Beer " the common interest that unites the majority of Australian males " is being enlisted by Sydney Anglicans to introduce their friends to a new kind of spirit.
A team of entrepreneurial evangelists from St Luke's, Miranda have established "A is for Ale' as an annual event aimed at breaking down the barriers between churches and Aussie blokes.
"The main reason we came up with the idea was to bring people to the church, to show them that it's not a freaky environment " to show them that people at church like a good beer to," says co-creator Simon Twist.
"We thought it would be a good idea to have an invitation that would be very hard to say no to," he says, smiling.
Experts lead their audience through a wide range of imported and domestic beers, describing textures, tastes and smells, while suggesting the best foods to accompany their beverage.
And sprinkled amongst trivia tests and prizes are a healthy number of anecdotes that lead listeners back to the Bible.
This year the event's chief beer expert, Nathan Dirs, shared how events like this one helped build a bridge between him and the church that eventually led him to Christ.
"Originally I didn’t even realise it was a Christian outreach event," says the employee of Vintage Cellars.
"It wasn't until we had the first run through that I put two and two together. I thought, ‘Good luck to you guys’. It was going to be a corker of an event anyway."
"A is for Ale' soon softened Mr Dir's image of the average Christian.
"When I was first approached I wasn't a Christian and things weren't going so well in my life - and it just sort of opened my eyes a bit to the fact that Christian guys were normal guys " they weren’t Ned Flanders!" he laughs.
Mr Dir's search for meaning at his lowest point led him to start asking questions.
"I started bugging my wife about who was going to church, what was going on, and she got sick and tired of the questions and said, "Well you’ve just got to come along'.
Nine months later Nathan is heading to bible college, after being accepted into Morling for 2006.
"A is for Ale' has certainly proved attractive to Miranda's men with 140 attending the first event and numbers swelling to 210 this year.
Organisers agree beer is the draw card, but emphasise the event is built on existing bonds.
"Foremost, it's relationship building, because the strongest thing is the relationship between the person who has been invited and the person inviting," Mr Twist explains.
Those bonds are bolstered by subtle advertising " "A is for Ale / J is for Jesus' t-shirts " and church times and event information teamed with tasting notes.
St Luke's also goes to great pains to control the way the event is presented.
"In promoting the night we've been up front to say that it’s not an Oktoberfest " it's a beer tasting night," Mr Twist says.
"It’s not possible for anyone to consume more than the number of drinks recommended by the RTA. And at the end of the night everyone is capable of hopping in the car and driving home " assuming they have a licence."
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