Here’s another interesting piece of history, an 1867 woodcut illustration of a farmer and a donkey carrying a bundle of barley corn, with a version of the John Barleycorn song engraved below. This one was printed in Dublin. There were countless versions of the English folksong, and its actual origin unknown. The version written by Scottish poet Robert Burns is probably the most well-known, though it was written around 1782, when it had been around for at least several centuries. It’s also been recorded by numerous bands, including a popular version by the English band Traffic. And finally, I wrote an overview of John Barleycorn a few years ago that includes the Burns poem.
Beer In Art #163: Joseph De Bray’s In Praise of Herring
Today’s work of art is by the Dutch artist Joseph de Bray, who’s more famous as the son of Salomon de Bray, also a painter, and for essentially just one work of art, his In Praise of Herring, which is also known as Eulogy to a Herring and Still-Life in Praise of the Pickled Herring. It was completed in 1656.
The painting also includes a poem, also titled In Praise of Herring by Jacob Westerbaen, who was de Bray’s brother-in-law. Unfortunately, I was also unable to find the full text of the poem, either. Say what you will about pickled herring — and I’m certainly not a fan — but if you’re going to pair it with a beverage, you can bet it’s going to be beer.
The Web Gallery of Art has this to say about the artist and his painting:
Fish still-lifes developed as a category during the seventeenth century — not an astonishing phenomenon when we recall that fishing, particularly for herring and cod, was a mainstay of the Dutch economy. A notable exponent of the type is Abraham van Beyeren. As the Dutch love for flowers, their love for seafood is proverbial. The Haarlemer Joseph de Bray, son of Salomon and brother of Jan, celebrated this taste in his picture, dated 1656, dedicated to the apotheosis of the pickled herring.
Resting behind the large, succulent herring and other objects in the painting’s foreground, there is an elaborate tablet, draped with a festoon of herrings and requisite onions, inscribed with a poem by the Remonstrant preacher and poet Jacob Westerbaen: ‘In praise of the Pickled Herring’ published in 1633. After telling of the herring’s delight to the eye, palette, and its other qualities, Westerbaen adds that consumption of it ‘Will make you apt to piss/And you will not fail/(With pardon) to shit/And ceaselessly fart…’ – proof, if it is needed, that plain profane messages are as likely embodied in Dutch paintings as spiritual ones. The painting was evidently a success. In the following year he painted another, somewhat larger still-life, now in Aachen, dedicated to the same subject. It includes the text of Westerbaen’s verse dedicated to the pickled herring, and a brief passage from his poem ‘Cupido’ on the page of an open folio accompanied by an ample display of herrings and onions.
And another source said the following:
Joseph de Bray came from a family of Haarlem painters which included the highly respected Salomon de Bray (his father) and Jan de Bray (his brother). Joseph is known for this curious still life in which the different elements — the jug, the glass of beer, the fish, the bread, the butter and the onions — are organized in a U-shape. In the centre of the composition is a manuscript where one can read a poem by Doctor Jakob Westerbaen, singing the praises of a salted and smoked herring!
To learn more about Joseph de Bray, sadly, there’s not much. There isn’t even a Wikipedia page in English for him, it instead forwards to his father’s page where Joseph is mentioned. There is, however, a short German page for him, and that translates as follows:
Son of the painter Salomon de Bray and brother of Dirck, Jacob and Jan de Bray. He was certainly younger than his brother, Jan, and older than his brother Dirck. Probably trained by his father, he specialized mainly on still life. In 1664, he died of the plague.
The earliest known evidence of his artistry is a small drawing of an Arcadian landscape dated 14th February 1650, classified because of the uncertain lines as an early work. There are only a handful of works that can be ascribed with certainty. The most famous depiction is “Still Life with a poem on the pickled herring” that has survived in several handwritten copies. Recently appeared on the international art market is another picture which is tentatively attributed to him. Besides the few oil paintings, there are some drawings, which are also brought in touch with him.
There’s not much else, beyond this article, Painting Family: The De Brays, about his family.
Talking (And Drinking) Like A Pirate
As today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day, I thought I’d share this version of the Pirate Alphabet, which seems to be more about beer than piracy.
THE PIRATE ALPHABET
A — The favorite word of Canadian pirates, ey?
B — B stands for Beer!
C — Da ting we sails da boat on
D — Das beer! German pirates
E — ‘e needs a beer
F — ‘f only I had a beer
G — Gee, I wish I had a beer
H — H’aightch and everone one of us should have a beer
I — I wish I had a beer
J — The guy who sells us beer
K — Jay’s wife, she’s a looker!
L — Da place where bad pirates goes when dey dies!
M — ’em folks needs beers
N — ‘nother beer
O — Oh I wish I had a beer
P — (*long pause*) Self-explanatree!
Q — A French word meaning ‘line for beer’
R — A pirate’s favorite word, Arrrh!
S — What you fall on when you drink too much beer
T — Why we beat the British
U — You should have a beer
V — Vikings! Swedish pirates
W — You and you should have a beer
X — Jay’s former wife, she no longer sells us beer
Y — Why not have a beer
Z — Ze beer! French pirates
Indianapolis Man Wins “Brew Your Cask Off” Contest
A couple of weeks ago, All About Beer magazine conducted a contest, to win a trip to the “Brew Your Cask Off” beer festival hosted by Georgia’s SweetWater Brewing in Atlanta, Georgia on March 5, 2011.
The winner had to write an essay explaining what type of cask they’d brew, in 300 words or less. The winner, Matt Robinson, from Indianapolis, Indiana, wrote a poem which won him and a friend a trip to SweetWater Brewery’s cask festival.
From the press release:
Matt will also be a honorary judge for the cask ale competition and be a server for a cask made from his hilarious and precise poem.
Without a doubt one of the most unusual, and clever beer events, SweetWater Brewery’s Brew Your Cask Off features 80 different cask ales made by a full range of celebrities and not so celebrities, including dignitaries from the beer media, non-profits and retailers from the metro Atlanta beer community. All About Beer Magazine publisher Daniel Bradford participated in making a cask named Adam’s All About Beer Ale, after the SweetWater brewer who guided the actual cask ale production. The cask ale festival features a judging of all the casks with the winner getting serious bragging rights, including being brewed by SweetWater Brewery, and the loser getting the much coveted, and highly decorated golden toilet seat.
Matt Robinson will join a collection of very talented palates as a honorary judge helping chose the best cask of the festival. During the festival itself, Matt will have the pleasure of presenting a cask made from the numerous clues he provided in his winning poem.
Runners up included second place finisher Steve Forbes who wrote a passionate sensory entry. Third place went to Michael Iris who described how his hound found an unusual cache of berries that would have made a wonderful cask. Both of these entries and the other finishers can be found at All About Beer.
The winning entry is below. Enjoy.
What Cask Should An American Brew? by Matt Robinson
What cask should an American Brew?
But nothing less than around 55 I-Be-Yous!
I would add subtle flavor with East Kents
Perhaps more for hop compliment
Throw in some fuggles and American C’s
Many will say it’s the knees of bees!
Powerful flavor will be most divine
Even with a gravity around one-thousand nine
The grain bill is full of Golden Promise Malt
This great American session cask has no fault
The hydrometer reading will need to state
Around 3.55% alcohol by weight
This may sound like an English creation
With bold American style is my summation
Lovibond sounds nice somewhere near ten
Many hours with our cask we will all spend!
Wyeast numbered Nineteen Forty-Five
Will make our cask come alive!
Gravity-fed like our English brethren
Cask beer please take hold for American beer drinking heaven
Deep in the south in town called Atlanta
Our cask brings so much joy we call it Santa!
All the people will come and stand
To sing play us a song you’re the piano man!
Food Hates You, Too
Every Sunday I take the kids to the library. I’m a voracious reader, and I’m grateful to an aunt, and to some extent my mother, for instilling in me that passion for books and literature. So it’s very important to me that I try to do the same for my own kids, and so far they both love books. Last Sunday, my daughter Alice picked out a book called Food Hates You, Too and Other Poems by Robert Weinstock.
The cover alone was reason enough, but some of the poems are pretty funny. My kids are also following in my food phobic footsteps and are very picky eaters. I’m better now — not exactly cured — but my Mom would be spinning in her grave if she knew all the foods I’ve eaten since I moved out of her house.
So the titular poem Food Hates You, Too is a pretty funny concept about how some of the food we don’t like might hate us, too.
The opening stanza:
If everyone hates different foods,
Then couldn’t it be true
That creamed chipped beef dislikes Gertrude,
And liver gags on Lou.
And here’s the final two quatrains:
If cotton candy, apple pie,
And french fries looked at you
And said, “Gross! Blecchh! Nope, I won’t try.
I’ll never like it. Ew!I’m sure you’d say, “Hey! That’s no fair!
Give me a chance! You should
Just try me. Pretty please? I swear!!
With sugar on top …? I’m good!”
There are maybe two dozen fun poems for kids in the book, most of them about food. The Cheese Sonnet is great and so is a short one about two pieces of Toast named Ned and Fred. But I’ll leave you with a final poem entitled Doughnuts.
I go nuts for doughnuts,
All tingles from Pringles
And swoony from bacon,
If I’m not mistaken.
Indeed I do.
Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Beer Poems
Today is St. Columba’s Day. He’s a patron saint of poets, so I thought I’ll pull out some of my favorite poems with beer in them. I’m excluding limericks (since we’ve done them already) and haikus since Beer Haiku Daily pretty has them covered. So for my 18th Top 10 list I present the Top 10 beer poems, although, like before, the rankings are pretty much meaningless. These are just my ten favorite poems that are about beer or drinking. I sort of prefer number 1 to number 5 or 7, but not to the degree of some of the previous lists. They’re all winners. But, of course, I’d love to hear your choices. Anyway, here’s List #18:
Top 10 Beer Poems
![]() | Beer, by Charles Bukowski, from Love is A Mad Dog From Hell (1920-1994) I don’t know how many bottles of beer the female is durable while we are going mad well, there’s beer beer |
![]() | The Tavern, by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207-1273) All day I think about it, then at night I say it. This drunkenness began in some other tavern. Who looks out with my eyes? What is the soul? This poetry. I never know what I’m going to say. We have a huge barrel of beer, but no cups. They say there’s no future for us. They’re right. |
![]() | A Glass of Beer, by David O’Bruadair (1625-1698) The lanky hank of a she in the inn over there That parboiled ape, with the toughest jaw you will see If I asked her master he’d give me a cask a day; |
Beer, by George Arnold (1834-1865) HERE, Alas! O, finer far Go, whining youth, | |
![]() | The Empty Bottle, by William Aytoun (1813-1865) Ah, liberty! how like thou art A touch of steel — a hand — a gush — And what remains? — An empty shell! |
![]() | Get Drunk!, by Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) Always be drunk. |
![]() | From The Hour Before Dawn, by William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) A great lad with a beery face |
![]() | Lines on Ale (1848), by Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849) Fill with mingled cream and amber, |
![]() | Excerpted from Terence, This Is Stupid Stuff, poem LXII in A Shropshire Lad (1896), by A.E. Housman (1859-1936) Why, if ’tis dancing you would be, |
![]() | John Barleycorn, by Robert Burns (1834-1865)* [This version is from 1782] There was three kings into the east, They took a plough and plough’d him down, But the cheerful Spring came kindly on, The sultry suns of Summer came, The sober Autumn enter’d mild, His colour sicken’d more and more, They’ve taen a weapon, long and sharp, They laid him down upon his back, They filled up a darksome pit They laid him out upon the floor, They wasted, o’er a scorching flame, And they hae taen his very heart’s blood, John Barleycorn was a hero bold, ‘Twill make a man forget his woe; Then let us toast John Barleycorn, * John Barleycorn exists in many forms, and a number of them I prefer over Burns’ version, but his is the only one I know of done by a true poet. The poem has also been turned into a song recorded by many, many artists, including Traffic, Steeleye Span and Jethro Tull, among others. I also have a children’s book of the story with wonderful woodcuts by artist Mary Azarian. You can read more about the history of this poem and story at my John Barleycorn page. |
As usual, it was pretty hard to keep the list to ten, and a great many wonderful poems didn’t make the cut. Here’s a few more that almost made it:
From The Old Stone Cross, by William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)
A statesman is an easy man, he tells his lies by rote.
A journalist invents his lies, and rams them down your throat.
So stay at home and drink your beer and let the neighbors vote.Old Irish Tale, author unknown
Some Guinness was spilt on the barroom floor
When the pub was shut for the night.
When out of his hole crept a wee brown mouse
And stood in the pale moonlight.He lapped up the frothy foam from the floor
Then back on his haunches he sat.
And all night long, you could hear the mouse roar,
“Bring on the goddamn cat!”Doh, Re, Me, by Homer Simpson
Dough, the stuff that buys me beer.
Ray, the guy who brings me beer.
Me, the guy who drinks the beer.
Far, a long way to get beer.
So, I’ll have another beer.
La, I’ll have another beer.
Tea, no thanks I’m having beer.
That will bring us back to…
(reaching the crescendo of his toast,
Homer looks into his beer mug,
which is empty) …DOH!!!Beers, a spoof of Joyce Kilmer’s Trees (1886-1918)
I THINK that I shall never hear
A poem lovely as a beer.
A brew that’s best straight from a tap
With golden hue and snowy cap;
The liquid bread I drink all day,
Until my memory melts away;
A beer that’s made with summer malt
Too little hops its only fault;
Upon whose brow the yeast has lain;
In water clear as falling rain.
Poems are made by fools I fear,
But only wort can make a beer.Here’s the original poem:
I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.Epic Poems
And way too long, but quite wonderful is the Finnish epic poem, The Kalevala and it’s hard not to mention the Hymn To Ninkasi, which really deserves to be included.
Send me your favorite beer poems by posting it or a link to it in a comment.
Also, if you have any ideas for future Top 10 lists you’d like to see, drop me a line.
Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Beer Limericks
Today is National Limerick Day, which commemorates the birthday of Edward Lear. Lear wrote the Book of Nonsense, one of the earliest collections of limerick poetry and with it and later works he’s the person who probably did more to popularize the form than anyone else. Here’s one by Lear where he mentions beer.
There was an Old Man with an owl,
Who continued to bother and howl;
He sate on a rail,
And imbibed bitter ale,
Which refreshed that Old Man and his owl.— Edward Lear, Book of Nonsense #98
So for my 16th Top 10 list I present the Top 10 beer limericks, although the rankings are pretty much meaningless. These are just my ten favorite limericks that are about beer or drinking. I sort of prefer number 1 to number 5 or 7, but not to the degree of some of the previous lists. They’re all winners. But, of course, I’d love to hear your choices. Anyway, here’s List #16:
Top 10 Beer Limericks
A Girl Named Anheuser There once was a girl named Anheuser, who said that no man could surprise her. But Pabst took a chance, found the Schlitz in her pants, and now she is sadder Budweiser. | |
A Salty Tear One day my mouth felt so dry And I thought I was about to die. Then I saw the word “Beer”, And one salty tear Of happiness escaped from my eye. | |
Ye Olde English Ale All hail to Ye Olde English Ale; Ye porter, ye bitter, ye pale. With flavours that linger, Like old Bishop’s Finger, They ain’t for the weak or the frail. | |
Deliciously Wonderful Beer by RGiskard What is hoppy and brings us good cheer? Not a froggy, I promise, my dear! It’s brown, black and tan, And can come in a can. It’s deliciously wonderful beer! | |
Pity the Innkeeper’s Plight Oh pity the innkeeper’s plight When his customers, night after night, Order only pale brew And brown ale eschew — For his dark is much worse than his lite. | |
You Get What You Pay For It’s true what the say about ale, When it has grown quite stale. It smells like a skunk, But still gets you drunk; I guess that’s why this was on sale. | |
The Monks of Manuller Some merry old monks of Manuller, Found life was becoming much duller. They brewed a fine ale In a massive big pail, And they found their lives were much fuller. | |
Slow Drowning A brewery worker named Lee Drowned in a vat of brewski. I regretfully say He’d not drowned right away; He climbed out five time just to pee. | |
Hard Head Fred A brewery worker named Fred Had a barrel fall onto his head. “Weren’t you hurt?” I did ask, “Being hit by that cask?” “I was lucky — ’twas light ale,” he said. | |
What Is It? What is to our hearts so dear? What makes the whole world cheer? What is it we praise In millions of ways — Could it be a thing other than Beer?! |
As usual, it was pretty hard to keep the list to ten, and a great many wonderful poems didn’t make the cut. Here’s a few more that almost made it:
I Drink Therefore
One day a real man of good cheer
Asked Descartes if he’d like a beer.
What the man got
Was ‘I think not’;
As he watched Descartes disappear.Osiris
What made the Egyptians revere
Osiris and claim he was peer
To the gods of the land
Was that, unlike that other band,
He’d instructed them how to make beer.The Beer Cow
There was an old farmer named Lear,
Who possessed a fine cow that gave beer.
Budweiser or Schlitz,
Could be tapped from her teats,
And pretzels came out of the rear.Abbey Ale by Nitelaf
Abbey ale’s what we brew here, we Trappists.
(We’re in Belgium, for all of you mappists.)
Strong and rich, full in body;
As sweet as a toddy.
I’m glad that we’re brewers, not frappists.No Socks
A frustrated brewer named Jacques,
Drowned himself in a barrel of Bock.
Grieved his friends, “Sad, it’s true,
Though this flavor is new,
But the next batch, let’s take off his socks.”Jack Spratt’s Wife
There was a young girl, Marie Spratt,
At work one day, fell in a vat.
Before she was dragged out
She had drunk so much stout,
That her parts that were thin, became fat.June 2nd by Tim Alborn
As from Monday, the second of June,
When the clock in my bedroom says noon,
I will stop drinking beer
For the rest of the year
(Or until I go near a saloon).The Foam Ranger
A young lad named Armisted Auger,
Favored copious foam on his lager.
To the barmaid he said,
“Give me plenty of head,”
So she karated his schwagger.
Send me your favorite beer limericks by posting it in a comment.
Also, if you have any ideas for future Top 10 lists you’d like to see, drop me a line.
Toasting the New Year 2009
Here at the Brookston Beer Bulletin we’re pausing today to wish you and yours a very Happy New Year. 2008 was yet another interesting year and was rarely dull with plenty of drama. Nobody knows with any real certainty what 2009 will be like for the beer industry, but I’ll be here for my fifth straight year of ranting about it, er .. analyzing it, online. I hope you’ll join me on another year’s worth of adventure in the beer world.
Taken a few minutes ago in front of the Christmas tree; Alice, Porter and a tasty beer. What better way to start the new year. Sometime tonight raise a glass of a tasty libation as we toast you a Happy New Year with one of my favorites:
Observe, when Mother Earth is dry,
She drinks the droppings of the sky,
And then the dewey cordial gives
To every thirsty plant that lives.
The vapors which at evening sweep
Are beverage to the swelling deep,
And when the rosy sun appears,
He drinks the misty ocean’s tears.
The moon, too, quaffs her paly stream
Of lustre from the solar beam;
Then hence with all your sober thinking!
Since Nature’s holy law is drinking,
Mine’s the law of Nature here,
And pledge the Universe in beer.
— Tom Moore, The Universal Toast
This is one my favorite out-takes. I have plenty more of the kids mugging for the camera and making some pretty funny faces. And here’s one final toast.
Too much work, and no vacation,
Deserves at least a small libation.
So hail! my friends, and raise your glasses;
Work’s the curse of the drinking classes.
— Oscar Wilde
Welcome to 2009.
Here are more of my favorite toasts. Let me know if I’m missing one of your favorites.