Due to his widespread popularity and the fact that he is often considered to be the greatest composer the world has ever known, there are many, many ways that you can celebrate St. Johann Sebastian Bach’s day on July 28th!
For example, you could easily spend your time remembering this great saint solely through his music. There are far too many wonderful pieces and recordings of them to suggest just one; however, we think that putting on some of his music for the well-tempered clavier, organ compositions, or string pieces such as his solo violin or cello works in the morning could be quite lovely. Likewise, listening to one of his longer and more substantial compositions, such as his St. Matthew Passion or Mass in B minor, in the afternoon while working on a separate project, spending time with your family, or having your midday snack would be nice. If you’re interested in learning more about this great musician, there are many options for additional resources and books to spend your time with. Gardiner’s Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven and Wolff’s Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician are just two of many good ones.
Yes, as devoted music enthusiasts here at All the Household, we are not unfamiliar with these customs due to our own appreciation of Bach, even in the years before we became interested in the topic of liturgical living! However, today’s celebratory suggestion is new to us and certainly provides a fun, quirky take on Bach’s legacy and his day at the end of July.
Beer Soup
Out of all of Bach’s famous characteristics, one of the aspects of him that doesn’t receive very much focus is the fact that he drank a lot of beer! In his research, Christopher Wolff, author of the book mentioned above, found out that on an organ construction trip that Bach took, his church paid for all of his expenses, including his beer intake. Receipts show that Bach bought 32 quarts of beer over the course of his 2-week trip, averaging 4.5 pints, 1.1 growlers, or 1 six pack of beer a day. For a German who lived in the seventeenth century, this isn’t much of a surprise, but still quite impressive!
Another Bach specialist, David Gordon, has argued that due to its size (Bach had 20 children after all), the famous musician’s household likely went through nearly 300 gallons of beer a year. Additionally, Bach likely consumed beer as not just a beverage but also a part of the daily food dishes that he ate. One of the best known—and most delicious—of these would have been beer soup!
Due to these connections and historical research, some continue to celebrate Bach to this day by making of this favorite dish. While beer soup is an easy recipe to amend to your liking and only takes a few ingredients to come together, we’re providing you with our own variation down below. The most essential components are that you incorporate butter, flour, beer, and egg yolks into the soup; however, the seasonings and thickening components are up to you. You’ll surely love this rendition served with a crusty bread and perhaps a big salad to freshen things up. However you end up serving it, just don’t forget to raise a pint to Bach in the process!
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 quart beer (a dark beer or stout works well)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup whole milk or cream
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
15 oz. shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a saucepan. Sauté the garlic until softened and add the thyme, sage, and flour.
- Add the beer, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until a bit thickened. Turn down the heat.
- Whisk the eggs and milk or cream together in a separate bowl. Add this into the saucepan, bringing the heat back up until the mixture thickens again. Stir in the salt and pepper. You can also stir in 15 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese if desired. Let thicken and remove from heat completely.
- To serve, toast slices of bread with butter. Place the toast in shallow bowls and ladle soup over the toast until the bread is submerged!
St. Johann Sebastian Bach Beer Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 quart beer (a dark beer or stout works well)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup whole milk or cream
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 15 oz. shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a saucepan. Sauté the garlic until softened and add the thyme, sage, and flour.
- Add the beer, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until a bit thickened. Turn down the heat.
- Whisk the eggs and milk or cream together in a separate bowl. Add this into the saucepan, bringing the heat back up until the mixture thickens again. Stir in the salt and pepper. You can also stir in 15 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese if desired. Let thicken and remove from heat completely.
- To serve, toast slices of bread with butter. Place the toast in shallow bowls and ladle soup over the toast until the bread is submerged!
References:
1. Weedon, William. Celebrating the Saints. Concordia Publishing House. 2016.
2. Jonathan Swett, Johann Sebastian Bach, July 28, 2017.
