Fire-eating at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival!
As summer draws to a close, kids go back to school, the first hints of fall cool the air, and harvest festivals throughout the nation are in full swing. The MN State Fair is entering it’s final weekend, Oktoberfest begins in 3 weeks, and Renaissance Festivals are occurring across the US. Near and dear to our own hearts, the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, where Dane and Thom (i.e., the Burning Brothers) performed the majority of their fire eating, is running through the 2nd of October. As we reminisce, we think back to….
Ask the Brewer… er, Fire-Eater
When did fire-eating actually begin?
The earliest known record of fire-eating is that of a Syrian named Eunus, who lead a slave revolt in 133 B.C.E. According to The Mystery Chronicles, he got the other slaves to follow him by claiming he had been favored by the gods, and granted supernatural powers. In order to prove this, he held a hollowed out nut filled with flammable material, with a hole drilled in either end, in his mouth. Every time he exhaled through it, it would act like a bellows, and flames and sparks would shoot out.
From there, fire-eating, juggling and manipulation has gone from the Royal courts of ancient Greece, to religious ceremonies in India, entertainment during the Renaissance period, sideshow, circus and carnival acts during the early 1900s and finally to the Las Vegas stages and Renaissance Festivals of today.
No matter when it has been performed, it is an art and skill that has been passed on from mentor to apprentice, with a healthy respect for the dangers that come with it.
Taproom Tidings
On this Friday (9/2) we will be joined once again by Wholesoul who specializes in taking soul food to a whole new level.
Our Saturday food truck unfortunately had to cancel, so we would be happy to make suggestions as to gluten-free food that can be brought in (AKA Bring-Your-Own-Gluten-Free-Food BYOGFF).
As a change of pace and in support of our special event on Sunday (9/4), Soup Coupe will be joining us with their awesome line-up of hot and cold soups as well as their delicious selection of lettuce wraps.
Our cupcake from Groundswell, is a Lavender Black Bottom Cheesecake – chocolate cake topped with a lavender infused cheesecake and whipped cream with chocolate chunks.
Final Thoughts
This weekend we are excited to have Save-A-Bull rescue with us on Sunday (9/4) from 2-6pm. 10% of all profits for that day will be donated to this organization in support of their work. Stop in to have a pint and visit with the puppies they will have on hand!
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Last, but certainly not least, we wanted to plug our friends at Hot Indian Foods who will be serving up Paneer on a Spear at the Midtown Global Market booth at the International Bazaar from Aug 31-Sept 5. Deep-fried Indian-seasoned paneer cheese coated with a local gluten-free craft beer batter (hmmm, I wonder whose beer that could be?) and served with a tomato garlic chutney. Sounds like gluten-free nirvana to me.
As always, if you have questions, drop us a note via Email, Facebook or Twitter.
Cheers!