It is said that when the Cistercian monks began brewing their own beer all over Europe beginning in the fifth century, they held up their precision, patience and persistence in their craft as all for the glory of God, as a low-quality brew would be a major insult to the Almighty.
Kristina Nasuti, the “Homebrew Chick,” does not live a monastic life, but she has the faith and “three Ps” that would make the Cistercians proud.
Kristina Nasuti of Holy Child Parish, Runnemede, shares tips on brewing beer on her Instagram account, “Homebrew_Chick.” — Photo by Dave Hernandez
In between her role as a wife and mother, and work in the corporate sector, Nasuti, a member of Runnemede’s Holy Child Parish, devotes her time to the art of brewing and sharing tips and secrets with photos and videos on her Instagram account, “Homebrew_Chick.”
“It started out five, six years ago, as a spur of the moment ‘Hey, let’s pick up a homebrewing kit,’” she said.
What began with a turkey fryer pot and outdoor burner and plastic buckets has quickly evolved to a process involving a grain mill and steeping bags for malted grains, 10-gallon stainless steel pots, ball valves and wort chillers for brewing and multiple glass carboys for fermenting.
Her most recent brew? A five-gallon batch two weeks ago of wheat beer, now fermenting and ready to drink in about a month. Since starting back up with her hobby, she has worked exclusively out of her garage. In the early days, Nasuti was learning and calculating in her kitchen.
“Homebrewing is exciting; you’re always learning something new,” she said.
She took a year off from homebrewing to raise her son, but during this COVID-19 shelter-in-place, her hobby has kept her mind busy when she finds precious downtime. The brewing is good medicine for her now, and how appropriate: one reason for beer’s nascent popularity in the fifth century was that it was produced using boiled water and, thus, a healthier beverage than usual, unclean H2O then.
One of the last public activities she was present at before the lockdown, she mentioned, was the baptism of her 11-month-old son, Henry, at Saint Teresa Church. Almost 18 months ago, she admitted, this sacramental gathering wasn’t even on her radar.
“I grew up Catholic in Brooklyn, New York, and walked to church every Sunday,” she said. Along the way, though, she became disconnected with the faith’s traditions.
“I came back into the fold, though,” she said, after she and her husband, Michael, visited Rome and Vatican City in March 2019.
“I was pregnant, and we visited the churches and basilicas. There, I saw people not paying attention to the beauty around them, or to others around them in prayer; they just stared at their phones. There was no sense of unity or understanding, or what was really taking place in these sacred spaces.”
I didn’t want our son to grow up like that. … I wanted him to have a sense of belief, faith, love and understanding of the Catholic Church. There is great value in what the church stands for, including loving your neighbor and helping others.”
Nasuti is engaged every weekend with the livestreamed liturgies, but she is eager for a return to the pews. “All we have is our faith,” she said.
Before her current job in public relations, the Rowan University English major spent five years as an investigative reporter for the Burlington County Times, writing long form, multi-story features on such topics as Vietnam Vets struggling with PTSD, and even New Jersey’s boom in craft brewing.
She sees parallels between her newspaper writing career and her homebrewing: the long days, the craft (whether involving words or beer), and dogged dedication. “They’re both problem-solving; you really have to think,” she said.
She admitted that being a brewer “does get expensive, but the end result is great. I get a feeling of accomplishment; I did this on my own.”
Her advice for those interested in homebrewing? “Start small. Figure out what you want to drink — a lager? Stout? Buy an easily accessible homebrew kit. But most of all, have fun.”
In addition to the strawberry wheat beer in the making, Nasuti currently has bottles of homemade stout and a pale ale, as well. All from the past three months.
The Cistercians would be impressed.
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