Blessing of beer

I hadn't intended to celebrate my 50th birthday with much fuss but my parishioners and friends have managed to create a kind of minor octave. After my talk in the parish last night on the Traditional Liturgy, the adult leaders of our parish Youth Group got me over to the Oval Brasserie for an Indian Meal with Champagne and a helium balloon with "50" on it - an indeed much goodwill and laughter. This morning, being the first Saturday of the month, we had our Missa Cantata.

Our redoubtable chefs, Tricia and Pip (active participants in the Indian meal last night) served up a mighty breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, mushrooms, tomatoes, hash browns, sausages and beans, while the Social Club ensured that there was some cask conditioned Master Brew on tap.

As the Mulier Fortis has posted today, with encouragement from the laity, I took out the old Rituale Romanum and found the Benedictio Cerevisiae.
Blessing of Beer
V. Adiutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.
R. Qui fecit caelum et terram.
V. Dominus vobiscum.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo.

Oremus.
Bene+dic, Domine, creaturam istam cerevisiae, quam ex adipe frumenti producere dignatus es: ut sit remedium salutare humano generi, et praesta per invocationem nominis tui sancti; ut, quicumque ex ea biberint, sanitatem corpus et animae tutelam percipiant. Per Christum Dominum nostrum.
R. Amen.

Et aspergatur aqua benedicta.

English translation
V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who made heaven and earth.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.
Bless, + O Lord, this creature beer, which thou hast deigned to produce from the fat of grain: that it may be a salutary remedy to the human race, and grant through the invocation of thy holy name; that, whoever shall drink it, may gain health in body and peace in soul. Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.

And it is sprinkled with holy water.
Thanks to Sanitas Contra Gentes who has posted this text and translation with the comment
Do I need further proof of the greatness of the Catholic Faith?
At this point, it would be remiss not to quote Hillaire Belloc in full:
The song of the Pelagian heresy for the strengthening of men's backs and the very robust out-thrusting of doubtful doctrine and the uncertain intellectual (Hillaire Belloc, 1912)

Pelagius lived in Kardanoel
and taught a doctrine there
How whether you went to Heaven or Hell,
It was your own affair.
How, whether you found eternal joy
Or sank forever to burn,
It had nothing to do with the church, my boy,
But it was your own concern.

(Semi-chorus)
Oh, he didn't believe in Adam and Eve,
He put no faith therein!
His doubts began with the fall of man,
And he laughed at original sin!

(Chorus)
With my row-ti-tow, ti-oodly-ow,
He laughed at original sin!

Whereat the Bishop of old Auxerre
(Germanus was his name)
He tore great handfuls out of his hair,
And he called Pelagius Shame:
And then with his stout Episcopal staff
So thoroughly whacked and banged
The heretics all, both short and tall,
They rather had been hanged.

Oh, he thwacked them hard, and he banged them long
Upon each and all occasions,
Till they bellowed in chorus, loud and strong
Their orthodox persuasions!

With my row-ti-tow, ti-oodly-ow,
Their orthodox persuasions!

Now the Faith is old
and the Devil is bold
Exceedingly bold. indeed;
And the masses of doubt
That are floating about
Would smother a mortal creed.
But we that sit in sturdy youth,
And still can drink strong ale,
Oh - let us put it away to infallible truth,
Which always shall prevail!

And thank the Lord
For the temporal sword,
And for howling heretics, too;
And whatever good things
our Christendom brings,
But especially the barley-brew!

With my row-ti-tow, ti-oodly-ow
Especially the barley-brew!
We did not, of course bless the cold lager which is decried by traditionalists as "Novus Ordo Eurofizz".

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