Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Our Man Amand

Atheists and Agnostics need not apply today.

The first round is on Amand!
Today (February 6th—not tomorrow or yesterday) is the feast of St. Amand, the patron saint of brewers, vintners, bartenders and wine merchants. Born in the eighth-century, Amand is known best for bringing a hanged man back from the dead and setting up a bunch of monasteries across what is now Belgium, northwest Germany and the Bordeaux region of France.

What any of those things have to do with beer and winemaking, I have no idea. As far as I know, he never slung drinks at the local watering hole either, so how the bartenders got in on it is beyond me.

The most plausible explanation I've read so far, is that since he did most of his work in and around what has become one of the brewing and capitols of the world—not to mention a major wine producing area since the eighth-century (eighth-century, why does that sound familiar?)—and was a considered to be a generally affable and hospitable guy, he got the nod. Think of him as a northern European St. Patrick—without the snakes.

In any case, stop by your local wine shop and drop a bit in the tip jar, or drop by the pub and give your barkeep an extra buck or two—for good ol' Amand. 

2 comments:

  1. "St. Amand" is a good old Upper Ottawa Valley last name which is kinda appropriate given their cultural habits up there.

    ReplyDelete