A Toast to Brewing!

Two years ago, I learned about the Celtic Festival of Brewing, which fell on January 13th. As detailed in the post, Happy “Brewing!” the ancient Celts considered that day the longest and coldest of the winter.

A glass of Chateau de Zeiger Birch 2013 for a cold winter's day (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).

A glass of Chateau Zeiger Dooryard Birch ’13 for a cold winter’s day    (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).

I’ve always been attracted to Celtic traditions and practices, not only because much of my mixed heritage comes from the Celts, but because they live in latitudes close to ours. It just so happens that, according to a recent editorial in our local newspaper, January 14th is the day when our part of the earth begins to warm up again. That would mean that, here too, January 13th would be, if not the coldest day, then at least the last cold day before the warmth begins to return.

This information offers faint hope. Our springs are often long in coming, and late January to mid-February tend to be very cold, and very snowy at times. We are not out of the woods yet (as it were).

Even so, I’m lifting a glass of homemade wine on this Festival of Brewing to my Celtic ancestors, and to the return of the warmth. Then I’m going to get another couple batches of wine going!

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2 Responses to A Toast to Brewing!

  1. Dave Zeiger says:

    Here’s tipping a cup o’ kindness in your direction… plum, in our case and young as the year.

    Here in Southern Chatham, it looks as though it may have turned. Unseasonably warm (40+degF)and raining fifes and flutes! Those Celts knew a thing or two.

    Dave Z

  2. Mark Zeiger says:

    Hi Dave, we’re getting the same here! Looks like highs in the low 40s the rest of the week. Kind of a drag, I’d gotten to like running around in snowshoes.

    Slainte!

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