by Oliver Weatherbee
The information presented here is taken from The Encyclopedia of Beer (Henry Holt, 1995) and the Secret Life of Beer (Alan Eames, 1995)
| There are many beers associated with different Saints but few
of these areactually named after "recognized" beer related saints. In Europe
during theMiddle Ages most abbey's brewed their own beer for internal consumption.
Later,however, these monks began selling their beer to the outside world.
Onceentering this marketplace, many of these abbeys used the names of theirpatron
saints to create "brand recognition". This was so successful thatmany British
pubs began picturing saints on their signboards and it continuestoday with
the numerous saints appearing on beer labels. Often the saintsdepicted on
a pub's signeboard would be the patron saint of the dominanttrade which frequented
that pub such as St. Crispin, the patron saint of shoemakers and cobblers.
Despite this religious proliferation, there are actually only a handful ofnotable christion saints directly tied to beer and brewing through sometype of "miracle". |
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Saint Arnou (580 A.D)
After 15 years as bishop, St. Arnou retired to a monastery where he died in 640A.D.. He was still so popular back in Metz, that the citizens petitioned to have him brought back and buried there. The citizens carried his body backto Metz, and it was along this journey that a Beer Miracle is said to have occurred. There are actually two versions of this miracle, the firstmore widely accepted than the other: Version 1: Along the way the porters tired and stopped by the wayside to refresh themselvesat a tavern. Unfortunately, there was only one mug of ale left. However, as thissingle mug was passed among the devoted citizens, it never ran dry and was ableto quench the thirst of everyone. Version 2: The porters again were hot and exhausted. One of these men is said to haveuttered a plea to God for a cool, refreshing beer. Upon this request, copiousamounts of cold ale shot out of the casket they were carrying, drenching allthose below. All were able to drink their fill and a new Saint proclaimed. St. Arnou's name is often spelled St. Arnould or St. Arnolds. Also, he isoften confused with Saint Arnou De Oudenaarde.
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Although there have not been any new Beer Saints since Saint Arnou De Oudenaarde and St. Hildegard, beer often still plays important roles in "modern" christianity. In fact, according to Dan Kij ( TGHD67A@prodigy.com), priests prayed to beer to save the life of a pope!
(Polish letters with a dicritical mark are preceded with a q)
This anecdote, which I've been asked to repeat, has nothing to do with the first Pope from Poland (JOHN PAUL II, the former Cardinal Karol WojtyQla of KrakQow), but might be amusing to those who like a good story...and a good glass of BEER, PIWO ("PEE-vaw" in Polish), BIRRA ("BEE-rrrah" in Italian), etc.
During my nine visits to Poland, I've had the opportunity of tasting some of the delicious brews produced all over that country. Some Americans are familiar with imported brands like "O-K" (OKOCIM - "aw-KAW-cheem"); qZYWIEC (with the q indicating here a dotted Z, it's "ZHIV-yetz"); and KRAKUS. I've brought back a can or two of TATRA Pils; PIAST from WrocQlaw; a full-light from the brewery in LeQzajsk ("LEH-zhaisk"); and a 6.3% KAPER KRqOLEWSKI ("Royal Corsair") from Hevelius in the Baltic seaport of GdaQnsk.
The most interesting brew was from the town of WARKA ("VAHrrr-kah; rrroll those RRRs!), situated on the beautiful Pilica ("pee-LEE-tza") River, about 50 miles south of Warsaw. The town dates back to 1321, and its brewery to 1478. In 1483 ( nine years before Columbus did his thing!), the local duke ordered that only Warka beer would be served at his court, and would be the only brew available in the Warsaw City Hall (literally, the "Rathskeller"). The town of Warka is also the birthplace of the famous American Revolutionary War hero, GEN. CASIMER PUqLASKI, "The Father of the American Cavalry" who, at 32, was the highest ranking American officer to die for our independence.
At the close of the 16th century, the papal ambassador to Poland was Monsignore Gaetano Aldobrandisi, who developed a taste for the fine beer of Warka while serving as the Vatican's nuncio. On his return to Italy from Poland, Msgre. Aldobrandisi (who later was elected POPE CLEMENT VIII) was stricken with a serious throat abcess which appeared to be terminal. On his deathbed, he half-conciously began muttering something repeatedly about BIRRA DI WARKA and PIWO OD WARKI. The clerics and priests who surrounded him believed he was praying his last to some little-known saint, and they also began chanting: "BIRRA DI WARKA, ORA PRO NOBIS!" ("Beer of Warka, pray for us!"). When the semi-concious prelate heard this, he began to laugh so uproariously that the abcess broke....and he recovered!
Thank God they didn't require health-warning labels on beer bottles in those days!
DAN KIJ (pron. "Key"), Buffalo-Lackawanna NY USA
PRODIGY POLISH CLUB
Internet: ______@prodigy.com
