The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-08-27
ST. VINCENT BREWERY
1t First Went Into Operation I'm 1856,
and Its Product Soon Found Its
Way to the Large Cities.
Pittsburg Chronicle Telegraph.

America, and here, in the midst
OF lofty church towers and famous
seats of learning. is the cele-
brated st. Vincent's brewery, which day
in and day out turns out from thirty to
forty barrels of beer. This main monastery
home is located in the midst of one Of
Westmoreland county's ideal farming dis
tricts and soutward and eastward the blue
slopes Of the Chestnut Ridge range rise
to form an exquisite beveled framework
for the superb picture nature has drawn
and godly man has embellished. Giant
trees screen the massive walls of the
buildings which make UP the little village
of God-fearing men and the high spires
which peep out above remind the distant
observer Of some old castle.
The brewery from which comes the pro-
duct which has lately called forth such
, a storm of opposition from the abstinence
contingent, is located just below the old
abbey and its clearly and attractive ap-
pearance are the only things which dis
tinguish it from the numerous other coun-
try breweries. 1t is operated under the
direction of four lay brothers,. who watch
carefully every process in the manufacture
of the article.
The malt is made from grain raised on
the broad acres of the monks and they
also raise their own hops and these are
the only constituents used in the manufac-
ture of the beer. There is no hurry in
the process of manufacture and this ad-
herence to the old process of manufacture
allows the gases to escape and gives the
beer it's superior qualities. Immense res
ervoirs have been sunk in the ground about
the brewery in which the beer is cooled.
III $3.50 49, go - 49, $685. xv;xh n
storage capacity of five thousand barrels.
TIL first brewery at st. Vincent was put
in operation in 1856, and a few years later
the product was on sale in Latrobe, Pitts
on the bar was made in 1857 at an old way
side inn on the Pittsburg and Philadelphia
pike, near st. Vincent. The sale OF the
beer grew, and in 1865 the brewery was en-
larged, and St. Vincent beer was put on
tap in Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore
and other leading cities. The annual in
has been large. The outside sales yearly
amount to over $4,000, and the final out
come Of the present agitation means much
to the Benedictine Order at st. Vincent.
BEGINNING OF THE CRUSADE.
AS early as 1892 the Abstinence Society
began its first crusade against the brewery.
and it was only through the intercession of
the Bavarian King that the Pope allowed
the monks to continue the manufacture of
beer. However, he stopped the outside sale
of the product and it was not until the
present arch abbot, Leander Schnerr, sue
ceeded Arch Abbot Andrew Hintenach at
St. Vincent, in 1893, that the sales were
resumed. During the period of the suspen-
sion of sales an effort was made to have
the government remove the revenue tax
from the brewery, but the attempt was
unsuccessful, as this had much TO do with
the resumption Of the sale. The monks at
st. Vincent see no cause for alarm at the
present agitation. They have a special per-
init from the Pope under which they oper-
ate the brewery, and see no cause why the
permit should be revoked. However, the
furnish a beverage for the community, and,
as the brotherhood has the second time
gone beyond its authority the influence of
the King of Bavaria may not prevent the
suppression of the st. Vincent brewery.
The brewery is now full blast, and the
agitation of the teetotallers has. appar-
About this home of the Benedictine order
is to be seen much of interest, and the
history of the home is a most interesting
one. While the monks did not settle at st.
Father Bowers. a franciscan, monk. pur.
chased "Sportsman's HalP' and 315 acres of
the surrounding land from Harrisburg and
tablished a hunting lodge there. On his
death, in 1885, the land was left to the resi-
that year a church was dedicated by Bishop
Kendrick, and after the celebration Of the
feast of that day the church was named
st. Vincent.
In 1870 Father Boniface WINNER held a
professorship in the Royal Institute at Num-
ich. in the German kingdom of Bavaria
About this time Father Lemke, Of Carroll
many and became acquainted with Father
WINNER, who determined to become a mis-
sionary in the New World. Father Lemke
offered a farm of several hundred acres at
Carrolltown on which to settle the colony of
his order, and on Sept. 80, 1876, the party
consisting of four ecclesiastical students
and nineteen candidates arrived at. Carroll
town.. Father WINNER thought mountain
Gus land unfit for farming and through the
s%olicita ton of Bishop 0'Connor. of Pitts.
was that the home of Catholicism in Amer
lea came to be perpetuated in the cradle or
When Father WINNER and his party ar
rived at their new home they found a
small church, a two-story brick house of
two rooms and a log cabin, the latter the
about 1883. This cabin was occupied by
Right Rev. Father Helborn, a MONK. who
labored here as early as 1893, and the cabin
Hail." A marvellous change has here been
wrought by the Industrious monks during
the half century of their enancy, and
now the monastery proper consists Of mas
sive brick buildings nearly 150 yards long
and half as broad. and four stories high,
with towers rising to the height of 100
feet. The bricks used in their erection
were burned and pressed on the grounds.
There are also a tannery, planning mill,
slaughter shop, carpenter shop, shoe shop.
printing office and tailor shop connected
with the big home, and almost every
trade has representatives here.
A SPLENDID NEW BUILDING.
The new church now in course Of erec-
ton will be a magnificent building. The
building is of pressed brick and of Roman
esque style, in form Of a cross. 1t is 24O
feet long and 80 feet wide. The sanctuary
is 100 feet long, and there will be two tow
ers 200 feet high. Over 10, 0oO,O 900 brick will
be required for the completion of the
building. A new York architect has charge
of the work, which has been going on for
two years, and 1t is expected that ii will
be finished in time for the big celebration
of the fftieth anniversary of the settle
ment OF Father Winners colony here,
which will occur on Oct. "a, 1896.
There are now several thousand acres
Of fine farming land around the monastery.
owned by the monks. Part Of this they
farm themselves and part is farmed by
tenants. Besides this large tract of land
the monks own several farms near New
Alexandria,, and have 1,5O0 acres of fine
timber land up on Chestnut ridge. On the
top of that range they have established a
resort for the members of the nome. and
many OF the Pittsburg diocese have en-
Joyed the mountain air there. A number
are at the resort now Many are the be-
lated travellers who have enjoyed the hos
pitality OF this mountain retreat, for the
same hospitality that prevails at St. Vim
cent is maintained at the resort.
AT present the st. Vincent home con-