Mia Bossie and husband David have made some big changes since taking over 99 Bottles.
Last year, 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall had its grand reopening when Ben Lomond couple Mia and David Bossie took over. They made some changes to the dining menu, focusing on local vendors whenever possible (like getting their pasta from Aldo’s), and also adding a bunch more beers to the menu. They’re up to 170 beers now, almost twice what the name advertises. We met with Mia to ask her some questions about the new 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.
SCW: What do you like to drink from your menu?
MIA BOSSIE: That’s hard. It depends on what time of day it is and what I’m looking for. We’ve been bringing in a lot of good sours lately. I guess the one I’ve been drinking this week is the Tart of Darkness.
What do you snack with that?
Probably the beer cheese spread. It’s just a nice snack. It’s creamy and delicious and cheesy.
You’ve added a burger called “the Kegger.” What is that?
It’s a two-pound hamburger. If you finish it in one sitting we put people on the website with their quote—and we are getting some t-shirts made, so everyone who finishes it will get a t-shirt.
Have you done it?
No. So far we’ve only had three people do it in one sitting. We just thought it would be fun, mostly for the college students. They enjoy doing things like that. And it’s a great burger to share too. [Note: sharing the Kegger disqualifies you from the coveted victory t-shirt.]
Your beer sausage plate sounds delicious. El Salchichero sausage, Raw Caraway sauerkraut, German Potato Salad. What’s the inspiration for this dish?
I love beer sausage. The sausage plate was something I insisted on. I love going into a pub and having a sausage and sauerkraut. So we went over to El Salchichero and worked with Chris [LaVeque] over there. He made a custom sausage for us. So we bring in the beer and he makes the sausage. The sauerkraut is coming from Farm House Culture. Then we make the potato salad here.
What’s in German potato salad?
That’s with vinegar and bacon, instead of a creamy mayonnaise, and seasoning.
You have a lot of beer terms on your website. Do you see yourself almost as a place to teach people about beer?
Absolutely. My husband and I have been homebrewing for over 20 years, so beer is our passion. When we first took over, we did a “beer school” for all of our employees, to help educate them. And we’re going to do it again now that we’re bulking up the staff. To me, it’s important that the staff understands the beers, so they can explain it to the guests. We have a sampler that you can do and try either three or five beers (out of the draft) at a time. We sell a lot of those. Sometimes guests just want us to explain what a style is. They’ll see a word in a description. They’ll say, “What is brettanomyces? What does that mean? I don’t understand what I’m reading.” So we help them with that.
