Blessing of the Beer

Beer has been important in human history. So much so that the earliest known civilization in the world, the ancient Sumerians, called it "the divine drink." They even had a hymn for it (incidentally, the hymn was also a recipe to brew beer - those clever Sumerians!)

Scribal Terror blog has a neat post about the Religious History of Beer, including an official beer-blessing ritual of the Roman Catholic:

Bless, O Lord, this creature beer, that Thou hast been pleased to bring forth from the sweetness of the grain: that it might be a salutary remedy for the human race: and grant by the invocation of Thy holy name, that, whosoever drinks of it may obtain health of body and a sure safeguard for the soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Link (Photo: White Around the Collar - via Per Christum)