Throughout history, beer has had strong sociological ties to both Reformed theology (see Drinking With Calvin and Luther) and philosophy (see The Philosopher’s Drinking Song). As such, the ‘white whale’ for any Reformed Philosopher has to be Calvinus Beer. The bottle, though aesthetically pleasing in and of it self, also bears a very nice profile picture of John Calvin, which is going to carry profound aesthetic appeal for any (obsessively) Reformed individual (Do note: in my estimation the taste of the beer doesn’t even enter the picture; the appeal of Calvinus is almost solely found in the way a bottle of it would look on a given individual’s bookshelf.) Unfortunately, however, Calvinus Beer isn’t easy to come by; it can only be found in Geneva Switzerland. It is this combination of desirability and rarity that make a bottle of Calvinus beer a true novelty for any Reformed philosopher’s or theologian’s study.  

 

Now, if you are going to be around the Geneva area, you may ask: ‘Where can I find Calvinus beer?’ Since 1) someone can spend all day walking around Geneva without finding any and 2) I found it hard to find a straight answer anywhere else on the internet, let me briefly share where I found my bottles. If you are looking for the six-pack of the smaller Calvinus beer bottles, then nearly any large grocery store in Geneva will do. If, however, you are looking for one of the larger Calvinus bottles with the cool hinge top (I fully aware of how dorky this all is), the best or at least the most straightforward place to find it is the Reformation Museum right next the St Pierre Cathedral. I might add that the Reformation Museum and the cathedral are worth the time and money to visit; it would, after all, be quite silly to go to Geneva solely for the beer!