the session

The Session #69 is upon us Friday, and Jorge at Brew Beer and Drink It asks participants to write about “The Perfect Beer World.”

He explains:

“. . . what is something you would like to see change. . . something that will take us closer to the Perfect Beer World? The topic is wide open. . . even if you think that what you want to change for the better is not important or ridiculous. . . share it!”

And “. . . what would you change to lead us into the Perfect Beer World? or how do you describe the Perfect Beer World? It’s your world too you know.”

I hope some writers tackle that last one and describe the (or a) “Perfect Beer World.” I’m at a loss where to start.

99 Pours has (already) posted a complete roundup for The Session #68: Novelty Beers, one of the best organized and most educational recaps in the history of this silliness. Or perhaps I was simply dazzled by the pictures and mouseover action.

And the question was repeated, “What the heck is Mumme?”

So once again I refer you to Ron Pattinson. Here’s a post that includes a good explanation, but this one is guaranteed to make you chuckle.

When 99 Pours announced the topic for The Session #68 would be novelty beers who knew that Wynkoop Brewing would brew a beer with bull testicles? Other than brewmaster Andy Brown and master promoter Marty Jones, of course.

That was pretty much “all in” for a novelty beer.

Too bad, because I was pretty sure I had a winner, and simply because I knew the right people. A few years back for a story that appeared in American Brewer I asked Ron Pattinson and Randy Mosher to pick the ‘original” extreme beer.

Pattinson wrote back, “Well Danziger Joppenbier is hard to beat. It was around since at least the 1700s. It was like Mumme, but even weirder.” Curiously, although the beer was brewed in Danzig most of its sales were in Britain, where it was spelled Jopenbier.

Mosher, author of Radical Brewing and Tasting Beer, came up with the exact same answer. “The weirdest one I’ve run across is Danziger (Gdansk) Jopenbier, a . . . beer that started as a malt syrup at over 50°Plato (not a typo, fifty), fermented spontaneously with a variety of oxidative yeasts and possessing a lot of sherrylike qualities,” he wrote in an e-mail.

When stories about Wynkoop’s Rocky Mountain Stout went viral I saw a few tweets from people who wrote they plan to make it the first beer they try next week at the Great American Beer Festival. I, on the other hand, will be the guy looking for Jopenbier.

99 Pours has announced the topic for The Session #68 will be Novelty Beers. Here’s the idea:

With the onslaught of even weirder beards…erm…beers…than before, I can’t help but wonder if novelty beers are going too far. Or maybe not far enough? LOL! As a merchant of beer, I can see the place for novelty beers, as I am choosing for some customers who say, “I want the strangest beer you have.” We’ve even seen some novelty beers in our top-sellers. But beer traditionalists sometimes frown on these new and bizarre concoctions. And I can’t help but wonder if Martyn Cornell will participate, sharing bizarre but notable historic brews.

And . . .

What novelty beer comes to mind when you think: Is this beer just to strange to stay around? Why in the world would they choose ingredients most beer drinkers have never heard of . . . what the heck is a qatar fruit? If it’s okay for beer to taste like tea or coffee, why not pizza? If wild yeasts are allowed to ferment beer, then why not beard yeast? If oysters, why not bacon? If pumpkin’s good enough for pie, why not beer? Since hops are flowers, why not brew with actual flowers?

As always, the session is open to bloggers everywhere. To participate, write a post on Oct. 5 and announce it at 99 Pours.

Derrick Peterman has posted the roundup for The Session #67, which he asked us to answer the questin, “How many breweries will exist in 2017?”

He’s nicely organized it from the most optimistic to the least.

More than 5,000?

Only two breweries? One?

I’m sticking with 2,620.