Lambic is the only historical beer based on spontaneous fermentation that exists to this day? Think again. Before the commercialization and purification of yeasts, all fermented foods and drinks like beer used to be wild fermented. Therefore, many historical beers must have been made using yeasts from nature. With the commercialization of beer brewing, most of these beers went to extinction. Something that almost happened with Lambic too, can you imagine? One of these historical types of beer made using wild yeasts is Jopenbier or Jopejskie in Polish. This beer was made in the then-Prussian city of Danzig, later the free city of Danzig, that’s nowadays called Gdansk and lies in Poland. Two Polish breweries have brought this type of beer back from extinction, Olimp Brewery in Torun in 2018, and Browar PG4 from Gdansk in 2019.
What is Jopenbier?
So, what is Jopenbier and how is it made? To answer that question a bit of digging into history is needed. According to Browar PG4’s website, Jopenbier has been made since at least 1449 in Gdansk and it’s a peculiar beer, to say the least. Compared to other beers it’s brewed with a lot of barley, twice as much as regular beer. Furthermore, the wort is cooked for a day resulting in a very high specific gravity before fermentation. Several other sources refer to a book from 1865 by G.E. Habich called ‘Schule der Bierbrauerei’ (German for School of Beer Brewing). Here below is a translated citation from this book.
“Danziger Joppenbier
Joppenbier is in many respects very interesting. It is made from a highly concentrated wort – the Saccharometer degree is about 49 percent. From 1000 Kg malt and 5 Kg hops approximately 10.5 HL beer is produced. The mash is made by the infusion method and the wort which is drawn off is – to obtain the specified concentration – often boiled more than 20 hours. The wort is cooled down to down to 12.5 º.
The fermentation is a so-called spontaneous fermentation. Fermentation usually begins in July – although it is the same whether the beer is brewed in January or April. The wort is first covered with a thick blanket greenish-white mould; when the mould spores are in sufficient quantity to force their way into the wort and to grow to a very characteristic yeast, then the fermentation begins, which only in September subsides enough so that the beer becomes clear and can be drawn off. The attenuation is during this period up to only about 19. The resulting beer is dark brown, extremely rich (but here also partly arises from not broken down glucose) and sweet – the smell is pleasant (which is probably a consequence of the extremely slow fermentation). It is not possible to drink much Joppenbier – it is full-bodied, extremely suitable for mixing with other beer and is also for such purpose exported to England. The clear beer can be left a year in the vat on the yeast without being damaged – of course, however, the degree of attenuation will increase.”
Two theories exist around the etymology of the name ‘Jopenbier’. The first one states that the beer is named after a wooden bucket or scoop that was used to pour hot water onto the malted barley. A medieval German name for such a tool is ‘Schuffe’ or ‘Schope’. In time this has then been reworded to Jopen. The second theory is that Jopen comes from the word ‘Joppe’, a name for a warm coat that was worn during winter. The name Jopenbier would then refer to the warm feeling one would get from drinking this beer.
Furthermore, it should be mentioned that there’s a street in Gdansk called Ulica Piwna (Beer Street in English), which was formerly called Jopengasse (Jopen Alley in English). However, this street is named after the beer and not the other way around. During the heydays of Jopenbier, the center of Gdansk was home to many breweries.
What Does Jopenbier Taste Like?
According to Browar PG4’s website their Jopenbier tastes of figs, raisins, walnuts, and chocolate. Furthermore, it is stated that: “Jopenbier was characterized by dark-ruddy, almost tarry color, and some of its varieties had a syrup-like consistency. It was recommended to add it to other beers to improve its taste”. On Olimp Brewery’s RateBeer profile, we can read that their Jopenbier has aromas similar to mead, wine, and balsamic vinegar. Olimp’s Jopenbier contains 8.5% ABV and PG4’s Jopenbier comes in at 10.1% ABV. Based on this I imagine this beer might resemble a thick syrupy Imperial Stout with maybe some sour or funky notes from the wild fermentation.
Historically Jopenbier wasn’t drunk straight from the bottle but mixed with other beers, in the United Kingdom it was even used as a medicine and mixed with other ingredients. As we can see from this quote from The Buck Herald, a British newspaper, from Saturday, January 7, 1843. “Infallible Cure for Colds.—Two tablespoonfuls of Dantzig black beer, taken with hot water, sugar, and about half a glass of old rum, or malt whiskey, immediately before going to bed, is said to cure the most obstinate and long-standing colds, and has succeeded where every other remedy failed.”
I’m intrigued by this beer and can only express my gratitude toward the brewers that have made the effort to bring this beer back. So far, unfortunately, I’ve not been able to get my hands on a bottle and therefore can’t tell you anything more about the flavor profile. If anyone knows how to get this beer, that doesn’t require a plane ticket to Gdansk, let me know in the comments or shoot me a message. I know what I’m doing then the next time I have a cold.
References
- http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2008/02/danziger-joppenbier.html accessed on 30 July 2023
- https://dekoperentsjettel.nl/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2020/11/Poolse-historische-bieren.pdf accessed on 30 July 2023
- https://pg4.pl/en/home-page accessed on 30 July 2023
- https://www.beeradvocate.com/articles/8407/danziger-joppenbier/ accessed on 30 July 2023
- https://www.ratebeer.com/beer/olimp-jopejskie/457445/ accessed on 30 July 2023
- https://www.spizarniapodlysagora.pl/pl/shop/125-1573–Gaja-Jopejskie-Dymione–Olimp-100-ml.html accessed on 30 July 2023
- Featured image: Digital Museum of Pomeranian Voivodeship Cultural Heritage