Seminary puts pope-inspired beer on tap for Francis’ stay

This graphic provided by the Philadelphia Brewing Company, shows the label of a beer called Holy Wooder. The beer was inspired by Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia. The brewery says it has delivered a half-keg of its playfully named Holy Wooder to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia says it’s a fun way for seminarians to celebrate the pope’s visit. (Katy Loringer /Philadelphia Brewing Co. via AP)

By Associated Press September 24, 2015 3 min read

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – It started out as a lark inspired by the frenzy over Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia: a limited-run beer for the local bars with a playful name and a label showing the pontiff raising a gold-hued goblet of the stuff.

Holy Wooder, a powerful Belgian-style triple, was already a hit with the downtown happy hour crowd when the seminary hosting Pope Francis this weekend called to say it wanted some, too.

The Philadelphia Brewing Company gladly obliged, delivering a half-keg to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, just outside the city limits, late last week.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia confirmed the order.

“We don’t usually do home deliveries, but we made an exception,” brewery co-owner Bill Barton said.