Lobi Lidded Beer Fermentation Vessel

Grain goes in. Something stronger comes out.

Lobi potters of Burkina Faso, West Africa, shaped this lidded fermentation vessel in terra cotta in the 20th century. Vessels like this are commonly used for brewing millet beer, a staple of village gatherings. The round body is crowded with rows of pointed studs around the shoulder, and a conical lid is covered in the same bumps. The clay is a warm, dusty tan, with smoothed lower walls and a few dark flecks of age.

About 12 inches tall. It sits like a pinecone that learned pottery.