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Holy Wooder is 9.5% and is brewed by the Philadelphia Brewing Company. AP

Will Pope Francis try the 9.75% Belgian-style craft beer brewed in his honour?

A specially brewed craft beer has been tapped up in the Philadelphia seminary he’s staying in.

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 tripel, 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.

Francis will sleep at the seminary, located on a pastoral 75 acres, and return there to rest between events. On Sunday, he will greet bishops from around the world and pose for a photograph with seminarians, recreating an image featuring Pope John Paul II in 1979.

Archdiocese spokesman Ken Gavin said that having the beer on tap at St. Charles is a fun way for seminarians to celebrate the pope’s visit.

It’s unclear if Pope Francis will sample the suds he inspired, or if the former nightclub bouncer even enjoys beer like his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. The 88-year-old Benedict lifted a hearty stein to celebrate his birthday in April.

Holy Wooder has a 9.75% alcohol by volume, about twice the punch of a Budweiser. The brewery jokingly says Holy Wooder “guarantees to cleanse your soul and set you on the path to righteousness.”

Pope-Philadelphia-Beer Marianne Morrison pours a glass Holy Wooder at Atlantis. Cameron Blyth / AP Cameron Blyth / AP / AP

The name, suggested by design intern Katy Loringer, is a play on the way many Philadelphians say “water.” She drew the label, framing Francis’ head with a stained-glass halo and replacing his cross with the brewery’s bright red logo.

It’s one of eight beers inspired by the pope’s visit.

Among the others are YOPO: You Only Pope Once, a pale ale; Papal Pleasure, a Belgian amber brewed in tanks blessed by a Catholic priest; and Jesus Wept, a German-style wheat beer.

The aptly named POPE: Pub on Passyunk East in South Philadelphia hosted a tasting of all eight beers this week. The bar collaborated with Philadelphia Brewing Company to produce Holy Wooder and declared it “the official beer of the POPE.”

Only 2,000 gallons, or about 60 barrels, were made.

“It’s at the highest demand of any product we’ve ever made,” Barton said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I wish we made more.”

Read: The Pope brought up some controversial topics with US politicians today >

Read: TV microphone catches woman threatening to throw shoe at pope’s head >

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24 Comments
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    Mute SCO Electrical
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    Sep 25th 2015, 9:18 PM

    The Holy Gr-ale

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    Mute Phil O' Meara
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    Sep 25th 2015, 11:59 PM

    St.Out

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    Mute John Reese
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    Sep 25th 2015, 9:34 PM

    Just watching some US coverage of his visit. Whatever your views on the church FOX are nothing short of a disgrace on their commentary and comments…mocking him etc. They’re parents probably voted against Kennedy because he was Catholic.

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    Mute Jamsey
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    Sep 25th 2015, 9:40 PM

    My favourite quote was from Jeb Bush saying that the Pope shouldn’t comment on climate change because he’s not a scientist…… I’m pretty sure his family all world renowned scientists…. Not!!!

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    Mute John Reese
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    Sep 25th 2015, 9:53 PM

    FOX must have said he hates capitalism three times in a minute. A priest they had on air said no he hates rich greedy people to which fox just cut him off.

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    Mute Jamsey
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    Sep 25th 2015, 10:01 PM

    I really try not to watch FOX news.It actually hurts to listen to such blatant and deliberate ignorance and normally I’d be all for a bit of Pope bashing.

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    Mute Bridget O'Hanlon
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    Sep 25th 2015, 10:31 PM

    Jamsey, I noticed that too. Jen Bush seems determined to put his foot in his own mouth.

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    Mute Ben Smith
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    Sep 25th 2015, 10:41 PM

    Fox News and the Conservative party are now more backward than the Catholic Church. That takes some doing.

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    Mute For Connolly
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    Sep 25th 2015, 10:49 PM

    Jamsey, here’s everything you need to know about the Bush brothers in 5 words…

    The smart ones called Jeb

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    Sep 26th 2015, 1:04 PM

    You watch the Fox KKK Network…

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    Mute Dave cullen
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    Sep 25th 2015, 9:21 PM

    Be great craic having a few beers with the Pope belting out “the green fields of France”,apparently he can do the chorus of “back home in Derry” too.

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    Mute Jim Faulkner
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    Sep 25th 2015, 9:34 PM

    If it’s as good as some of the other Belgian beers he’ll be on his knees before he knows it! :-)

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    Mute Pauliebhoy
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    Sep 25th 2015, 9:18 PM

    He probably prefers Bishops Finger

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    Mute Marc Quinn
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    Sep 25th 2015, 10:11 PM

    No but I fookin wil, 9%+ I’ll have suma daat !!

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    Mute gary power
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    Sep 25th 2015, 9:24 PM

    the devils nectar. .

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    Mute Pronnsias McCarthaigh
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    Sep 25th 2015, 9:42 PM

    Percent means parts per 100

    9.75 parts per 100

    Reduce> 9+7+5+1+0+0 = 22

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    Mute Pronnsias McCarthaigh
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    Sep 25th 2015, 10:05 PM

    2000 US Gallons = 7570.824 Liters

    Reduce > 7+5+7+0+8+2+4 = 33

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    Mute SCO Electrical
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    Sep 26th 2015, 8:31 AM

    Again with the numbers? What’s the craic with that Jack?

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    Mute Periguin
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    Sep 26th 2015, 12:12 PM

    Rainman.

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    Mute Beanstalk
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    Sep 25th 2015, 10:23 PM

    This is great! I thought I was reading a story from The Onion!

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    Mute Tweed Cap
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    Sep 25th 2015, 10:17 PM

    A good ride followed by a bottle of cold holy wooder. Sorted your holyness.

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    Mute Daisy Chainsaw
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    Sep 26th 2015, 1:31 AM

    Then he can do the magic trick of turning wine into blood… Yummy blood.

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    Sep 26th 2015, 1:06 PM

    Sheep shagging is illegal lol.

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    Mute Barty
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    Sep 26th 2015, 8:17 AM

    Love the call sign for the Pope’s plane on his American visit ” Shepherd 1 “

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