Walpurgisnacht and beer making

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:37 pm

So I have, for a couple of days now, wanted to do something in celebration of Walpurgisnacht, April 30th. Walpurgisnacht is an important date to a number of religions, from christianity, where that name comes from, to pagans, to Satanists, the last category is what I fall under.

To the christians, Walpurgisnacht is the date which commemorates Sister Walpurga, probably one of their lamest martyrs who died of illness shortly after transporting her brothers remains on February 25th. Her own remains were transported so that she might "rest" beside her brother on May 1st. Why this gets celebrated on April 30th is anyone's guess, but probably has something to do with the great christian tradition of trying to usurp pagan holidays.

To the pagans, Walpurgisnacht is actually something of an amalgamation of a number of spring festivals. The Norse considered it the Enclosure of the Fallen, commemorating the time when Odin died to search for the runes (that's right, Jesus may have died for your sins, but Odin died for your mind, and the christians call the norse uncultured barbarians...) and the night is said to be a time of weakened boundaries between our world and that of the spirits. Great bonfires are light to keep dead and chaotic spirits at bay.
In Germany, the night is called Hexennacht, or Witch's Night, and is considered a time when witches hold large celebrations in celebration and expectation of the coming spring. It's also the anniversary of the suicides of several high ranking nazis, ie, Hitler and Goebbels, which, yknow, is kinda it's own thing worthy of celebration...
In Estonia, the night is traditionally held as a witches night and seems to, in contemporary times, be just one of those "let's dress up and act crazy" holidays as people "dress up as witches and wander the streets in a carnival-like mood."

To Satanists, the night is the anniversary of the Founding of the Church of Satan by Anton Szandor LaVey (or, let's be honest here, Howard Stanton Levey, by birth...) in 1966. It's is also our New Year, as when he founded the Church, he also proclaimed it the start of Anno Satanis 1, or the Year of Satan 1 (we are now in AS 42). Yeah, I know, mystical mumbo jumbo and crap, except LaVey would likely admit it if called on it, where as people such as Crowley, or Gardner, would deny to the end that there was no meaning in their analogous crap except to make things sound good and get them laid and fucked up.

I like being a Satanist, I like the freedom of consciousness that it gives, and so, while I don't necessarily see anything particularly special about April 30th, and I'm able to see past LaVey's bullshit, I admire him for giving a name to how I like to live, and for creating so much bullshit that people actually believe, kinda like Lovecraft and the Necronomicon. I'm a bullshitter at heart, so bullshitters extraordinaire are my celebrities.

However... due to limited resources and locations, and knowledge of what Walpurgisnacht is traditionally or how it's celebrated, I was at some loss as for what to do to make it special this year, especially since I know all of three satanists, and would likely be inviting non-satanist friends to whatever happens because I enjoy their company and that's really what it's all about, as far satanic "holidays" (unholidays?) go, enjoying yourself.

and then , I walked into my beverage operations class for the first time in four weeks... and we had a special speaker...
a Brewmaster...
who told us all about beer...

And I had, an idea...

So I'm thinking of trying my hand at brewing a batch of beer, aiming for my aesthetics, of course, (which shouldn't be a big deal, I like sweet things, and so do my friends) naming it something particularly evocative and appropriate to the night and my reason for celebrating it (Satanic Witch [type], Goat's Head [type], you get the idea) and celebrating the night in the manner that the Church of Satan started, a small gathering of friends enjoying a few drinks and discussion of whatever topic piqued their interest that night.

So, anyone here ever try their hand at home brewing? if so, how'd it go? What kind of beer did you make? What, if anything, special did you do? Di you have any tips for my first batch?

Count Arioch the 28th · Sat Mar 14, 2009 3:48 pm

I'm not experienced, but I work at a huge box store and see a lot of weird crap.

http://www.mrbeer.com/

I don't know how much money you'd want to put into it, but that would be a start.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 8:16 pm

thanks count. I'll have to see if I can get that at a store out here. the only other kit I've seen is $100...

Judging__Eagle · Post by **Judging__Eagle** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 8:19 pm

I have a copy of an English-published paper-back sized book about brewing your own beer at home. My dad has this thing about learning how to do things himself. So, there's also a book about home made wine, and building your own cabin, or saving energy or setting up alternate heating solutions in a home.