Dyngus Day is Here

Unless you live in Chicago, some parts of northern Indiana, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and a few other small cities in the US, you may be scratching your head when you see the title of this blog. But the author has been aware of this holiday about as long as he’s been able to drink beer. And since I fondly look back at the days I spent living in South Bend, a town with a rich Polish heritage, I thought it would be fun to write a piece about it. I have been fortunate enough to spend time in Poland, and will draw from that trip a little bit in this article as well. While craft beer drinkers don’t need many reasons to drink good beer, I thought this post Easter holiday might be of interest to my readers.

The name Dyngus means “worthy,” or “proper” in Polish, and commemorates the baptism of a Polish prince in 966 on Easter Monday which brought Christianity into Poland. The holiday as we know it originated in Buffalo in 1961 when the aptly named Chopin Singing Society brought this tradition to America. The holiday includes parades, some neat traditions of flirting which involve boys sprinkling young ladies with water, pussy willows, and of course a lot of really good food, and excellent Polish beer!

When I became aware of the Holiday, I saw just the food, and parade. I always thought it was neat that the polish did Mardi Gras backwards, and someone once said they just wanted an extra day to hide Easter eggs! I remember going out with friends on this holiday and just enjoying the whole Polish American experience just being in the South Bend area. I even had a roommate who was actually from Poland, and Pawel, wherever you are, I dedicate this article to you. I miss the honey flavored potato vodka, and all the different Polish snacks you brought back from your trips to Chicago.

If you live in or visit many of the larger cities I mentioned at the start of this article, you can find historic Polish neighborhoods, and places to get good Polish food. I grew up around Pittsburgh, and learned about pierogis at a very early age. The Polish neighborhood on the Chicago northside is vibrant, and a good place to get important Polish beer. And because this is a beer blog, you probably guess that’s where I’m going with everything.

My appreciation for Polish beer began in 2007 when I was able to spend some time in the eastern European country. I became a big fan of beers made by Zywiec, Okocim, and Lech. I had friends living in Warsaw, and had a few chances to sit in the New Town Square having a few excellent beers. While most of them were just full bodied lagers, they were flavorful, and satisfying. So I was very excited when I got back to Indiana and found Polish beer was available in some liquor stores. I had Zywiec’s hoppy lager, but it was the Okocim Palone which solidified my lifelong appreciation for Polish beer.

For a while, the Palone was available in 22 ounce bombers at the Kahn’s on Keystone in Indianapolis. I was getting into stouts and porters very heavily at this time, and this dark malty lager was excellent. I would often pair it with whatever I was eating at night, and for a time, it was my go to beer. In researching this article, I tried to find some, but I discovered that it’s no longer in production!

So while I’ve had quite a few beers made in Poland, they are more being made as brewing is taking off in that country as it is everywhere. Baltic porters are popular, as well as hoppy Beers, and traditional lagers. Browar Wagabunda was new to me, and I’m intrigued by their Polish Rhubarb Wheat Ale. In addition, a lot of U.S. craft breweries are making Polish style beers, and I’ve had Leinenkugel’s Polish Fest Beer which I remember being excellent. The Polish Town Pilsner from the Long Island Beer Company also sounds like something I need to try!

So as I finish this article, I am anticipating picking up my six pack of O.K., also made by Okocim. Wes at Plainfield Discount was gracious enough to order some for me. If you happen to be on the west side of Indianapolis, help me make that case disappear. Dyngus Day is the Monday after Easter which is almost here. We drink good beer, so why not drink a Polish one on a Polish holiday? The one thing I will never get into in this blog is the difference between craft and import beer. I like to promote good beer wherever it’s from, nuff said!

So as drinkers of good beer, I hope you appreciate this article. I had fun doing a little research on Dyngus Day, and as it made me think about my time in South Bend, it was a trip down memory lane. If this is all new to you, I hope you found it interesting, and maybe sometime in the near future you’ll try a Polish beer!