How do 20 brewers create 35 beers with a single wort?

February 2017, our Renens vats. A scenario worthy of a mad laboratory: twenty Swiss brewers, a single Porter wort, the end result thirty-five unique creations . Impossible? Not when your name is Wortspiele.

This "must game" transforms competition into creative cooperation. A revolutionary experience . which illustrates how the craft spirit revolutionizes traditional codes and has radically transformed the Swiss brewing landscape since the abolition of the cartel in 1991.

But how on earth do you multiply a single must by thirty-five? Hold on to your taste buds, we'll explain everything.

20 brewers, one Porter wort, 60 liters each

The basic recipe: 60 liters per craftsman, then total freedom

The equation seems simple: we prepare a basic Porter must, we distribute it equally among twenty participants. Sixty liters each , like students who share the photocopies equally before the exam.

Except here, there's no question of handing in the same copy. Each brewer takes home their portion, and then it's a creative free-for-all . Personal yeasts, secret spices, grandmother's techniques, or laboratory innovations: anything goes.

Imagine a cooking competition where all the chefs start with the same basic ingredients but can add whatever they can think of. The result is guaranteed to be a blast.

Our brewery transformed into a collaborative HQ

Our Rennes walls were transformed into the nerve center of this organized madness. Logistically, it was a real challenge: coordinating twenty creative egos, managing the distribution of the precious must, and preventing the Geneva brewer from stealing the Fribourg brewer's yeast.

The beauty of Wortspiele? Transforming the natural rivalry between artisans into a wacky collaborative laboratory. Instead of being jealous of one another, our fellow brewers swap secrets like kids trading Pokémon cards.

The 5.2% Basebeer control witness

Classic porter as a reference measurement

Amidst this creative effervescence, our Basebeer reigned supreme. It sat quietly at the counter while its cousins ​​exploded with innovation. This classic 5.2% Porter version played the role of control witness, just like in any self-respecting scientific experiment.

True to the codes of style but without fuss, our Basebeer served as a taste compass . It's impossible to evaluate creative audacity without knowing the starting point. It's like trying to measure speed without a stopwatch.

While some creations incorporated passion fruit and others fermented with yeasts captured in the Alps, she remained there, imperturbable, allowing each visitor to understand the genesis of all these madnesses.

How each brewer processed his portion of wort

Techniques and ingredients used by participants

The end result defies the laws of taste probability: 35 unique beers born from the same Porter DNA. The spectrum ranged from the traditional to the completely offbeat.

Some played it subtle, others stepped up their innovation game. Exotic fruits, smuggled spices, wild yeasts lassoed, techniques worthy of a space laboratory: each approach told the story of its creator.

The tasting event resembled a liquid art gallery. Each creation bore the signature of its artisan, like brewing fingerprints. This unique collaborative dynamic created lasting connections within our ecosystem.

The Creation of La Nébuleuse: Wort X Cinnamon-Strawberry 6%

In the pantheon of memorable creations, our Wort X deserves its gold medal for audacity. This 6% "cinnamon bomb" embodied our philosophy of "why keep it simple when you can make it spectacular."

Our explosive duo? Strawberries and cinnamon. Not a hint, not a hint: an aromatic surge . Daring tasters spoke of a "cinnamon explosion" that arrived with the subtlety of a fragrant bulldozer.

The wild intensity contrasted with a surprisingly velvety texture. Strawberries wove through the spices like discreet notes in a wild Christmas symphony. Wort X was our variable X, the unknown that upset all taste calculations.

The impact on the brewing ecosystem

Consolidation of a sustainable network of local partners

Wortspiele #3 didn't just produce thirty-five ephemeral beers. This experience wove a lasting network that still informs our projects today.

The connections created through this collaboration go beyond mere business. Technical advice, equipment loans, and supplier sharing: we've created a dynamic of mutual support that elevates the entire ecosystem.

Rather than seeing competition as a threat, we favor this creative cooperation. Like benevolent hackers who share their code rather than keep it secret.

What we learned from organizing the event

Organizing such an event taught us valuable lessons about diplomatically managing strong personalities. Twenty different visions, twenty approaches, twenty ways of conceiving the same basis: the exercise required a subtle balance.

The Wortspiele format has since been adapted in other regions, proving that these collaborative initiatives are sustainably transforming the craft landscape.

This experience convinced us: Innovation is born from exchange rather than jealously guarded secrecy. As in open source, sharing multiplies creativity.

The lasting legacy of this collaborative experience

Wortspiele #3 will remain as an experiment in which we proved that a single starting point can generate an infinite number of creative destinations. From our wise, control-oriented Basebeer to the explosive cinnamon-strawberry Wort X, each creation tells a unique story.

But above all, together, they tell the story of our community : that of artisans who prefer to collaborate rather than compete. Because ultimately, Wortspiele has taught us that the real craft revolution doesn't take place in vats.

It's all about the ability to transform rivalry into shared creativity. A lesson that endures in every collaboration we pursue today.

Cheers 🍻