“Salamander” – community and fire

There are many theories of the origin and custom of Salamander toast. Some sources interpret it as a rite referring to the ancient ritual of offering alcohol sacrifices to the deities. There are also reports that indicate that close interpersonal ties, such as friendship, must have once passed the test of fire, and Salamander was his god. It was also believed that the salamander was born and lives on fire, which has cleansing role, and alcohol played such a role for a group of friends making this toast. Others, in turn, believe that the word Salamander refers to a combination of words (abbreviations), referring to the sense of community, a call to honor it.

Historic toast ritual 

“Salamander” is a beer custom cultivated and practiced to this day during solemn feasts in the circles of German student corporations. It was probably created in Wrocław and Halle and spread in many academic centers in the first decades of the 19th century. The Salamander toast was coined as a form of honoring one of the people present at the table. During the toast no laudation was given (unless the honor was given to a deceased person). By fulfilling it, the company at the command raised from the seats, lifting the mugs and then drinking them in one breath, according to the given pace (counted from 1 to 3), after which the gathered people sat at the table again hitting and shuffling with the mugs.

At that time, the honored person thanked for the toast and drank all of his mug. Finally, the song was chanted together. During the evening, Salamander was performed only once, which emphasized the importance of the honors thus shown. Initially, toast was served with vodka (brandy), but quite quickly, as in the 1830s, it changed in favor of beer.

Wrocław – The capital of good values ​​and good beer

Beer has always seemed to be a permanent element of everyday life in Wrocław, such a kind of social binder. Going out for a beer was frequent, regular, even ritual. At a time when the Salamander ritual was born – the number of breweries in the city exceeded a hundred. The number of seats with the outskirts was several hundred. Such places were the heart and soul of the academic life of Wrocław. In them, academics gathered over beer to discuss and make friendships for life.

Academic Corporations connected students from the same sides with similar ideals. Polish grew out of the Filomacki and Filarecki traditions, and their ideological foundation was: patriotism, friendship and self-education. Corporations had their different habits, identifiers, and mottoes. They gave opportunities to develop and make new friendships, avoided dull company and intellectual stagnation, many famous people and national heroes belonged to them. Germans who did not experience the apathy of the communist era recreated it efficiently. We are just in the process of appreciating the role of small homelands and communities.

That is why we focused on a rich life around the brewery – in our Pub/taproom and company store – Concept Stu Mostów at Długosza 2 Street. We help organize many meetings, anniversaries and workshops. We initiate and support social campaigns throughout the city, and now, through the rebranding of the SALAMANDER brand, we add a narrative about values ​​that are the foundation of healthy and kind social relations that fit into the multicultural profile of Wrocław. Among other things, this is how we understand building Beer Bridges, thanks to which people get to know each other.

SALAMANDER has spoken

As a craft brewery from Wrocław, we feel empowered to show and strengthen what is most beautiful in our history and in relations between people – cultivating such values ​​as openness, friendship and respect. SALAMANDER beers in the new graphic design seem to want to co-celebrate with you – meetings and conversations that broaden your horizons. To make our lives less hasty, devoid of tension, saturated with greater tolerance and understanding. It is impossible not to mention that the whole image of the new SALAMANDRA is complemented by its unique packaging, i.e. a CAN. You can read about how it shows an awareness and social responsibility in craft industry here. To make it easier for you to “break the ice”, ask important questions or simply get interested in the subject – on each beer label under the SALAMANDER brand you will find a QR code that will redirect you to the text on the topic of graphically expressed value and of course – a description of a specific style.

Let`s toast to the meeting, values ​​and friendship!

SALAMANDER!

SALAMANDER brand beers

In the SALAMANDER brand you will find new wave beers and in most cases – intensively hopped with the most aromatic varieties, characterized by crisp, citrus notes. These beers have a clearly accented bitterness, which, despite their intense taste and aroma, are extremely balanced and drinkable.

We present our beers through: https://100mostow.pl/en/salamander-beer/

Thank You!

• We’d like to thank Krzysztof Popiński, PhD, Adjunct Instructor at the Department of Philosophy and Economic History, Faculty of Economic Sciences at Wrocław University of Economics, for many inspirational meetings and for helping us in documenting the ritual of the Salamander toast. An expert in traditions of Wrocław breweries from the turn of the 19th and 20th century, Popiński is also the author of the above quoted publication on the 19th century students from the University of Wrocław, and the co-author of the already legendary book: “Beer in Wrocław – from the Middle Ages to the Modern Times” edited by Halina Okólska from the Historical Museum, a branch of the City Museum of Wrocław.We’d like to recommend an interview with Krzysztof Popiński conducted by Beata Maciejewska:http://wroclaw.wyborcza.pl/wroclaw/1,35771,1163654.html#ixzz3v4J56EekSources:
  • Friedrich Schulze, Paul Ssymank, Das deutsche Studententum von den ältesten Zeiten bis zur Gegenwart, Leipzig 1910 p. 250, 445 – 446.
  • Edgar Hunger, Curt Meyer, Studentisches Brauchtum, Bonn u. Stuttgart 1958, p. 48 – 51.
  • Peter Krause, “O alte Burschenherlichkeit”. Die Studenten und ihr Brauchtum, Gratz 1975, p. 143 – 144.
  • Friedrich Kluge, Werner Rust, Deutsche Studentensprache, v. 2, red. Theodor Hölcke, Historia Academica, no. 24 – Schriftenreihe der Studentengeschichtlichen Verienigung des CC 1985, p. 151 – 153.
  • Krzysztof Popiński, Borussia, Lusatia, Marcomania…. The world of student university corporations, beer pubs and duels. Students of the University of Wrocław 1871 – 1921, Wrocław 2002, p. 61.
  • Toast Salamander – https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamander_(Ritual)
  • Student university corporations – https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corps_(korporacja_akademicka)
  • History of Wrocław – http://www.wroclaw.pl/historia-wroclawia
  • 2nd edition of the Reunion of the Former Employees of Wrocław Breweries – https://100mostow.pl/blog/2015/03/21/rodzina-znowu-razem/
  • Wrocław tastes – The differences between craft and commercial beer brewing. smakiwroclawia.pl/video
     – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTvldiEOUSs
  • Meeting the German craft scene at the BGM3 – https://100mostow.pl/blog/2015/09/12/beer-geek-madness-3/