“From man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world.”
Ah, the liturgical calendar. An important aspect of life for many of us. Fast days, sure, but also feast days, and the numerous feasts of the saints are hard to keep track of after a while. So in case you’ve forgotten or simply weren’t aware, today is the feast of St. Arnulf of Metz, great-grandfather of Charlemagne, better known in English as St. Arnold of Metz. This patron saint of brewers advised his parishioners that beer, a safer alternative to available water, was a gift of love from God.
Legend says that when his flock went to collect his remains after his death, they ran low on provisions, and weariness tempted them to turn back. But a devout man named Duc Notto prayed, “By his powerful intercession the Blessed Arnold will bring us what we lack.” The parishioners’ little remaining beer supply immediately “multiplied in such amounts that the pilgrims’ thirst was quenched and they had enough to enjoy the next evening when they arrived in Metz.” A pretty good reward for their faith, eh?
In celebration of his feast day, I decided to honor this holy man by following his advice. And if I’m going to toast to the bishop of brews, I may as well raise a beer with his name on it. St. Arnold Brewing Company, named for our holy drinking buddy, is the oldest craft brewery in Texas, is the first American brewery I ever visited, and also happens to be just down the road in Houston.
If you happen to be in Texas or Louisiana, you should be able to locate their brews pretty easily. If not, I recommend that you try one out next time you are here. If you make it all the way to Houston, you can even pay them a visit. But wherever you are, you can still celebrate with the patron saint of brewers today; just grab a beer you like (preferably a Belgian or German style), enjoy it as thoroughly as you can, and ruminate on the labor of man and the love of God that brought such a gift to our glasses.
Prosit!