Days of the Beer, February 27

The beer for today is Birreria San Gabriel, San Gabriel Bionda.

Today is the feast day for Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. Saint Gabriel died February 27, 1862. He was born as Francesco Possenti on March 1, 1838. He died of tuberculosis. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920.

Gabe is the patron saint of Catholic youth, students and those studying for the priesthood.

Gabe started to show symptoms of tuberculosis around 1859. He was happy for this, since he prayed for a slow death, so he could prepare himself. Oh his deathbed, he ordered his spiritual writings be burth, for fear they would tempt him to pride. When he died, those around him claim that at the moment of death, he sat up in bed and his face became radiant as he reached out to an otherwise unseen figure that was entering the room. People claim that it was the virgin Mary.

His two miracles were someone got cured of tuberculosis, and someone was cured of an inoperable hernia.

As to the beer:

Birreria San Gabriel is located in Busco Di Ponte Di Piave, Italy. (their webpage is in italian)

The mansion is located in the San Gabriel Busco, town of Treviso, between the Piave and Livenza, a small village of Ponte di Piave, which links its history the abbey of Benedictine monks, was completely renovated in 1997, making San Gabriel one of the first breweries opened in the Veneto and in Italy.

Gabriel and Olympia, the founders and managers of local, wanted to make it warm and personal welcome to your taste and with the advice of friends in Europe, with a background that recalls the value of craftsmanship.

So the brewery has the fragrance of the wood of the Val Pusteria and the old counter, once used for the maintenance of the barrels has a piece of copper boiler.

San Gabriel Bionda is a Munich Helles Lager and is 5% ABV. I'm not sure if you can get it anywhere other than Italy.

So, for Francesco Possenti, who became Saint Gabriel, have a San Gabriel Bionda, and hope you too can die a slow death.