Him: Me, too. How unlike us. Best to bottle it up. Pass me another.
An interesting combination of two of my interests may well come together in Nymburk, some 30 kilometers east of Prague, where a brewery, Postřižinský Pivovar, helps continue its story as a local brewery, how the brewery altered the life of an author – and how the brewery itself became a character in the life of the community through the author:
The brewery, operated by brewing firm Pivovar Nymburk, has strong historical and literary connections with Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal, who was raised in the brewery grounds and wrote “Postřižiny” (Cutting It Short) about his childhood encounters with the brewery workers. The book was made into a hugely successful film in 1981 by director Jiří Menzel, who recently adapted another Hrabal work, “Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále” (I Served the King of England). The brewery now uses the literary connection with Hrabal as a marketing tool, and the writer’s amused face stares out from the labels of most of the bottles of Postřižinské Pivo sold in the Czech Republic.
That speaks volumes for me…but sadly more over what is not than anything. We in the English speaking world are so concerned about avoiding making connections about beer and locality and community that we forget that our behavior must seem fairly bizarre to other cultures. Just from my own experience I can think of a bar owning pal who was barred by the local regulator from selling a drink he had come up with that referenced Anne of Green Gables. Recently we’ve seen some US states call out the lawyers and tribunals to keep Santa off beer bottles. Heck, in the chapter of the upcoming book Beer and Philosophy that I penned I noted that the law of New Brunswick barred representations of beer in family situations in advertising. We can’t make fun of fictional characters or even describe what actually is – because to do so we point out there is beer in our lives. Because that would be, I guess, dangerous.
And yet we do all this despite knowing we all have tales of our own how beer characterized the community. I can only speak to my Maritime Canadian youth but we all heard how Moosehead’s Dartmouth brewery had the free tap for those working on the floor and wondered why we didn’t all drop out of undergrad and apply for a job. We knew teetotaling farmers with the case in the barn. We knew the ties between Halifax’s Keith brewery and the VE Day riots when the youth of the town invaded the place and drank the brewery dry, likely some knowing relatives – maybe those above – who had some stories. We even watched ads just a few years ago for Alpine beer and how it was not worth making a career for yourself away from home because you might not be able to get your brew…and probably knew people who likely took the advice.
In many ways, beer frames (or at least colours one corner of) what you are and what you could be expected to be….but you really shouldn’t talk about it. Beer is such an interesting touchstone for our collective denial of what we are. Far better to focus on what we think we should be. Somehow it exemplifies all the danger in life we were warned of – even though we happily live it with anyway. Weird stuff.
[Original comments…]
Stonch – October 15, 2007 9:00 PM
http://stonch.blogspot.com
“We in the English speaking world are so concerned about avoiding making connections about beer and locality and community that we forget that our behavior must seem fairly bizarre to other cultures”
I’m racking my brains for examples of this in Britain but can’t think of any. There are beers in my stash with Santa and Rudolph on the bottle, there are many named after localities or towns or whatever. Maybe I’m misunderstanding what you’re saying, but I suspect this applies only to the USA and perhaps Canada, as opposed to the whole of the English speaking world.
Alan – October 15, 2007 9:11 PM
I am not challenging you on that (if only because I am not really that coherent in what I am trying to say up there) but if I think of Pete Brown’s Three Sheets to the Wind I would recognize plenty of the cultural constipation/repression when he compares his life long English experience to Spain or the Czech Republic or even Ireland. But as a child of Scots immigrants, I am quite familiar with the dour hand passing out doubt and guilt when it comes to enjoying your beer.
The Beer Nut – October 16, 2007 5:40 AM
http://thebeernut.blogspot.com
“..Spain or the Czech Republic or even Ireland..”
Frankly, we could do with a bit less of an association between our local brewer and our city, in this town which may as well prefix its name with the words “Diageo Ireland Presents”.
I think that English beer does do a sense of place and a sense of history very well indeed. From Newcastle Brown Ale, all the way down to Cornish Knocker, you tend to know where you are with English ale, literally.
Alan – October 16, 2007 8:46 AM
Jeesh…damn good thing I found a nice picture at least. Anything else to pick apart? These all can’t be gems you know.
Stonch – October 16, 2007 10:28 AM
http://stonch.blogspot.com
Alan, that made me laugh out loud! Cheers!
Ron Pattinson – October 17, 2007 6:09 AM
http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com
Good to hear something about Bohumil Hrabal – a great writer and beer-drinker.
There are in fact two breweries connected with Postriziny – the one in Nymburk where the real events took place and Pivovar Dalesice where it was filmed. At the time of filming, Dalesice was disused, but has since been re-opened as a microbrewery.
Jiri Menzel filmed another of Hrabal’s books, “Closely Observed Trains” in the 1960’s (it won an oscar for best foreign-language film).
Hrabal was also the most famous local in U Zlateho Tygra in Prague for several decades. He used to drink there most days.
Alan – October 17, 2007 8:30 AM
Hey – you even know stuff about my dumber stories. I never thought to check out (pun) Evan Rail’s book on the Czech Republic but now that I have I see at 194 that there is a grotty bar in Prague where you can get these beers, Jamajka.
Stonch – October 17, 2007 12:03 PM
http://stonch.blogspot.com
I’m off to Prague a week on Friday for three nights. I’m excited
Alan – October 17, 2007 12:22 PM
Have you contacted Evan Rail? You should give him a shout.
Stonch – October 18, 2007 11:08 AM
http://stonch.blogspot.com
Yes, I’ll be meeting Evan. I’ll also have Dave The Long Armed Goon with me.