Brewing

Brewing is the making of alcoholic drink, and what it produces varies enormously in how far it will travel. Hops are not in general use as a preservative, so ale is drunk within a few days of being made and is therefore a strictly local product. Wine keeps, travels, and is traded at distance; the better vintages are chased. Distilling is a recent and uncommon art, and spirits are usually laid down for a further three to six months after they are made.

A Brewing Success Value test measures a five-gallon batch on the standard table. Time is the labour that goes in; days is how long the batch will keep before it must be drunk.

Wine alone rewards a fine hand at the price. Roll a number of d10 equal to the Value Diamonds of the test against the workshop’s Target Number, and add 5d to the price for each success — a distinction the brewer of ale never gets to collect on, because their product will be gone before anyone can argue about it.

Brewing is one of the trades that develops a nose. A brewer notices odours that others walk past, and a character distracted or unfocused tests their best olfactory skill to register a smell at all.