There is the great tale of the origins of Lenten beer.
In old Germany, monks had concerns about the consumption of beer during the Lenten fast, and whether it was an acceptable practice. On their own, they could not reach a conclusion as to whether beer was too tasty to be pious.
So with some difficulty, a large case of beer was sent to Rome, so they could get a definitive answer. However, in Rome, the drink of choice was wine, and they found beer to be repulsive in flavor.
As such, they returned a hasty directive to the monks, informing them that beer was approved with a “nihil obstat” (nothing hinders), with an added commendation to the Germans for their piety in drinking such a noxious beverage.
The Germans, for their part, ran with it, and today produce some extremely rich, high velocity Lenten beers.
“It is my design to die in the brew house; let ale be placed in my mouth when I am expiring, that when the choirs of angels come, they may say, “Be God propitious to this drinker.” – St. Columbanus, A.D. 612