Something Brew(ing) Under the Sun

After two hours of talking to Price and Northup, as my second glass of the Hegemony came to a close, I asked if they had found any theological reflection on craft brewing. Price offered that critics of alcohol forget that it is man’s sinful heart that is the problem, not what comes in from the outside. Drinking good craft beer is a libational refutation of Gnosticism—that is, pleasure derived from the physical world is intrinsically evil. Northup said that humanity, as image bearers of God, are to create and craft, beer or otherwise, and it is an essential part of our calling: “The quip I usually tell people is that when I start the brew day I say to myself, ‘This is going to be the best beer ever.’ I think it tells the listener that there is a sort of zeal or passion behind what I do, and while it may not be the best beer every time I still strive for that goal.”