07/08/2026
Allow us to share the story behind a refreshing bottle of summer ale... 🍺☀️
A local Oxford brewer recently created something special for the Campion Hall community... 'The Brag' beer. It is a light, refreshing summer ale inspired by the story of St Edmund Campion, our namesake and enduring spiritual inspiration.
But there's more to this beer than meets the eye. Let's take a closer look at the label...
One of its inspirations comes from the 'Battels' (basically, student bill for food and ale) from St John's College, Oxford, where Campion was a scholar and fellow. We can see on the label, pictured, the entry that "Mr Campion" was charged for food and ale in 1568. It's a rare and wonderfully human glimpse into the everyday life of the man who would later become a Jesuit, renowned scholar, priest and martyr. In the words of our Senior Development Manager, Colin Brady, "it's a very nice touch and a reminder that saints are human first of all. "
The beer takes its name from Campion's famous 'Brag' - his bold 1580 letter written before returning to England as a Jesuit missionary, in which he declared: "The expense is reckoned, the enterprise is begun..."
To complete the story, Campion Hall has stood for more than 90 years on the aptly named *Brewer Street*, a reminder of the malthouses and breweries, and William Hall, founder of Hall’s Brewery - long gone but its hare trademark can still be seen on a few pubs around the city - which once shaped this corner of Oxford...
So, a sip of history; bringing together the student life of Edmund Campion, an Oxford street steeped in brewing heritage, and a refreshing summer ale.
Cheers to that! 🍻