Man decides to live on beer and water for Lent

An Adams County man is planning to abstain from solid food for 46 days as he investigates an old tale about doppelbock beer, aka "liquid bread," first developed for the Christian season of Lent more than 300 years ago by monks in Munich, Germany. J. Wilson, of Prescott, Ia., a home beer brewer for more than 14 years, is scheduled to begin his self-imposed water-and-beer-only fast on Ash Wednesday, this week. He plans to eat solid food again on April 24, Easter Sunday.



Unlike anything he has ever done before, "the idea is a little bit crazy," Wilson, 38, admits. But "in beer-geek circles," as he put it, the story is often told of how the Paulaner monks created a dark, hefty calorie- and carbohydrate-packed beer in the mid-1600s to sustain themselves through Lent when no food was to pass between their lips.

"A couple of years ago I got this idea that I wanted to investigate the story firsthand," Wilson said, adding that he intends to write a blog, "Diary of a Part-Time Monk," as well as a book later. Here's some of what Wilson had to say last week about his quest to endure what the legendary monks endured and the beer they left behind as their legacy. How this will work: "Right now, the plan is to drink four 12-ounce beers a day ... and lots of water in between."


YouTube link.

The buzz factor: (Four beers spread throughout a day and consumed with food would not typically be intoxicating, Wilson said.) "I did a 36-hour test drive about a week ago, and I don't think four beers is going to be a problem. But I don't know what will happen after days of not eating at all. That's one of the questions I am looking to answer. Getting drunk is the last thing on my to-do list at this time. This is an historical study."

You can follow Wilson's journey here.