Brewery's Winemaking Lesson, or your First Day on the Job

Growing food and eating it occupied most of their time.
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The Strawberrystar Brewery
Winemaking Lessons

Image

The Shire's Strawberrystar Brewery is one of the more long-running businesses in all of Middle Earth. Famous for its faithful brewing of many delicious wines and ales, wizards, Men, and elves have traveled here for individual and bulk sales, group tours, and occasional parties.
During its long life, it has been under the management hands of a few hardworking hobbits who loved to contribute to the rest of the Shire by helping with parties and events. A few of those famous hobbits have been Tari Boffin, Istya Alassea, and Rian.
Upon Istya's return to the Shire, this was one of the very first places she wanted to see reopened, as some of her most favorite memories were from here. Interacting with co-workers and getting to make so many new friends all over Middle Earth, it should be no wonder why she wanted to return and bring back the brewery's homey and fun-filled atmosphere to the Shire.


Hobbits and friends who have worked here before are welcome to return as Brewers. However, there is a very good chance that former Brewers will rise up in rank very quickly.
Please join us today for a tour of the re-opened brewery, which will be followed by a wine and ale tasting!
Potential Ranks
Image Apprentice
Image Brewer
Image Master Brewer
Image Lead Brewer


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Ales

Almond Ale
A dark, creamy ale that complements any rich meat dish. Lightly vanilla-flavored, with the vanilla coming right from the almond.
Brandywine Ale
A rich and tart ale brewed with the taste of lavender, chamomile, rosehips, and elderberry. Straight from Brandywine's famous pubs.
Christmas Ale
A deep-bodied, rich red ale that shall warm you up very pleasantly on winter nights, due to its rich honey and strawberry taste. Highly spiced with cinnamon. Goes well with pork, ham and turkey stuffing dishes. First brewed by Samwise Gamgee’s great-gaffer, from the hobs of the Ivy Bush.
Green Dragon Golden Ale
A rich ale bright as honey flavored by heather flowers, elderberry, and some apple. One of Pippin Took's favorite drinks from the Green Dragon.
Mocha Delight
A rich, thick, and smooth dark ale with tons of cocoa flavoring. Best to drink on a cold night -- or when you just need chocolate! One of the delights of the Brockenborows.
Pumpkin Ale
A rich, thick, and spicy amber characterized by its mild pumpkin juice flavoring, hops, and a hint of rich molasses. First brewed during the Shire’s first fully celebrated harvest season in the 2nd Age.
Raspberry Walnut Ale
A lively, rich, full-bodied amber ale, characterized by its spicy raspberry taste and thick, smooth walnut taste. Best served with ham, pork, or heavy soup dishes.
Spiced Orange Ale
A light but savory ale blend of chamomile, coriander, and orange peel. Great with fall dishes, such as pumpkin pie and roasted turkey.
Strawberry Ale
A light, amber ale with a sweet strawberry taste. Great to savor with light pasta or chicken dishes. This is the Brewery's very first original recipe... as well as the ale that gave the Brewery its name!
Sunflower Ale
A favorite in the Eastfarthing due to its tribute to its local farmers' growing of sunflowers. The taste of rosemary and dried lemon peel makes the drinker think of sunflower fields and bright sunny days.

Wines

Cherry Apple Wine
A thick and heady red apple wine, accented with cherry flavoring and some cinnamon shavings. A southern Green Hill Country favorite, often requested at its pubs for wedding anniversaries and birthday celebrations.
Fallen Leaves Wine
A flavorful, crisp white wine, that will taste slightly different to you at every sip. Although this wine is primarily characterized by peach and lemon taste,hints of black raspberry and of fresh mint will also emerge from it on occasion. This drink is an adventure all its own.
Farmer Maggot’s Barley Wine
Tart and sweet malt wine, with the freshly farmed tastes of pear, orange and lemon. A hint of raisin gives this drink quite a richness!
Galadriel's Mirror
A thick, dry and creamy red wine tinged with peppermint and the light flavor of elderberries. Great with steaks and porks.
Glowing Strawberry Wine
A warmth-giving, heady amber-red wine, which is thick with honey and spicy on the tongue. The strawberry flavoring makes this drink a delightful surprise for those who enjoy the Brewery’s Strawberry Ale, as it is a different take on the recipe. Great with rich meat or heavy cheese dishes.
Icy Brandy Wine
A syrupy sweet, flavorful red dessert wine, best if accompanied with light ice cream or pie. Tinged with brandy and honey for a medium-bodied taste.
Old Winyard Wine
A deep, full-bodied red wine enriched with the strong mixed taste of apples, cherries, and strawberries. Originally a favorite of the Dunedain, hobbits took this recipe in and made it their own during the 2nd Age. The Old Winyard is now a Shire classic that may be mixed with cinnamon or bits of basil, based upon request.
Oranges and Lemons
A sweet, crisp white wine that will go perfectly with almost any salad or vegetable dish. This wine remains a favorite in much of the Southfarthing.
Orange Rose Wine
Another tribute to the tangy taste of oranges, but with a slightly salted raspberry taste to it. A hint of mint with it is highly suggested.
Strawberry Wine
Sweet and refreshing drink with strawberries, green grapes, a little bit of lemon, and a dash of honey for taste.
The Tuckborough Toast
A thick, tart amber wine, flavored by a triple blend of apricots, walnuts and pears. A recipe favorite of the Took family that likely came from the hobbits’ Wandering Days. Remains a wine favorite among the pubs of Tuckborough.
White Grape Peach Wine
A light, crisp amber wine, flavored primarily by peaches and just a wee bit of sugar. A delight any time of the year and with almost any meal. First brewed in Isengard by Radagast the Brown.

Stouts, Meads, Lemonade and Cider

Chocolate Stout
A rich and indulgent drink for chocolate lovers, due to its brewing of deep, dark melted chocolate with light barley and over-ripened hops.
Maple Mead
Tannic, medium-bodied, and flavored by oranges and the rich sap of the maple tree. This unique, flavorful honey mead will please all of the senses on cold, fall or wintry nights. This recipe comes from the inns and pubs all over Buckland.
Lavender Lemonade
A sweet and sparkling lemonade, first steeped in lavender flavoring before tinged with slight touches of lemon. Perfect to serve chilled over the spring and summer seasons.
Hot Spiced Cider
Rich with apple and nutmeg flavoring, this cider is rich and spicy. Perfect to warm up with or for a good, flavorful swish in the mouth.

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(OOC: Let's go ahead and repost all of our posts from the archived thread.)
@Drifa

As Istya approached the Strawberrystar Brewery's doorway a second time, she felt a sudden wave of gratefulness and even intimidation wash over her. Was she really doing this? Now that she had more time to devote to it, she hoped her poor showing last time wasn't about to affect such a wonderful, long-standing business.

This time, though, she turned right back around and then flipped the "We're Open For Business" sign over one of the door's main windows. She then put on an apron and headed over to the storage room for the fruits she had found the day before. Red grapes, strawberries, elderberries ... this had been a good crop! She took the fruits over to a sink-and-stove station, and she used its free surface where she could put down her fruit. She decided she would start off with the strawberries, so she took out a freshly cleaned knife from a drawer to start cutting the strawberries into halves.

Suddenly, Istya realized she had forgotten one thing. She ran back up to the front of the brewery, where she quickly put together another sign that would say, "Come today for a winemaking lesson!"

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(OOC: For the sake of time and expedience, I am going to move forward in the story line from where our archives leave off. That being said, Istya would like to reassure you that if anyone arrives to the Brewery today and would like to request a drink order, please feel free to find us characters outside at the grape vats!)

At hearing Bikki's question, Istya lost her rhythm for a second. She gave it a good thought before she helped to pick the rhythm back up. She also hummed a few bars of the tune to help the dwarf get back to the typical grape stomping rhythm that she had initiated for them and to help give the Gondorian man a good starting cue.

"As long as there's three hobbits in the vat, the process typically takes just under an hour," she said after getting the rhythm back up and going. She stomp, stomp, stomped around the vat a couple of times before she gave the rest of the answer. "Since we currently have a hobbit, dwarf and a man helping with this batch, I suspect we can get done closer to half an hour."

Istya then went back to the tune and began to sing to it again, especially after Ruindil said he considered this a good grape stomping shanty.

"I wonder if I'll see her face yet another time,
To see the lass with curls as bright as gold
And her grin shining like the light;
Perhaps if I make 'small pledge
to meet her father right
I'll get to make my pledge
Before the judge tonight!"

Istya then did a little kick in the air and laughed. She was pretty sure now this man and dwarf thought her odd. However, this was one part of the winemaking job she loved the most. Dancing suited hobbit lasses like her - especially when it comes to arduous tasks - as dancing typically does at most of their festive dances anyway.

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Ruindil for his part part stomped in time to Istya's singing, he was quite enjoying the lass' singing and almost dancing as she stomped. He gave a laugh as she did a kick.
"I think I'll skip doing any high kicks, I don't overly want to end up stomping these grapes with my backside when I slip and land on it." He said with a chucked and kept stomping. Half an hour? He glanced at his feet which were starting to turn colours from the grapes and at the dwarf and hobbits feet, while the hobbit was certainly only half his height he was pretty certain his feet were only slightly bigger than hers as was the dwarves but if she said that was the sort of difference it would make completely forgetting that the dwarf and him had weight on her which allowed them to stomp harder.

He did his best not to make faces at the strange feeling of grapes between his toes, he wondered how hard it was to get grape bits out of ones hair - mostly an issue if Istya did anymore high kicks and got some in his beard, since she seemed to be having a good amount of fun dancing as she sung. He moved a bit more towards the edge of the tub getting some of the grapes that had been missed entirely by the three sets of stomping feet near the edge though it did break up his rhythm which he had been enjoying with Istya's signing.

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Seeing that Ruindil was enjoying himself with the grape stomping and the jig, Istya gave out a happy laugh and then continued to hum the old song. She only stopped when she was finally pretty sure the half hour of stomping was over and the grapes looked totally squished. She was thankful that Ruindil and Bikki were enjoying this part of the winemaking and were trying to help out the best they could - even seeing where else to stomp where she did not initially.

... "I'll get to make my pledge/Before the judge tonight!" she sang grandly before she gave a few final stomps. She then switched to normally speaking as she carefully stepped out of the wine vat to double check on the vast pot below the wine vat. She was pleased to see it at a properly full amount of grape juice before she let the man and the dwarf know they could also step out of the vat.

"So there's a huge pot beneath this vat full of grape juice now," she told them, hoping to give them a chance to see the full pot they had been working on. "I usually have other hobbits help with this, but I need to get the pot back inside the Brewery. We can then start the official brewing process. Would you be able to help me?"

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