At St. Vincenting by Lauren Lamendola

Trouble Brewat St. Vincenting By Lauren Lamendola 50 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA HISTORY | FALL 2010 In winter of 1848, while Father Boniface Wimmer struggled to build a monastic Benedictine Order with 18 of his followers in the Pennsylvania wilderness, he lamented, “We have had no In winter of 1848, while Father Boniface Wimmer vegetablesstruggled other to build than a monastic beans. Benedictine Order with 18 of his followers in the Pennsylvania wilderness, (The potatoeshe lamented, rotted “We have had and no vegetables other than beans. (The potatoes rotted and cabbage was scarce.) cabbage wasThe bread scarce.) was two-thirds corn meal and was stone hard. One has to have a healthy stomach for it so as not to burst.”1 That, combined with the lack of “that Above, the growing college The breadnutritious was beverage,” two-thirds beer, was unbearable to the men. towers over the malt house in foreground, the gristmill behind it, and the brewery to the right. corn meal and was stone All images courtesy St. Vincent’s Archives. i hard. One has to have a healthy stomach for it so as not to burst.” 1 That, combined with the lack of “that nutritious beverage” —beer—was unbearable to the men. WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA HISTORY | FALL 2010 51 Today, Saint Vincent College, a four-year, of Pittsburgh and Catholic temperance in a school and seminary based on Catholic coeducational, Roman Catholic, Benedictine, advocates that would last more than half a tradition. Wimmer “envisioned his monastic liberal arts college (the result of that struggle century and be debated in Rome. foundation as a self-sufficient community.”2 in the wilderness), boasts a working gristmill Father Wimmer, O.S.B., a Bavarian In order to foster this independence, Saint that for more than a century provided missionary, and his followers had come Vincent began to build and expand the sustenance for the resident monks. It is to Saint Vincent Parish in Latrobe two community. Without adequate food supplies, ironic, though, that the same Latrobe, years earlier and created the first monastic building a home in the wilderness was full Pennsylvania, that nurtured the nearly Benedictine Order in North America, of hardships, including the aforementioned 120-year-old Latrobe Brewing Company Saint Vincent Archabbey and College. lack of “nutritious beverage.” had a contentious history regarding the Wimmer’s dream was to create a monastic Breweries were commonplace in production of an alcoholic beverage that the environment that mirrored the orders German monastic tradition. The first self- brothers also deemed essential to survival. in his native homeland of Bavaria. The sustained Benedictine brewery can be Wimmer’s desire to construct a brewery and Benedictines were determined to set up a traced back to the monastery of St. Gallen the subsequent manufacture community that would minister in 820 A.D.3 The brewery contributed to of monastic beer led to German-speaking the self-sufficiency of a monastery and to a struggle with immigrants and created a valuable source of revenue if the the Diocese educate them beverage was sold. For Wimmer, building the Benedictines in North America surely have the same rights as others, wherever “they are living, to drink beer. Left, Boniface Wimmer, college, archabbey, and brewery founder. Right, another view of the malt house, mill, and brewery. 52 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA HISTORY | FALL 2010 ” a brewery seemed like a natural decision through. I loaned him money in order to without suffering considerable financial and one that was in perfect agreement with make it possible for him to pay the 1,000 loss. He agreed to close the tavern, but Bavarian and monastic tradition as “the florins or be able to pay it myself. Since he refused to relinquish the brewery until the Benedictines were Germans accustomed to again displayed an inclination to seek his debt was repaid. Although O’Connor felt beer in their own country, where cold water own advantage rather than mine, I threw strongly that it was improper for the monks is principally used for washing and cooking him off the premises and kept the brewery to continue their brewing and consumption purposes.”4 The first brewery associated for myself.”5 Wimmer hoped to eradicate of beer, Wimmer asserted “the Benedictines with Saint Vincent, located in Indiana, the debt that his nephew had incurred in North America surely have the same Pennsylvania, was purchased by Wimmer in through the sale of beer at the brewery and rights as others, wherever they are living, 1849 and subsequently run by his nephew. adjoining tavern. to drink beer.”7 Monastic beer production The nephew came to America with 1,000 When Pittsburgh Bishop Michael seemed the most logical and economic florins that he was to deliver to his uncle. O’Connor, a temperance advocate, learned option as preexisting local beers were too He embezzled the money and was promptly of the brewing enterprise in Indiana, “there expensive or of poor quality. Wimmer discovered. Wimmer wrote, “Since he no suddenly followed a prompt demand” that stated that “all over the world monks have longer had it [the money], I could not get Wimmer immediately “sell, rent, or close their breweries and vineyards and sell what it from him. He bought a brewery in the down the brewery.”6 Wimmer countered they do not need for themselves. You find expectation of a good marriage. It fell that he could not do any of these things nothing against it in Canon Law or in the WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA HISTORY | FALL 2010 53 Above, clipping from the Lake Shore Visitor, 1895. Right, the brewery. Decree of Trent….If the bishop does not to make a formal declaration” that Saint the brewery. In the summer of 1853, Wimmer permit it, I will assure him that he will Vincent Monastery should be recognized as received word from Cardinal Fransoni that not see many Benedictine monasteries in an independent priory.10 O’Connor replied “the Holy See settled this affair in such a way his diocese.”8 that he had no intention of inhibiting the that he believes the Benedictine Order can Wimmer believed that by defending his monastery of its deserved canonical status, henceforth, in accordance with that decision, right to brew and drink beer, he had brought but he had consulted Rome and was waiting regulate the matter in a way that is most about a peaceful understanding with the on a decision from the Vatican of “whether in beneficial to the Church itself…. However, he bishop. However, O’Connor was reluctant America monasteries are authorized to have gave only general information, namely that to accept the Benedictine’s claim to brewing breweries and sell beer at retail.”11 Wimmer Rome granted permission to make beer and and as a result, he declined Wimmer’s request pleaded with King Ludwig of Bavaria, his to sell it.”13 Bishop Authorization was given to canonically erect Saint Vincent to the benefactor, “to employ Your Highness’s name on February 14, 1852. O’Connor was notably rank of priory. He attempted to make his and influence for the cause.”12 upset by his setback and out of respect for the request through other means, but the pope Although Wimmer was referring directly bishop, Wimmer and his monks did not begin stated there would be “no further action to the status of his monastery, Ludwig and work on their own brewery until O’Connor’s until an official report had been received other influences in Munich believed that resignation eight years later. from Bishop O’Connor.”9 Cardinal Giacomo Wimmer’s main concern was the claimed Although the Irish O’Connor was Filippe Fransoni intervened on Wimmer’s privilege of brewing in America. The King and steadfast in his temperance sentiment, behalf and demanded an explanation of why the royal Bavarian ambassador to the Holy See the pope himself had a far more amicable O’Connor “refused to use the full authority petitioned the pope to settle the Saint Vincent temper about the consumption of alcohol. accruing to him which empowered him affair on both accounts— monastic status and When Wimmer visited Rome in 1855, the 54 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA HISTORY | FALL 2010 Holy Father teased him about the beer affair. and icehouse, soon followed. The brewery was The popularity of the heavy and hoppy Wimmer replied, ‘“You have a good saying indeed a self-sufficient entity, as the monks beer ushered in a “Golden Age” of brewing at about your Benedictines brewing and selling manufactured everything from the beer to the Saint Vincent. In 1868, Wimmer wrote, “We beer; but you forget that we don’t drink barrels they were shipped in. The beer itself drink a lot of beer and cannot brew enough. It any these nine years, and that we have no was a dark and thick brew that was made in the costs $11 a barrel plus $1 tax. In the cities, they brewery.” “Germans not drinking beer,” the tradition of authentic Bavarian breweries. The sell it for $14. I do not make much profit from pope replied. “That is much.”’14 Wimmer Pittsburgh Press described the beer-making it, but at least we have it for our own table.”17 noted, “It may seem a laughable affair to process at Saint Vincent: “Malt and hops are While the Benedictine beer business went bring such a question before the Apostolic all that are used in its manufacture. The malt largely uninterrupted for three decades, the See, but for us it was truly important.”15 is roasted to a dark brown hue…. The tanks death of Boniface Wimmer in 1887 and the Saint Vincent finally opened its brewery are filled with malt, which is stewed but once.

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