Beer in Ostland

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Beer (Ostlandic: Bier) is, by far, the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the nation of Ostland. However, the laws, taxation and traditions surrounding the beverage make it a complex subject - often confusing natives and foreigners alike, akin to Ostland's complex system of currency.

In Ancient Ostland

The tradition of brewing beers is thought to have originated in ancient Normark, with this method of fermenting cereal grains into a drinkable alcoholic beverage having been brought with those that crossed the Strait of Haifa and settled what is now Ostland. However, Ostlanders are known to consume, on average 50% more beer per capita than their Norse cousins. This is attributed to the much longer growing season, more favorable climate and soil types for the growing of grains. As such, there is a much richer tradition surrounding the brewing and drinking of beers that has survived to this day.

Originally, the brewing of beer was the work of temple priests of whom used surplus grain that had begun to germinate and could no longer be used for the milling of flour. They used leavened bread as a source of yeast, which brewed a slightly sweet and mildly effervescent beer known as kivaßbier. This method of brewing came from an unfamiliarity with the abundance of wild yeasts and through the interaction with the Livlandic peoples along the northern seacoasts and the western Strait shores. Among the Livlanders, this beverage was known as vaasa. It would take another century after permanent settlement before the use of local, wild yeasts came into widespread use.

Once the priests had become more familiar with the wild yeasts - of which they found produced a superior beer - many began to develop ways to domesticate and cultivate cultures of these yeasts of which many strains survive to this day as erbstückhefe or heirloom yeasts. Many temples, especially those dedicated to Ägir, had specific recipes of grains, specially cultivated yeasts and methods of brewing that defined them as the first brewhouses. Many temples began to construct dedicated areas and buildings for the brewing and consumption of beer by the local populace, then known as bryggahus, which has evolved into the modern day brauhaus.

The Bierstein

The Bierstein (lit. Beer Stone) is the traditional mug in which beer is consumed in Ostland. They come in various shapes, sizes and varying levels of adornment. The most commonly seen stein is that which is used at beirgartens and brauhauses, a tall, cylindrical glass mug with a robust handle. More traditional steins, known as edelsbecher, are made of porcelain and have a metal topper which can be lowered to cover the top of the mug - these are often ornately painted and decorated, many of which are very expensive, serving as heirlooms or as extremely expensive gifts. In contrast, a common Ostlandic proverb regarding the stein indicates that the want of a quality beer far exceeds the splendor of an expensive stein, reflected by a common proverb:

It is better to drink fine beer from a cheap mug than to drink cheap beer from a fine mug!

—Ostlandic proverb regarding the consumption of beer and beersteins

This particular notion stemmed from a period when the commercialization of beer-brewing first started where the quality of the beer was belied by overly fancy steins while some of the most reputable brauhauses still served their beer in plain, polished stone mugs. This created an almost gimmicky nature around ornate steins which eventually evolved into their status solely as gifts and heirlooms - whereas beer in any venue throughout Ostland is still served universally in plain glass steins. This is reflected in another common proverb:

A stein with more jewels than beer is suspicious - you have paid for the jewels, not the beer. The King drinks from a stone bowl and his lips have never tasted a rancid brew.

—Ostlandic proverb regarding steins and their quality versus the beer it is served in.

Despite that particular notion, the crown jewels of Ostland includes a variety of very ornate steins, but are often the butt of many jokes made by members of the royal family.

Modern Day Beer Culture

Today there exist two distinct venues in Ostland for the consumption of beer, the brauhaus and the biergarten. While many foreigners use them interchangeably, they differ drastically in form and function. The modern-day brauhaus is a licensed brewery of beer which meets the beer purity laws established by the Royal Government. This is in contrast to a biergarten which only sells beer. Although many brauhaus facilities have venues for the sale and consumption of their products, there is both a traditional and legal distinction between the two. In some regions, a venue with only indoor accommodations is known as a bierhaus, but in official licensing documentation, they are listed as a biergarten.

A typical biergarten venue in Kiel-am-Edelstein with outdoor seating.

Bierstunde

Bierstunde (lit. Beer Hour) is the colloquial term for the hour offered by employers as a standard meal break period in Ostland. Under the law, all Ostlanders above the legal drinking age of beer are permitted approximately 1 liter of beer during this period unless the nature of their work would prove to be a hazard to themselves and others.