Prayer, patience, and a clever workaround for fasting season gave birth to some of the world’s finest beer. This piece of non-fiction describes how and why the monks of medieval Europe were so fond of brewing.
很多人喝啤酒,但是很少人知道,现代啤酒的历史和一群修道士有着密切的关系。故事要从中世纪的欧洲说起。
中世纪时期,基督教修道院遍布欧洲各地。修道士们过着严格而有规律的生活——每天祈祷、劳动、读书。其中有一条非常重要的规定:每年的四旬斋期间,修道士不能吃固体食物,只能喝液体。这段时间长达四十天,对身体的要求非常高。于是修道士们想到了一个办法——酿造一种营养丰富的饮料来维持体力。他们把这种饮料叫做”液体面包”。这种饮料,就是啤酒。
修道院有许多得天独厚的条件,非常适合酿造啤酒。首先,修道院通常建在水源干净的地方,而干净的水对酿造好啤酒至关重要。其次,修道院拥有大片农田,可以自己种植大麦和其他谷物。更重要的是,修道士们受过良好的教育,懂得记录和总结经验。他们把每一次酿造的方法、比例、时间都详细地写下来,一代一代地传下去。普通的村庄酿酒师没有这种条件,所以修道院的酿造技术越来越精湛,越来越先进。
修道士们对啤酒最重要的贡献之一,是发现了啤酒花的价值。在此之前,啤酒是一种又甜又厚、很快就会变质的饮料。修道士们发现,加入啤酒花以后,啤酒不但可以保存更长时间,味道也变得更加丰富、更加平衡。这个发现彻底改变了啤酒的历史,让啤酒从一种粗糙的地方性饮料变成了可以长途运输、广泛销售的商品。
今天,修道院酿酒的传统依然存在。比利时的特拉普派修道院是其中最著名的代表。全世界只有少数几个修道院获得了”正宗特拉普”的认证,他们酿造的啤酒被许多人认为是世界上最好的啤酒之一。修道士们至今仍然亲手参与酿造过程,酿酒所得的收入用于维持修道院的运营和慈善事业。
从”液体面包”到世界级精酿啤酒,这段历史提醒我们:很多改变世界的发明,并不是来自实验室或者工厂,而是来自一群安静地生活、认真地工作、耐心地积累经验的人。也许,好东西从来都需要时间。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 修道院 | xiū dào yuàn | monastery |
| 修道士 | xiū dào shì | monk |
| 酿造 | niàng zào | to brew |
| 祈祷 | qí dǎo | to pray |
| 得天独厚 | dé tiān dú hòu | blessed with unique advantages |
| 至关重要 | zhì guān zhòng yào | of crucial importance |
| 啤酒花 | pí jiǔ huā | hops |
| 变质 | biàn zhì | to spoil/deteriorate |
| 精湛 | jīng zhàn | exquisite/refined (of skill) |
| 慈善事业 | cí shàn shì yè | charitable causes |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 多 | duō | many; much; more; a lot of; too many; in excess; (after a numeral) ... odd; how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duo2]); (bound form) multi-; poly- |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 喝 | hē | to drink; variant of 嗬[he1] |
| 啤 | pí | beer |
| 酒 | jǐu | wine (esp. rice wine); liquor; spirits; alcoholic beverage; CL:杯[bei1],瓶[ping2],罐[guan4],桶[tong3],缸[gang1] |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 少 | shǎo | few; less; to lack; to be missing; to stop (doing sth); seldom |
| 知道 | zhī dào | to know; to become aware of; also pr. [zhi1dao5] |
| 现代 | Xiàn dài | Hyundai, South Korean company |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 历 | lì | old variant of 曆|历[li4]; old variant of 歷|历[li4]; calendar; to experience; to undergo; to pass through; all; each; every; history |
| 史 | Shǐ | surname Shi |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 群 | qún | variant of 群[qun2]; group; crowd; flock, herd, pack etc |
| 有着 | yǒu zhe | to have; to possess |
| 密切 | mì qiè | close; intimate; to strengthen (ties, cooperation etc); closely; intently; carefully; (math.) to osculate |
| 关 | Guān | surname Guan |
| 系 | xì | to connect; to relate to; to tie up; to bind; to be (literary); system; department; faculty; to tie; to fasten; to button up |
| 故事 | gù shì | old practice |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 从中 | cóng zhōng | from among them; from it |
| 世纪 | shì jì | century |
| 欧 | Oū | Europe (abbr. for 歐洲|欧洲[Ou1 zhou1]); European Union (abbr. for 歐盟|欧盟[Ou1 meng2]); surname Ou |
| 洲 | zhou | continent |
| 说起 | shuō qǐ | to mention; to bring up (a subject); with regard to; as for |
| 中世纪 | zhōng shì jì | medieval; Middle Ages |
| 时期 | shí qī | period; phase; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 基 | jī | (bound form) base; foundation; (bound form) radical (chemistry); (bound form) gay (loanword from English into Cantonese, Jyutping: gei1, followed by orthographic borrowing from Can… |
| 督 | du | (bound form) to supervise |
| 教 | Jiào | surname Jiao |
| 遍 | biàn | variant of 遍[bian4]; everywhere; all over; classifier for actions: one time |
| 布 | bù | variant of 布[bu4]; to announce; to spread; cloth; to declare; to announce; to spread; to make known |
| 各地 | gè dì | in all parts of (a country); various regions |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 严 | yān | strict; severe; tight; rigorous; father (formal); surname Yan |
| 格 | gē | used in 格登[ge1 deng1] |
| 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 规律 | guī lu:4 | rule (e.g. of science); law of behavior; regular pattern; rhythm; discipline |
| 生 | shēng | to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born; to arise; to occur; to light (a fire); to live; to be alive; life; raw; uncooked; unprocessed; unfamiliar; strange; (bound form) stu… |
| 活 | huó | to live; alive; living; work; workmanship |
| 每天 | měi tiān | every day |
| 劳动 | láo dòng | work; toil; physical labor; CL:次[ci4] |
| 读书 | dú shū | to read a book; to study; to attend school |
| 其中 | qí zhōng | among; in; included among these |
| 条 | tiáo | strip; item; article; clause (of law or treaty); classifier for long thin things (ribbon, river, road, trousers etc) |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary |
| 重要 | zhòng yào | important; significant; major |
| 规定 | guī dìng | to stipulate; to specify; to prescribe; to fix (a price); to set (a quota); regulations; rules; provisions; stipulations |
| 每年 | měi nián | every year; each year; yearly |
| 四 | sì | four; 4 |
| 旬 | xūn | (bound form) ten-day period; one of the three ten-day divisions of a month (e.g. 上旬[shang4 xun2]) |
| 斋 | ||
| 期间 | qī jiān | period of time; time; time period; period; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 吃 | chī | to eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc); to eradicate; to destroy; to absorb; to suffer (shock, injury, defeat etc); variant of 吃[chi1] |
| 固体 | gù tǐ | solid |
| 食物 | shí wù | food |
| 只 | zhī | variant of 隻|只[zhi1]; variant of 只[zhi3]; grain that has begun to ripen; classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc |
| 液 | yě | (bound form) a liquid |
| 体 | tī | used in 體己|体己[ti1 ji5]; Taiwan pr. [ti3] |
| 这 | zhè | (pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun); (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. [zhei4], esp. in Beijing) |
| 段 | Duàn | surname Duan |
| 时间 | shí jiān | (concept of) time; (duration of) time; (point in) time |
| 长达 | cháng dá | to extend as long as; to lengthen out to |
| 四十 | sì shí | forty; 40 |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 对 | duì | right; correct; towards; at; for; concerning; regarding; to treat (sb a certain way); to face; (bound form) opposite; facing; matching; to match together; to adjust; to fit; to sui… |
| 身体 | shēn tǐ | the body; one's health |
| 求 | qíu | to seek; to look for; to request; to demand; to beseech |
| 高 | Gāo | surname Gao |
| 于是 | yú shì | thereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; hence |
| 想到 | xiǎng dào | to think of; to call to mind; to anticipate |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 办 | bàn | to take care of (a matter); to deal with (a task, procedure etc); to organize (an event); to establish; to set up; to manage; to run (an enterprise); (law) to handle; to investigat… |
| 法 | fǎ | variant of 法[fa3]; France; French; abbr. for 法國|法国[Fa3 guo2]; Taiwan pr. [Fa4]; old variant of 法[fa3]; law |
| 一种 | yī zhǒng | one kind of; one type of |
| 营 | yīng | camp; battalion; to operate; to strive for |
| 养 | yǎng | to raise (animals); to bring up (children); to keep (pets); to support; to give birth |
| 丰富 | fēng fù | to enrich; rich; plentiful; abundant |
| 饮料 | yǐn liào | drink; beverage |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 维持 | wéi chí | to keep; to maintain; to preserve |
| 体力 | tǐ lì | physical strength; physical power |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the ob… |
| 这种 | zhè zhǒng | this kind of |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 做 | zuò | to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc); (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, frien… |
| 体面 | tǐ miàn | dignity; prestige; face; honorable; creditable; (of sb's appearance) presentable; respectable |
| 包 | Bāo | surname Bao |
| 就是 | jìu shì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just; (used correlatively with 也[ye3]) even; even if |
| 许多 | xǔ duō | many; a lot of; much |
| 件 | jiàn | item; component; classifier for events, things, clothes etc |
| 适 | kuò | see 李适[Li3 Kuo4]; surname Shi |
| 合 | gě | 100 ml; one-tenth of a peck; measure for dry grain equal to one-tenth of sheng 升 or liter, or one-hundredth dou 斗; variant of 合[he2] |
| 首先 | shǒu xiān | first of all; in the first place |
| 通常 | tōng cháng | regular; usual; normal; usually; normally |
| 建 | jiàn | to establish; to found; to set up; to build; to construct |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 水 | Shuǐ | surname Shui; Shui ethnic group |
| 源 | yuān | root; origin |
| 干净 | gān jìng | clean; neat |
| 地方 | dì fāng | region; regional (away from the central administration); local |
| 好 | hǎo | good; appropriate; proper; all right!; (before a verb) easy to; (before a verb) good to; (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so; (verb complement indicating completion); (… |
| 其次 | qí cì | next; secondly |
| 拥有 | yōng yǒu | to have; to possess; to own |
| 大片 | dà piàn | wide expanse; large area; vast stretch; extending widely; blockbuster movie |
| 农田 | nóng tián | farmland; cultivated land |
| 可以 | kě yǐ | can; may; possible; able to; not bad; pretty good |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 种 | zhǒng | seed; species; kind; type; classifier for types, kinds, sorts |
| 植 | zhī | to plant |
| 大麦 | dà mài | barley |
| 其 | qí | his; her; its; their; that; such; it (refers to sth preceding it) |
| 谷物 | gǔ wù | cereal; grain |
| 更 | gēng | to change or replace; to experience; one of the five two-hour periods into which the night was formerly divided; watch (e.g. of a sentry or guard) |
| 受过 | shòu guò | to take the blame (for sb else) |
| 良好 | liáng hǎo | good; favorable; well; fine |
| 育 | yù | to have children; to raise or bring up; to educate |
| 懂 | dǒng | to understand; to comprehend |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 记录 | jì lù | to record; record (written account); note-taker; record (in sports etc); CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 总 | zǒng | (bound form) general; overall; to sum up; in every case; always; invariably; anyway; after all; eventually; sooner or later; surely; (after a person's name) abbr. for 總經理|总经理[zong3… |
| 结 | jiē | (of a plant) to produce (fruit or seeds); Taiwan pr. [jie2] |
| 经验 | jīng yàn | experience; to go through; to experience |
| 每 | měi | each; every |
| 一次 | yī cì | first; first time; once; (math.) linear (of degree one) |
| 方 | Fāng | surname Fang |
| 比 | Bǐ | Belgium; Belgian; abbr. for 比利時|比利时[Bi3 li4 shi2] |
| 例 | lì | example; precedent; rule; case; instance |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 详 | xiāng | detailed |
| 细 | xì | thin or slender; finely particulate; thin and soft; fine; delicate; trifling; (of a sound) quiet; frugal |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 写下 | xiě xià | to write down |
| 一代 | yī dài | an era; an age; a generation |
| 传 | chuān | to pass on; to transmit; to transfer; to conduct (electricity) |
| 下去 | xià qù | to go down; to descend; to go on; to continue; (of a servant) to withdraw |
| 普 | pú | general; everywhere |
| 通 | tōng | to go through; to know well; (suffix) expert; to connect; to communicate; open; to clear; classifier for letters, telegrams, phone calls etc |
| 村 | cūn | village; (dialect) to scold; rustic; boorish; variant of 村[cun1] |
| 庄 | zhuāng | variant of 莊|庄[zhuang1]; surname Zhuang |
| 酿 | niǎng | to ferment; to make honey (of bees); to form gradually; stuffed vegetables (cooking method) |
| 师 | Shī | surname Shi |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 所以 | suǒ yǐ | therefore; as a result; so; the reason why |
| 技 | jì | skill |
| 术 | shù | method; technique |
| 越 | Yuè | generic word for peoples or states of south China or south Asia at different historical periods; abbr. for Vietnam 越南 |
| 先进 | xiān jìn | sophisticated; advanced (technology etc); meritorious; exemplary (deeds etc) |
| 最 | zuì | variant of 最[zui4]; old variant of 最[zui4]; (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est; (after 之[zhi1]) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最[shi4 jie4 zhi1 zui4] "the greatest in the world") |
| 贡 | Gòng | surname Gong |
| 献 | xiǎn | to offer; to dedicate; to show; worthy person (old) |
| 之一 | zhī yī | one of (sth); one out of a multitude; one (third, quarter, percent etc) |
| 发现 | fā xiàn | to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect; a discovery |
| 价 | jiǎ | (literary) messenger; servant |
| 值 | zhī | value; to happen to |
| 此 | cǐ | this; these |
| 之前 | zhī qián | before; prior to; ago; previously; beforehand |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 甜 | tián | sweet; (fig.) pleasant; endearing; lovely |
| 厚 | hòu | thick; deep or profound; kind; generous; rich or strong in flavor; to favor; to stress |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 就 | jìu | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precise… |
| 会 | huì | can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together; meeting; gathering; (suffix) union; group; association; (bound form) a moment (Tai… |
| 加入 | jiā rù | to become a member; to join; to mix into; to participate in; to add in |
| 以 | yǐ | old variant of 以[yi3]; abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yi3 se4 lie4] |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 保 | báo | Bulgaria (abbr. for 保加利亞|保加利亚[Bao3 jia1 li4 ya4]) |
| 存 | cún | to exist; to deposit; to store; to keep; to survive |
| 长 | cháng | long; (bound form) length; (bound form) strong point; forte; (bound form) to be good at; (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. [zhang4]) |
| 味 | wěi | taste; (fig.) (noun suffix) feel; sense |
| 道 | dào | road; path (CL:條|条[tiao2],股[gu3]); (bound form) way; reason; principle; (bound form) a skill; an art; a specialization; (Daoism) the Way; the Dao; to say (introducing a direct quot… |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 变得 | biàn de | to become |
| 更加 | gèng jiā | more (than sth else); even more |
| 平衡 | píng héng | balance; equilibrium |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 彻 | chě | thorough; to pervade |
| 底 | dí | (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) |
| 改变 | gǎi biàn | to change; to alter; to transform |
| 让 | ràng | to yield; to permit; to let sb do sth; to have sb do sth; to make sb (feel sad etc); by (indicates the agent in a passive clause, like 被[bei4]) |
| 从 | cóng | variant of 從|从[cong2]; surname Cong |
| 粗 | cū | (of sth long) wide; thick; (of sth granular) coarse; (of a voice) gruff; (of sb's manner etc) rough; crude; careless; rude; variant of 粗[cu1]; remote; distant; variant of 粗[cu1] |
| 糙 | cao | rough |
| 性 | xǐng | nature; property; attribute; sex; suffix forming adjective from verb; essence |
| 变成 | biàn chéng | to change into; to turn into; to become |
| 途 | tū | way; road |
| 运输 | yùn shū | to transport; to carry; transportation |
| 广 | yǎn | "house on a cliff" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 53), occurring in 店, 序, 底 etc; surname Guang |
| 泛 | fǎn | to spread; to flood; to be suffused with; general; extensive |
| 销 | xiao | to melt (metal); to sell; pin; bolt |
| 售 | shǒu | (bound form) to sell; to retail |
| 商 | Shāng | Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC); surname Shang |
| 品 | pǐn | (bound form) article; commodity; product; goods; (bound form) grade; rank; kind; type; variety; character; disposition; nature; temperament; to taste sth; to sample; to criticize; … |
| 今天 | jīn tiān | today; the present time; now |
| 统 | tóng | to gather; to unify |
| 依 | yi | to depend on; according to |
| 然 | rán | correct; right; so; thus; like this; -ly |
| 比利时 | Bǐ lì shí | Belgium |
| 特 | tè | special; unique; distinguished; especially; unusual; very; abbr. for 特克斯[te4 ke4 si1], tex |
| 拉 | lā | to pull; to play (a bowed instrument); to drag; to draw; to chat; (coll.) to empty one's bowels |
| 派 | pā | used in 派司[pa1 si5] |
| 著名 | zhù míng | famous; noted; well-known; celebrated |
| 代表 | dài biǎo | representative; delegate; CL:位[wei4],個|个[ge4],名[ming2]; to represent; to stand for; on behalf of; in the name of |
| 全世界 | quán shì jiè | worldwide; entire world |
| 只有 | zhǐ yǒu | only have ...; there is only ...; (used in combination with 才[cai2]) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in 只有通過治療才能痊愈|只有通过治疗才能痊愈[zhi3 you3 tong1 guo4 zhi4 liao2 cai2 neng2 qu… |
| 少数 | shǎo shù | small number; few; minority |
| 几个 | jǐ ge | a few; several; how many |
| 获 | huǒ | (literary) to catch; to capture |
| 得了 | dé le | all right!; that's enough! |
| 正 | zhēng | first month of the lunar year |
| 宗 | zong | ancestor; clan; sect; to honor; principal; surname Zong |
| 认 | rèn | to recognize; to know; to admit |
| 证 | zhěng | to admonish |
| 被 | bèi | quilt; to cover (with); (literary) to suffer (a misfortune); used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, … |
| 认为 | rèn wéi | to believe; to think; to consider; to feel |
| 世界 | shì jiè | world |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 最好 | zuì hǎo | best; had better ...; it would be best to ... |
| 至今 | zhì jīn | so far; to this day; until now |
| 仍 | rēng | still; yet; (literary) frequently; often |
| 亲手 | qīn shǒu | with one's own hands; personally |
| 参与 | cān yù | to participate (in sth) |
| 过程 | guò chéng | course of events; process |
| 所得 | suǒ dé | what one acquires; one's gains |
| 收入 | shōu rù | to take in; income; revenue; CL:筆|笔[bi3],個|个[ge4] |
| 用于 | yòng yú | to use in; to use on; to use for |
| 运 | yùn | to move; to transport; to use; to apply; fortune; luck; fate |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to; to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point); (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point); considerate; thoug… |
| 世界级 | shì jiè jí | world-class |
| 精 | jīng | essence; extract; vitality; energy; semen; sperm; mythical goblin spirit; highly perfected; elite; the pick of sth; proficient (refined ability); extremely (fine); selected rice (a… |
| 提醒 | tí xǐng | to remind; to call attention to; to warn of |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 发明 | fā míng | to invent; an invention; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 并 | bìng | and; furthermore; also; together with; (not) at all; simultaneously; to combine; to join; to merge; to combine; to amalgamate; short name for Taiyuan 太原[Tai4 yuan2]; variant of 並|并[bing4] |
| 不是 | bù shì | no; is not; not |
| 自 | zì | (bound form) self; oneself; from; since; naturally; as a matter of course |
| 实验室 | shí yàn shì | laboratory; CL:間|间[jian1] |
| 或者 | huò zhě | or; possibly; maybe; perhaps |
| 工厂 | gōng chǎng | factory; CL:家[jia1],座[zuo4] |
| 而是 | ér shì | rather |
| 安静 | ān jìng | quiet; peaceful; calm |
| 认真 | rèn zhēn | conscientious; earnest; serious; to take seriously; to take to heart |
| 工作 | gōng zuò | to work; (of a machine) to operate; job; work; task; CL:個|个[ge4],份[fen4],項|项[xiang4] |
| 耐心 | nài xīn | to be patient; patience |
| 积 | ji | to amass; to accumulate; to store up; (TCM) constipation; indigestion |
| 累 | lěi | to accumulate; to involve or implicate (Taiwan pr. [lei4]); continuous; repeated; rope; to bind together; to twist around |
| 也许 | yě xǔ | perhaps; maybe |
| 东 | Dōng | surname Dong |
| 西 | Xī | the West; abbr. for Spain 西班牙[Xi1 ban1 ya2]; Spanish |
| 需要 | xū yào | to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs |
Many people drink beer, but few know that the history of modern beer is closely connected to a group of monks. The story begins in medieval Europe.
During the Middle Ages, Christian monasteries were spread throughout Europe. The monks lived strict and disciplined lives—praying, laboring, and reading every day. Among their rules was a very important one: during the forty days of Lent each year, monks were not allowed to eat solid food and could only drink liquids. This period lasted forty days and placed very high demands on the body. So the monks came up with an idea—to brew a nutritious drink to maintain their strength. They called this drink ‘liquid bread.’ This drink was beer.
Monasteries had many unique advantages that made them very suitable for brewing beer. First, monasteries were usually built in places with clean water sources, and clean water is crucial for brewing good beer. Second, monasteries owned large stretches of farmland, allowing them to grow their own barley and other grains. Even more importantly, the monks were well educated and knew how to record and summarize their experiences. They wrote down the method, proportions, and timing of each brew in detail, passing it down from generation to generation. Ordinary village brewers did not have these conditions, so the monasteries’ brewing techniques became increasingly refined and advanced.
One of the monks’ most important contributions to beer was discovering the value of hops. Before this, beer was a sweet, thick drink that spoiled quickly. The monks discovered that after adding hops, beer could not only be preserved for a longer time, but its flavor also became richer and more balanced. This discovery completely changed the history of beer, transforming it from a crude local drink into a commodity that could be transported over long distances and sold widely.
Today, the tradition of monastery brewing still exists. The Trappist monasteries of Belgium are the most famous representatives. Only a few monasteries in the entire world have received the ‘Authentic Trappist’ certification, and the beer they brew is considered by many to be among the best in the world. To this day, the monks still personally participate in the brewing process, and the income from brewing is used to maintain the monastery’s operations and charitable causes.
From ‘liquid bread’ to world-class craft beer, this history reminds us that many world-changing inventions do not come from laboratories or factories, but from a group of people who live quietly, work diligently, and patiently accumulate experience. Perhaps good things have always needed time.