Slubberdegullions! Een Hopduvel!
(At least that's what Captain Haddock might say.)
With a name like "the hop devil", this bar has got to be on the top of the destination list of all Ghent-bound ale aficionados. But whither the hop devil? Hops are especially susceptible to disease and pests. And what does our good friend the internet have to say about hop devils? A typically humorous Altavista translation gleaned this jewel: "The hop farmers fear especially the hopduvel. The hopduvel stand especially for a storm which generally by the end of prevents august and entire hop fields can fall down." This Flemish bogeyman referred to every farmer's fear: an aberration in the usual seasonal changes, a storm, a drought, pests, disease... Thankfully, the hop gardener had some weapons at his disposal: "The hopduvel let tease its separately on the fields: the hop farmer defends himself with the speech and by the use of sproeimiddelen." (That last word translates literally to "spray resources", so I guess the farmer would say it and then spray it? I'm guessing it means "brutally uncompromising fertilizer attack".)
The drama continues into the summer, as we see: "One leaves the hopduvel separately and smacks one's lips the hoppevelden [hop fields] against the ground. The hop farmer is desperate."
Before you get too worried, though, autumn arrives - and with it, the happy hop harvest: "The hopduvel have been caught. Now the hoppluk can start, whereupon is celebrated there. The hopduvel stand especially for a storm which generally by the end of prevents august and entire hop fields can fall down. These hopduvel not only wind, but also symbolize developments such as zwammen and insects (such as the red spider)." You gots to know that devil don't stand no chance when you've got this guy on your side.
That's about as much fun as it gets, though (with the notable exception of its appearance in the world of 20-sided dice). I'm guessing the hop devil, like so many other things these days, is less of a historical curiosity and gem of local mythology than an artifact of modern marketing and image-branding.
With a name like "the hop devil", this bar has got to be on the top of the destination list of all Ghent-bound ale aficionados. But whither the hop devil? Hops are especially susceptible to disease and pests. And what does our good friend the internet have to say about hop devils? A typically humorous Altavista translation gleaned this jewel: "The hop farmers fear especially the hopduvel. The hopduvel stand especially for a storm which generally by the end of prevents august and entire hop fields can fall down." This Flemish bogeyman referred to every farmer's fear: an aberration in the usual seasonal changes, a storm, a drought, pests, disease... Thankfully, the hop gardener had some weapons at his disposal: "The hopduvel let tease its separately on the fields: the hop farmer defends himself with the speech and by the use of sproeimiddelen." (That last word translates literally to "spray resources", so I guess the farmer would say it and then spray it? I'm guessing it means "brutally uncompromising fertilizer attack".)
The drama continues into the summer, as we see: "One leaves the hopduvel separately and smacks one's lips the hoppevelden [hop fields] against the ground. The hop farmer is desperate."
Before you get too worried, though, autumn arrives - and with it, the happy hop harvest: "The hopduvel have been caught. Now the hoppluk can start, whereupon is celebrated there. The hopduvel stand especially for a storm which generally by the end of prevents august and entire hop fields can fall down. These hopduvel not only wind, but also symbolize developments such as zwammen and insects (such as the red spider)." You gots to know that devil don't stand no chance when you've got this guy on your side.
That's about as much fun as it gets, though (with the notable exception of its appearance in the world of 20-sided dice). I'm guessing the hop devil, like so many other things these days, is less of a historical curiosity and gem of local mythology than an artifact of modern marketing and image-branding.
posted by Rob at 1:17 PM
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