Chainsaw-wielding nun immortalised by Due South brewery

A Miami brewery has honoured a nun with a chainsaw who spent hours clearing fallen trees following Hurricane Irma with her own beer, appropriately named Nun With a Chainsaw.

Sister Margaret Ann, who has been teaching at Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School in the western suburbs of Miami for 30 years, was captured on video, wearing a full nun’s habit and work gloves, by an off duty police officer clearing trees in the days after Hurricane Irma. The video went viral and came to symbolise South Florida fortitude in the face of widespread devastation.

“That story really resonated with us,” said Doug Fairall, Due South Brewing marketing manager, speaking to SouthFlorida.com. “The nun going out … Who else is going to go out and chop down all the debris? We all dealt with that. I know I did. Everyone kind of got handy for a week or two. Because they had to do it.”

Now, the Due South Brewing Co. in Boynton Beach has made a permanent tribute to the plucky nun, creating a limited edition 7% IPA beer, made from Amarillo, Azacca and Idaho 7 hops, in her honour.

Fairall added that while the beer pays respect to the nun, it is also dedicated to the determination of an entire community.

“We’re having fun with it, for sure, adds Fairall. “But it was a serious event that took place here. She symbolized us all being brought out of our element to do what had to be done. It’s a very South Florida thing with hurricanes and storms. We all have to act like her.”

Nun With a Chainsaw will be available in limited quantities at the brewery in Boynton Beach, Miami.