to try making and selling other varieties. Soon, jelly-making proved to be a successful and compatible monastic industry, contributing about half of the income needed to run the abbey. The jams and jellies made by the monks are sold in supermarkets in the United States, particularly in the New England region. In 2005, the monks produced 1.7 million jars of preserves in 26 flavors, turning one and a half tons of fruit into preserves daily. Spencer Brewery Spencer Brewery is the name of the brewery run by the abbey that produced Trappist beer from 2013 to 2022. In 2010, St. Joseph's Abbey explored the possibility of brewing beer like other Trappist monasteries, and sent several fact-finding missions — first to the Belgian Beer Fest in Boston, then to several Trappist breweries in Europe. The Trappist breweries made three recommendations for the new enterprise: hire a skilled brewing engineer; build a modern, state of the art facility; and only brew a single beer for the first five years. Over twenty test batches were developed before settling on the final beer's recipe. The first beer produced was a blonde ale at 6.5% alcohol by volume which was called Spencer Trappist Ale. , it was the first and only certified Trappist beer brewed in the United States. The brewery occupied 36,000 square feet and had a capacity of 50 barrels. It held its first open house on August 6, 2016, to 2,500 visitors. Response from subsequent open houses was strong, and as of 2018 the brewery was exploring constructing a taproom that would be open year-round. In May 2022, St. Joseph's Abbey ceased beer production and closed Spencer Brewery. In addition to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New England region had grown to have over 600 craft breweries (according to the Brewers Association), so it is believed that the abbey's brewery might have needed an advertising budget disproportionate to its production. The Holy Rood Guild The monks at the abbey also make the highest quality liturgical vestments under the brand of The Holy Rood Guild. References Further reading External links Website for St. Joseph's Abbey Website for Spencer Trappist beers Website for Trappist Preserves Trappist monasteries in the United States Roman Catholic churches in Massachusetts Churches in Worcester County, Massachusetts Spencer, Massachusetts Christian organizations established in 1950