Episode 145: Monks, Mystics and Mashing In: The Story of Tynt Meadow

Brewer and Brother at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey, Fr Mateusz, often says that people know more about the surface of the moon than they do about monks.Nestled away in the idlic Leicestershire countryside amongst the rolling hills is Mount Saint Bernard Abbey, a monastery founded in 1835 on land provided by Ambrose de Lisle, who was eager to re-introduce monastic life into the United Kingdom.As time went by, farming - the principle activity and source of income for the Brothers - became increasingly difficult to the point where the monks needed to explore new ways to generate an income to sustain their life and rhythms of prayer and worship.The natural choice was to start a brewery.Since 2018, Tynt Meadow have produced batch after batch of their authenticated Trappist beer:  a mahogany-coloured Dubbel with a subtle, warm red hue, and a lasting beige head.  Its aroma carries hints of dark chocolate, liquorice, and rich fruit flavours.In this episode, we visited Tynt Meadow and met both Peter Grady - the Brewery and Operations Manager - for a tour of the brewhouse and Fr Mateusz, a Brother and brewer of the beer, to discuss the rich history of the monks and abbey, the brewing process and how spirituality and brewing are interconnected at the abbey.This is a lengthy episode that straddles the lines between brewing technical knowledge, the story and history of the monastery, and themes about the Christian faith, spirituality and practises.  The discussion featuring Fr Mateusz begins at 51 minute mark.FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE BEERDownload the recipe | Buy the beer | Follow EmmanualesTODAY'S EPISODE OF THE HOP FORWARD PODCAST IS SPONSORED BY:Bespoke Brewing Solutions designs and manufactures equipment that allows breweries to produce high-quality craft beverages with increased cost-effectiveness and faster turnaround times.The BBS team has 8 years of solid teamwork together and 10+ years of experience in manufacturing brewing equipment. BBS now has representatives around the world in America, Australia, New Zealand, and, of course, China.Having a team in China that speaks the local language allows BBS to oversee all aspects of their client's projects, from initial layout designs all the way through to equipment testing before shipping.BBS has equipment represented in 16 countries, which means they’ve sourced equipment and designed brewhouse configurations for every type of brewery you can imagine, in every situation.BBS also offers consulting services, from brewery commissioning, recipe formulation, and equipment training on brew day, to the packaging of your finished product.If you’ve never started a brewery before, they are here to help. If you’re an experienced brewer, they speak your language.Visit bespokebrewingsolutions.com to get in touch with one of the team to discuss your project ideas and show you the bespoke way.Follow Hop Forward on Social MediaFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn