Despite being officially founded in 2019 of the year of Our Lord, the story of Tridentine Brewing started decades earlier in the Prohibition Era. In those days, the brewing took place in the family bathtub, while conditioning was done in bottles underneath family members' beds. Although we discontinued the practice of brewing in bathtubs early on, our tradition of homebrewing lived on throughout the decades.
Our head brewmaster, Jeffery, was first taught how to homebrew in the mid 1990's by Ken Solecki, Jeffery's father-in-law, and undoubtedly the most influential figure in the history of Tridentine Brewing. At that time, brewing was done in the basement of Ken and his wife's home in plastic buckets, with conditioning performed in re-used, 2 liter plastic bottles.
However, Ken did much more than just pass on the family tradition of home brewing. Ken, a devout Catholic and patriotic WWII veteran, passed on his devotion of the Catholic Faith and love of our beautiful Country. Although we no longer brew in plastic buckets and 2 liter bottles, we try to instill these values into every brew.
Around 2014, Jeffery decided it was time to pass on the homebrewing tradition. Jeffery and his son, Trevor, began producing craft beers from extract kits in Trevor's home kitchen. However, it was not long before they moved away extract kits to all-grain brewing.
As the batches got bigger, the kitchen in Trevor's home no longer sufficed. In 2019, Trevor converted the cistern in his 1905, Victorian-era house into a miniature brewery, with steel tanks, R/O water input, and all the bells and whistles of a modern homebrewing operation.
Since the brewing process was becoming more formalized, it only seemed fitting that the operation should have an identity: an identity that reflected the values of our history and family. The name, "Tridentine" was chosen, a reference to the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), which is also known as the Mass of the Ages. The Mass of the Ages is the traditional form of the Mass of the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. The Alcorn family has attended the Mass of the Ages since the 1990's; it is a staple in their spiritual lives. And so, Tridentine Brewing was born.
Jeffery recruited his son, Cameron, a designer by trade, to help design the branding for the brewery, along with the labels for each beer. The brand reflects our Prohibition-era roots, with a more traditional aesthetic reminiscent of late 19th century and early 20th century.
Our Latin motto is "Braciare ad majorem Dei gloriam", or in English, "Brewing beer for the greater glory of God."
At our core, we are a Traditional Catholic brewery with a focus on bringing glory to God and honor to our Country.
Each beer features a label and theme that hearkens back to a simpler time, when God, Family, and Country were at the heart of most homes. In a world consumed by materialism, modernism, and radical progressivism, we strive to glorify the traditions and values of an earlier time: a time when God, Country, and Family were honored above all else.
With each beer, we hope you'll join us in raising a glass to the Saints, heroes, and traditions that we love and hold dear.
