospitality, and service are central tenets to this lifestyle, encouraging vocations that draw from and perform service to the community.

Benedictine Brewery will use of hops grown on Mount Angel Abbey grounds and water drawn from its well. They will be used to brew Belgian-style beers including St. Benedict Farmhouse Ale and Tyrant Cascadian Dark Ale.

For Oktoberfest, they'll also be offering a lighter brew, St. Michael's Helles Lager.

The Benedictine Brewery will represent only the third brewery operated my monks in the United States. Beers from Spencer Brewery in Spencer, MA, are brewed by Trappist monks at St. Joseph's Abbey. Benedictine monks from the Desert Benedictine Monastery in Albuquerque, NM founded Abbey Brewing Company.

Like these other monastic breweries, the Benedictine Brewery will be a for-profit enterprise on the Abbey grounds.

Search for a Holy Gr-Ale

Building a brewery at the Mount Angel Abbey has been years in the works.

They first began brewing beer in 2013 in partnership with Seven Brides Brewing in Silverton. The first brew was their signature Black Habit Dark Ale. They have since sold cases of the large format bottles at the Abbey bookstore and special events. 

In November 2017, the brewery welcomed more than 100 community volunteers for a hands-on brewery-raising. Douglas Fir harvested from the Abbey's tree farm form the beams of the building's timber frame structure. This summer they moved brewery operations into the new building, designed by Henry Fitzgibbon and New Energy Works.

Katie Scott at the Catholic Sentinel reports that Father Martin Grassel, "believes the taproom will provide a unique way for the monks to interact with people and to tie the consecrated men more closely to the Mount Angel community.

'We hope that people will discover the goodness of God through visiting the brewery.'"

Fittingly, the Benedictine Brewery's slogan is "taste and believe." 

Benedictine Brewery

Where: 400 Humpert Lane Mount Angel, Oregon

Hours (after grand opening Sept. 22, 2018): Wednesday and Thursday 2 to 7 p.m.; 
Friday and Saturday 1 to 8 p.m.; Sunday - 11 am to 5 pm; Closed Monday and Tuesday

Information: Benedictine Brewery (Facebook) www.facebook.com/BenedictineBrewery/

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