Beer

Early Man and Beer in the Caribbean

by Archie O. Logist

(a pen name for Herr Professor Dr. H. Baer, Organic Chemist)

The history of the early peoples populating these here islands is shrouded in mystery. This maybe is not so surprising when much of what is going on in these days is also shrouded in mystery. However, after a few bottles of Hairoun, or maybe it was it Eku, I began to develop a sense of understanding and clarity of thinking - and clearly I figured out what might have been going on!

En-hans-ed by insertion of the calender girl selections of St. Vincent Breweries!

Concerning the Windward Islands (or Lesser Antilles, which is NOT a value judgement), the only thing we can be sure of is that there is a very close link between the ancient Caribbean people and alcohol (called spirits in early writings), as is clearly suggested by their names: There are the Arawaks, and their drink is still enjoyed by many worldwide (although in time the name has changed to Arrak or something like that).

Then there were the Caribs, and the beer they created is still sold under their name from out of Trinidad. The fact that the Trinidad marketing board is able to export it from there surprises me because it looks like American piss beer, and who wants that! But then we all know that it is not the quality of a product but the quality and intensity of advertising which causes us to like what we all seem to like.

Following closely on the footsteps of the Caribs, there is another ancient people (When they cam they killed all the men ,but kept the women and beer bottles) also closely connected to beer. And actually the only trace we have of these elusive folks is in fact their beer: So, on this here island of St. Vincent there must have been some guys calling themselves "Hairouns" or "Rooners" (like in: "Hi, Rooners"). Their beer is called "Hairoun" and is still much liked by locals and tourists alike (except that some have objected to the small size of the bottles). Interestingly, an old name for St. Vincent is "Hairouna" also! The connection is obvious!

End of File

Not enough with the Caribs and the Hairouns, there is still another beer connection: There must have been another German subtribe, the "Ekus". Again, beer has survived its people because Eku beer is still being brewed here on St. Vincent, and it is of a quality most closely resembling that sold in Munich or Pilsen, so these early people either were Bavarians (which the company claims in its ads) or Czechs. I have to czech that out.

St. Vincent's beers being close to German beer in quality and type - clearly there are some connections here! The Germans are not known for being enterprising and exploratory seafarers, only their U-boats managed to penetrate as far as the Caribbean. So, could it be that some fellers from a German U-boat survived after running into a reef around here and immediately proceeded to brew beer (recipees being described in German U-boat survival manuals)? I am offering this very intriguing hypothesis, namely that the Hairouners were of German descent, even in the absence of other archeological evidence such as finds of cuckoo clock parts or sausage casings. I must say, though, that some of the local petroglyphs showing faces with wide open (singing!) mouths do remind me of scenes in Bavarian drinking halls...so, could these actually be artefacts of the Hairooners or Hairouns? It may just be that these ancient German settlers were particularly efficient in obliterating their remains and did not litter very much � which now of course is a pain in the neck to archeologists and puts them at danger of loosing their jobs ("littering is good for employment" - nobody dares telling you so, but it is true!).

Strangely, their beer, the "EKU Bavaria" is available only in tiny bottles probably designed as collectors� items, I suppose. Maybe this was in anticipation of the SVG Government�s plans to now establish here some sort of Eku Tourism. Cheers to that, say I, but beware: It might trigger another German invasion and litter cleanup rampage in the Lesser Antilles leaving future archeologists nothing to dig for but the odor of spilled beer !

Clearly, much remains to be learned about the past of the early Caribbean people. I would appreciate anyone finding old bottle caps, bottle openers and the like, intact enough to allow carbon dating, to send me a message about the depth of the find, together with the relics! Maybe we can shed some life on early Caribbean population's history.

People do want to know where they came from. Although I myself would be more interested in someone telling me where I am going to!

(Actually, looking at all those pictures, I am beginning to get a sense of direction!)

Cheers and Greetings from

Archie O. Logist

Want to get Pictures? Goto http://www.hairounbeer.com/downloads.htm

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Concerning the Windward Islands (or Lesser Antilles, which is NOT a value judgement), the only thing we can be sure of is that there is a very close link between the ancient Caribbean people and alcohol (called spirits in early writings), as is clearly suggested by their names: There are the Arawaks, and their drink is still enjoyed by many worldwide (although in time the name has changed to Arrak or something like that).

	Then there were the Caribs, and the beer they created is still sold under their name from out of Trinidad. The fact that the Trinidad marketing board is able to export it from there surprises me because it looks like American piss beer, and who wants that! But then we all know that it is not the quality of a product but the quality and intensity of advertising which causes us to like what we all seem to like.
Following closely on the footsteps of the Caribs, there is another ancient people (When they cam they killed all the men ,but kept the women and beer bottles) also closely connected to beer. And actually the only trace we have of these elusive folks is in fact their beer: So, on this here island of St. Vincent there must have been some guys calling themselves "Hairouns" or "Rooners" (like in: "Hi, Rooners"). Their beer is called "Hairoun" and is still much liked by locals and tourists alike (except that some have objected to the small size of the bottles). Interestingly, an old name for St. Vincent is "Hairouna" also! The connection is obvious!
End of File
	Not enough with the Caribs and the Hairouns, there is still another beer connection: There must have been another German subtribe, the "Ekus". Again, beer has survived its people because Eku beer is still being brewed here on St. Vincent, and it is of a quality most closely resembling that sold in Munich or Pilsen, so these early people either were Bavarians (which the company claims in its ads) or Czechs. I have to czech that out.

	St. Vincent's beers being close to German beer in quality and type - clearly there are some connections here! The Germans are not known for being enterprising and exploratory seafarers, only their U-boats managed to penetrate as far as the Caribbean. So, could it be that some fellers from a German U-boat survived after running into a reef around here and immediately proceeded to brew beer (recipees being described in German U-boat survival manuals)? I am offering this very intriguing hypothesis, namely that the Hairouners were of German descent, even in the absence of other archeological evidence such as finds of cuckoo clock parts or sausage casings. I must say, though, that some of the local petroglyphs showing faces with wide open (singing!) mouths do remind me of scenes in Bavarian drinking halls...so, could these actually be artefacts of the Hairooners or Hairouns? It may just be that these ancient German settlers were particularly efficient in obliterating their remains and did not litter very much � which now of course is a pain in the neck to archeologists and puts them at danger of loosing their jobs ("littering is good for employment" - nobody dares telling you so, but it is true!).
	Strangely, their beer, the "EKU Bavaria" is available only in tiny bottles probably designed as collectors� items, I suppose. Maybe this was in anticipation of the SVG Government�s plans to now establish here some sort of Eku Tourism. Cheers to that, say I, but beware: It might trigger another German invasion and litter cleanup rampage in the Lesser Antilles leaving future archeologists nothing to dig for but the odor of spilled beer !

	Clearly, much remains to be learned about the past of the early Caribbean people. I would appreciate anyone finding old bottle caps, bottle openers and the like, intact enough to allow carbon dating, to send me a message about the depth of the find, together with the relics! Maybe we can shed some life on early Caribbean population's history. People do want to know where they came from. Although I myself would be more interested in someone telling me where I am going to! (Actually, looking at all those pictures, I am beginning to get a sense of direction!)
	Cheers and Greetings from Archie O. Logist
	Want to get Pictures? Goto http://www.hairounbeer.com/downloads.htm