Ah, good old deja vu.
I closed my diary and curled back into the pillows I’d piled into my cave-nook. It felt like just a few months ago that I’d been sitting here writing in my diary about winning a round of the Octamillenial.
Annie got the next set of rules in a pretty little manilla envelope this morning, and we were scheduled to debrief it tonight.
We won the quarterfinals by a landslide. They didn’t show us the exact numbers, but we ended up getting sixty-seven percent of the vote, quite literally double Lucky Jean’s. The only competitor who did better was Riverside Brewery, who ended up getting eighty percent of the vote in their bracket. Yeesh.
I still think it’s ridiculous that anyone would vote for a beer they hadn’t tried, but I’m not a royalist.
Master Brewer Herder ca by last night to congratulate us on the win. He could see the writing on the wall even before the announcent. He also asked for the brewing techniques for making his own gose. We were more than happy to accept his surrender and provide the know-how.
Between the hops, the sorghum, and so experintation with my [Miniature Rembrance] I had several ideas all lined up for the next contest. Hopefully it would be a sane ruleset this ti.
For so reason, they hadn’t called the cooking contest results yet, and Bran and Darrel were biting heads off in the pub and would continue doing so until they got their answer. Suspicions abounded; we’d lost, the voting had gone wrong, there were problems with the results, et-cetera.
Hopefully they revealed the winners soon. Bran had sworn to feed us nothing but unsalted pea soup until they arrived, and Richter had started muttering about kidnapping a city official and getting them to talk. Anything to stop the endless pea soup.
I checked the calendar that I’d hamred into a wall, and considered.
We were now halfway through the year, and the biggest events of the Octamillenial were fast approaching. There were gladiatorial fights in the Arena, an enormous mock-battle out on the plains to recreate the taking of Crack, an address by the King, the big drinking contest, a magic demonstration put on by the Academy, and a big faire.
I was really looking forward to eting up with Rumbob again. The jovial pro-drinker was scheduled to arrive in Kinshasa so ti in the next month to try for the crown of greatest drinker in Crack. It would be interesting to see how the atmosphere around pro-drinking had changed in just the past couple years.
Aqua was currently working on a giant banner that said ‘Rum Tum Rumbob’.
All of this didn’t even include our own competitions or the quest to get Lucky Jean’s treasure.
So much to do, so little ti.
I piddled around in my room for a while longer before hitting the bath. I could feel knots in my shoulders that were starting to form their own knots, and I needed to relax before soone accused of being a knottty dwarf. Nyuck.
I had the place to myself. Bran and Annie were spending the day together at the Grand Market before he left to go fight the boss, Johnsson was out with his boyfriend setting stuff on fire, or sothing. Richter was preparing to enter Archis Academy in the the fall, and Aqua was out doing so counseling work.
That wasn’t to say that brewing wasn’t happening. After I’d soaked long enough and gotten dressed, I andered up to the brewroom and stared long and hard at the equipnt, then toddered over to a trio of carboys set up against one wall. They were labeled bitter, flavour, and aroma.
Each contained a different type of hop.
I’d bottled them myself two weeks ago, and they were ready to open today.
*Baaaah!!* [Translated From Prima Donna Goat] “I see you, varlet! How dare you try and sneak a drink without providing any for your Princess!”
I jumped a full ter into the air. “Hoy! Penelope! How in tha Nether are you so sneaky!? Shouldn’t your hooves clop or sothin’?”
Penelope gave a smug look, but said nothing. She nuzzled at the carboys and gave a curious glance.
“Ah…. why not.” I muttered, running to grab a Whistlemug and her goat dish from the office. I didn’t really want everyone drinking these until I’d had a chance to anyway. If it tasted awful, I’d relegate it to the dark pages of history and no-one would be the wiser.
I popped the third container first and gave it a whiff. I was imdiately hit with a wave of nostalgia. There was a heady amount of citrus to the sll, with hints of spice, almost like hot wine with orange slices. I took a breath and then another, closing my eyes to relish the mont.
Then the mustard hit, in the form of an impatient goat. *Bleeeeehh!!”
“Give a mont Penelope. This is a big deal for .” I swirled the drink around, eyeing the clarity. Nothing floating in it, and the colour was a nice crystal-clear amber. I’d gone with making a bog standard ale for this test, using Goldstone Bitters and three variants of hops.
This glass contained so of the hops I’d assud were Saaz. I’d need to taste it to be sure, but right now it definitely had Saaz’s unique scent. I also couldn’t sll any of the skunk or cheese slls I would associate with a bad hop.
As this was an aromatic style beer, I’d put the Saaz in at the end of the boil, so it would have the least impact on the taste.
There were three types of hopping, naly Wet Hopping, Boil Hopping, and Dry Hopping.
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Wet Hopping involved putting in fresh hops flowers during the boil, and I wasn't at the stage where I could do that yet. They needed to be fresh fresh, and I had zero quality control on the hops side.
Dry Hopping involved putting hops into the ferntation tank itself, and letting the hops sit in there during ferntation. I wasn’t going to do that for a while, mostly because our set-up really wasn’t designed for it.
These three beers had used a standard Boil Hopping thod, which involved adding the bittering agent during the boil. That was how Sacred Brew was made already, so it didn’t really involve any big changes.
The biggest change was when the hops got added. You could add hops at the start of the boil, halfway through the boil, and right at the end before you moved into the cooling stage. The three stages were for bittering, flavouring, and aroma… ing.
Was that a word?
Anyways.
Since Saaz was an aromatic hop, I’d used it at end-of-boil, and now was the mont of truth!
I pulled a pint into Penelope and my cups, then gave her a toast. “To our future drinks!”
*ehee!!!* [Translated from Prima Donna Goat] “To my future drinking!”
She went to guzzle, then paused when her muzzle was a centiter or so from the bowl. She narrowed her eyes with suspicion and sniffed at the bowl.
I did the sa, letting the Whistlemug capture and carry the scent to my nostrils. For a mont I was whisked back to those days in Beavermoose Brewery. I could almost hear Caroline calling my na and telling to stop drinking from our own supply.
Penelope and I sipped at nearly the sa ti, drinking greedily before coming up for air at the sa ti with an *Ahhh*. I laughed at the expression on her face and she gave a cheerful bleat.
Quest Updated: More Brews Part 2/5!
More! MORE!
Invent sixteen new drinks. Mixes don’t count.
Drinks Invented: 5/16
“Hah! Do you like it girl?” She gave a happy dance, and pushed the bowl around the room with her nose as she greedily drank from it. Unfortunately, it didn’t really capture the flavour that I’d been looking for.
I moved onto the second carboy, and snickered as the goat practically teleported back in front of , wagging her tail, dish in mouth.
This second batch had been hopped midway through the boil. That imparted the flavour of the hops without adding too much bitterness. I’d tea tested all the various hops varieties over the past few days, and this one had been the most popular. It was a hop called ‘brightleaf pineweed’ and its flower had a silver sheen on the bottom of the petals.
This ti, the scent was faintly earthy, with undertones of grapefruit. Again, it was clear of any off-scents, and I smiled in smug satisfaction at a job well done. It was the hop that I’d determined to be similar to Tettnanger.
I poured a glass and bowl, gave a small cheers to Barck for luck, then downed it in one go.
The refreshing taste of herbs and spices poured down my throat. For once, my gag reflex didn’t kick in as I drank, and I almost choked with surprise.
Beside , Penelope gave a surprised grunt, and the sound of her gulping grew manic.
I ca up for air, tears in my eyes. I stared at the mug. It was…
It was perfect.
The flavour profile really was quite similar to the German all-purpose noble hop Tettnanger, with the sa earthy, llow tones. I took a deep sniff of the brew and nodded to myself; yes, the sll wasn’t quite as overpowering as the Saaz style variant, but the flavour was more pronounced. It went very well with the Goldstone Bitters, and though it was quite nearly sacrilege, I almost preferred it to pure hops.
This was far and above the best beer I’d ever drunk on Erd. It reminded very much of a Granville Island German Pilsner from back ho. Tettnanger was a favored hop for Pilsners, wits, and lagers in general since it had such a light impact on the brew. It also played well with other bittering agents, which made it a fun hop to play with.
It lded with the Goldstone Bitters like they’d been made for each other, and I took another gulp as the cold beer quenched my thirst in that way only a good ale could.
I finished, then grimaced as I considered the empty glass. It would surely be fate if Tettnanger beca the most popular hop variety on Erd. After all, it’d been grown by order of the King. King Wilhelm to be exact, which made it Pete tested, nobility approved.
Quest Updated: More Brews Part 2/5!
More! MORE!
Invent sixteen new drinks. Mixes don’t count.
Drinks Invented: 6/16
It was ti to try the third brew. This hop didn’t have too much aroma. so I’d put it into the boil right at the start. Hops added at the start of the wort boil added their full bitterness to the brew, and I was looking forward to seeing how a hop-bittered beer tasted like to my current tastebuds.
With shaking hands I poured the requisite mug and bowl, then took a sip. Penelope did the sa a half second later.
Both of us choked, gagged, and spat beer all over the floor.
It was bitter, foul, and clashed horribly with the Goldstone Bitters.
Penelope had shoved her bowl far away from her, and was head first in her water trough. I nearly did the sa, but had the presence of mind to grab so fresh water from a passing elental instead. When I could breathe again I walked around the room activating [Spot Clean] on the ss we’d made.
By all tha bits of the Gods! Forget the flavour profile, or what kind of Earth hops it was analogous to, I couldn’t feel my face!
It was a good thing that I’d tested this myself! If I’d presented this brew to the team first, they’d never look at hops again!
I couldn’t tell if it was the hops, the mix of bitters, or what, but this was definitely out. I’d need to try without the Goldstone Bitters next ti, or use the Brightleaf variety instead. Either way, the third carboy got emptied into the sink, never to be spoken of again.
Just in ti too, as Annie walked into the room.
“Hey Annie! How’s it going?”
“Uh…”
“Uh…?”
She gave a vacant look. “I’m sorry. You were saying?”
“Hi sorry, I’m Pete. What’s up? Everything okay?”
Annie stared at with blank eyes, and I started to grow nervous.
“Weren’t you at Balin out at the Market? Why do you look like soone died?? Talk to Annie!”
Annie nodded, halfheartedly. “Rember how I was waiting until tonight to read the contest package? Well, we ran into Master Brewer Schist of Riverside Brewery. at the market. He told us he couldn’t wait to see which of us was the better brewer.”
It took a second, and I got it. My face grew wan.
Annie nodded. “Aye. Our competitor for this round…”
I finished, horror in my eyes, “Is Riverside Brewery!?”
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