Liquid Lent: Drink Like a Monk as Winter Morphs to Spring

What Would Jesus Drink?

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

This is one of those rare years when the major Judeo-Christian holidays align, with Lent leading into Passover, and both Orthodox and traditional Easter on April 20th. Publican Jimmy Carbone—owner of Jimmy's No. 43 and host of Beer Sessions Radio on Heritage Radio Network—considers this time of year a “beautiful season of beer.” Inspired by a blogger who decided to live on beer for Lent, Jimmy teamed up with six East Village beer purveyors (ABC Beer Co., Burp Castle, d.b.a., Eastwood, Malt & Mold, and Top Hops) to celebrate “Liquid Lent.”

Some of the world’s greatest beers are created for Lent, and the nutritional profile of late winter/early spring beers highlight malt. Traditionally, Monks would eat only one simple meal per day from September through Easter, so “Monk’s Beer” became a staple of their diet. Typically, these were high-malt, low-ABV beers, but today’s Trappist and Belgian-style ales come in all flavors and alcohol levels. We wondered what would happen if the apostles came to town in need of a drink and a Lenten meal. So, with apologies to the truly faithful, WWJD—What Would Jesus Drink? And what foods would he pair with his brew?

RELATED: 15 Classic Food & Beer Pairings: The Best of Gastropub Grub
RELATED: How to Brew Your Own Ginger Beer from Scratch
RELATED: Only in Florida Would Someone Try to Barter an Alligator for Beer

Lembeek 86 by Other Half Brewing Co.

Not Available Interstitial

Shiso & Szechuan Honey Pale Ale by Big Alice Brewing

Not Available Interstitial

Bridge and Tunnel Brewery’s Slaughter House Stampeed

Not Available Interstitial

Barrier Brewing’s Copernicus

Not Available Interstitial

Three Philosophers by Brewery Ommegang

Not Available Interstitial

KelSo’s Recessionator

Not Available Interstitial

Rushing Duck Brewing’s Kroovy

Not Available Interstitial

Peekskill Brewery’s Share the Rainbow

Not Available Interstitial

Newburgh Brewing’s Hop Drop

Not Available Interstitial

Spencer Brewing’s Spencer Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Curmudgeon by Founders Brewing Co.

Not Available Interstitial

3Floyds’ Dark Lord

Not Available Interstitial

He’Brew Shmaltz Brewing’s Funky Jewbelation

Not Available Interstitial

Latest in Pop Culture