The Catholic Book Blogger
Sarah Vabulas is known in the blogging world for her work at her blog The Catholic Drinkie. Recently her first book, The Catholic Drinkie’s Guide to Homebrewed Evangelism was released by Liguori Publications. She and I also recently had an opportunity to discuss her book and our mutual enjoyment of a good homebrewed beer.
PETE: For those unfamiliar with your work, can you tell readers how you became The Catholic Drinkie?
SARAH VABULAS: Catholic Drinkie came to life when I attended Catholic organization SQPN’s Catholic New Media Celebration in Boston, Mass in 2010. During the opening keynote, Mac Barron, a podcaster, gave a presentation in the vein of Apple’s Steve Jobs where he outlined what blogs and podcasts SQPN currently had on their rolls followed by blogs and podcasts in which SQPN would not be sponsoring. One of them was an offshoot of the very popular Catholic Foodie podcast. It was called Catholic Drinkie. The room erupted in laughter. As we were all busy laughing, it occurred to me that I ought to run with this idea. Lino Rulli (who wrote my foreword because of the following interaction) and I were talking the night before (while out at a bar) and he suggested I ought to blog about my passion for beer. I’d given it some thought in the past, but felt like I didn’t anything new to offer to the beer-blogging space. After giving it some thought, I concluded that I love beer and I love my Catholic faith so why couldn’t I write about the two and how they intertwine? During one of the sessions on the blogging track, I sat down in a group of some amazingly creative minds and we fleshed out the idea (first half-joking then they realized I was serious as I purchased the URL on my iPhone while sitting there). It was that day when Catholic Drinkie was born with the help of so many.
PETE: What inspired you to write your book The Catholic Drinkie’s Guide to Homebrewed Evangelism?
SARAH VABULAS: Truth be told this book is a compilation of all the things I always wanted to write in my blog but never got around to it. Since day one I had been wanting to do a series on the Trappist Monks and then I wanted to write about my homebrewing escapades. Then Liguori and I began to talk about the book and I pressed the pause button the homebrewing series to save it for the book. There are so many wonderful, Catholic stories about beer, wine and alcohol to be shared with the world and I was inspired by the saints to relate the stories and the drinks to our current cultural climate. We are losing more of my late Gen-X / early Millennial generation to non-belief and apathy than ever and I want to show my contemporaries that there is a path to true joy in Jesus – and this doesn’t mean you have to give up your homebrewing hobby or stop your love for a craft beer. It’s truly a handbook to arm people with knowledge to use the surge of interest in a good drink to evangelize and spread the beauty of the Gospel.
PETE: What can people expect to find in your book?
SARAH VABULAS: My book has a little bit of everything for everyone. You don’t even need to love beer or be a homebrewer to enjoy it. If you have a passion for the Catholic Church and want to learn more about the saints, I included stories of St. Arnold, St. Brigid and St. Augustine. I unpack the absolute miracle and joy found in the Wedding at Cana passage from the Gospels. I share my evangelization stories and give tips on how others can answer the call of Pope Francis to spread the Gospel through witness and meeting people wherever they are on their faith walk. And finally, if you are a homebrewer (or have been thinking about it), I share my tips and my recipes so that you can enjoy the fun as well. I tried to include something for everyone and make it a book that appeals to people in all places in their faith.
PETE: How can a disciplined enjoyment of brews bring one closer to their faith?
SARAH VABULAS: There are a number of ways that enjoying a beer (or wine or cocktail) can remind you of the love of the Lord. One of my favorite quotes is from St. Arnold, the patron saint of beer brewers. He said, “From man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world.” Without God creating the living organism that is yeast, we would not have alcohol. Yeast are necessary to convert the sugars from the base beverage into alcohol. Everyone loves a good meal and a good drink with those they care about most. In the same way that we gather together around a table to celebrate a holiday, often we will find merriment in a drink. It’s an adventure to try new things and explore just as with our faith, reading and studying Scripture and the lives of the saints; it’s also a great way to relax and enjoy time away from work and other stresses. Additionally, it is a shared cultural experience no matter your faith or life history. It is one of the things that unites us through time and culture: the sharing of an alcoholic beverage. Jesus and His disciples drank wine and likely beer as well. It is all part of the human experience, but, must be done moderately as St. Paul tells us in his New Testament Letters.
PETE: Like you I enjoy a good brew, specifically obscure microbrew, on occasion. Fun question here. What are your top 5 favorite beers?
SARAH VABULAS: This is such a hard question for me since there are now so many amazing beers to enjoy and my tastes evolve as the seasons change. These are truly in no particular order but are often my favorite to hunt down and drink year after year when they release. I love stouts, porters and sours but I’ll try any beer once.
- New Belgium La Folie, a sour brown ale
- Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout, a bourbon-barrel aged stout
- Goose Island Madame Rose, a Flanders Oud Bruin
- Spencer Trappist Ale, an official Trappist Belgian-style ale brewed right here in the US
- And as a year-round go-to, Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro, a milk stout bottle with nitrogen for a creamy pour
- And for good measure, the #1 rated beer in the world is called Westvleteren XII, a Belgian Abbey Quad, and I’ve been fortunate to have a couple bottles. It definitely earns its status as the best in the world. I’ve never had anything more balanced.
PETE: Time for my signature ending question. This is a blog about books. What books are currently on our bookshelf to read?
SARAH VABULAS: I’m always buying books. I’ve been a book worm my entire life. I even worked at a bookstore in high school! My current bookshelf is stacked with my favorite genre, Catholic books. I’m a Catholic nerd and I fully embrace it.
1. Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes; Fourth Edition
2. Strange Gods: Unmasking the Idols in Everyday Life
3. Connected Toward Communion
4. Saint 
5. I’m Happy for You (Sort of…Not Really)
by Kay Wills Wyma
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