Lobi Beer Fermentation Vessel

Every inch of this pot has grown spikes. Beer, it seems, is worth defending.

This beer fermentation vessel is Lobi, from Burkina Faso in West Africa, made of terra cotta in the 20th century. Millet beer has long been central to social life across this part of West Africa, brewed in large batches and shared at gatherings. The round body is covered from neck to foot in row upon row of small, sharp clay points, some darker at the tips. A spiked collar rings the top, around a short open neck. The clay is a warm, earthy brown. It is 18.5 inches high and 16 in diameter.

Nobody ever picked it up absent-mindedly.