Author: David Martin (aka ArmoryDave)
Contest Entry: Dwarven Storyline Dec 09
Finalist
From Boran Coalbeard’s Gazetteer of Beers, Ales, and Brewed Beverages
An excerpt from the Introduction: “Boran Coalbeard is one of the most renowned beer and brewed beverage connoisseurs to date. His publications include “Drinking Your Way through the Pubs of Liverton”, “Being Comfortable in a Non-Social Drinking Environment”, “Living in a Beer Brewery”, and “A Primer of Beers for Young Dwarves.” A constant guest at many royal courts, Boran is also a welcome sight at many yearly festivals and tastings in which new and experienced brewers alike attempt to grab the attention of his discerning palette.”
Chapter 6: Burdisson’s Bolder Beer
The next beer on the list took me to the home of one of the most renowened and celebrated brewing clans, the Burdisson clan. Most famous dwarven brewers are found within larger holds or in joint human and dwarf settlements and cities where supplies are easily bought or otherwise obtained, and the brewers can concentrate on making their greatest beers. But for the Burdissons, this kind of arrangement simply would not do. In the case of the Burdissons, their entire hold is one gigantic brewery.
The old patriarch of the clan, Borrdar Burdisson, long ago set out to find the perfect location to create the perfect brew. Over four centuries ago, Borrdar purchased a seemingly useless piece of land from a local dwarf lord, located in the lowlands of the Northpeak Mountain range. The story goes that the dwarf lord thought the land useless, as there were no rich mineral or gem veins in the cave of the lowland hills, and the lord’s clan had abandoned the land many years before. Borrdar Burdisson was already a master brewer at this time, and what he saw in the land was a gold mine of beer that would be unmatched in all the kingdom, perhaps even the world. Today the thriving industry of Burdisson Brewery is a lasting testament to the old dwarf’s vision and tenacity. As I journeyed to the hold, I was fortunate enough to have as my traveling companion a Burdisson who was returning home from a sales expedition, and he was keen to fill me in on the workings of his clan’s land. I dare say my reputation helped in no small amount, but I quickly learned that the Burdisson clan is very proud of their accomplishments.
The hold itself is located in the largest of the old mining caverns that was abandoned by the previous owners, and over the years new networks of caves and caverns have been carved out in order to accommodate the growing numbers of the Burdisson clan. Within the hold is the brewery proper, the forges, and the tunnels which lead to the mines. I asked why the mines had been reopened, and my companion responded that old Burdisson had found one of the richest veins of coal ever found. This coal became the source of the brewery’s boilers, bubblers, brewing devices, and other mechanical and practical feats of engineering usually found in a dwarf hold. As he spoke further about the land surrounding the hold, I was surprised by the ingenuity of these dwarves and proud I could call myself one of their race. The lowlands surrounding the hold had been judged poor for farming, and that was mostly true. But Burdisson again found something in the soil that made it perfect for grain, hops, and other brewing ingredients. I was told that it took almost a decade of research, land forming, and trial and error to get the farmlands working, but once the aqueducts were in place and the minerals were given a chance to seep into the soil they became very fruitful. The farms receive fresh nutrients from higher up in the mountains every year, as the snow melts in the highlands and higher elevations, and the streams bring fresh mineral rich water into the lowlands.
Already amazed at the tenacious and striving nature of the Burdisson’s, what I learned next truly touched my heart. The south and easterly portion of the land that Burdisson purchased were also home to several natural springs and a large forest to which no nation or power had ever laid claim. The reasons for this were sketchy, to my limited understanding of the matter. He explained further that the pure spring water was used in the brewing process, eliminating the need to get water from other more expensive sources, and the brewery had a forestry division that brought in lumber for kegs, carts, and other necessities. As my guide filled in these last details, the grand genius and remarkable aptitude of not only Borrdar Burdisson but his entire clan came into focus. This was an entire dwarf hold, an entire community, which existed for one purpose and one purpose only: to brew the best beer in the world. This old dwarf will happily admit that a tear came to my eye, and my resolve to visit the hold itself became ever stronger. That night I arrived at Burdisson Hold. The bustle and activity inside the hold, relatively small by most standards, gave the impression of a much larger community, and I could tell that my arrival would in no way throw any chaos into the disciplined and ordered structure of Burdisson Hold. I checked into my lodgings and retired for the evening. The next morning I was greeted at the bottom of the stairs by my companion from the previous day. He informed me that his bosses had wanted him to accompany me throughout my stay in the hold and to offer me any additional information I required. Being a proper dwarf, I had to start my day with a breakfast, which consisted of lamb, toast, potatoes, and pale ale that was clearly designed to leave one refreshed and not weighed down with heavy alcohol. During breakfast my guide filled me in on the details of the lumber and water works operations he had mentioned the day before, and within an hour we were on our way to visit the Master Brewer’s station at the back of the brewery. It was at some point during this journey that I made it very clear what I was there to do. The Burdisson Brewery label is very famous, even in far reaching lands, and I had sampled many of their brews over the years. Whitewater Draught, Winter Heavy Stout, Applewood Smoked Ale, and Burdisson’s Private Reserve are all well known brews, highly celebrated and winners of multiple awards and contests. While all are exquisite, and some of my reviews of them can be found in my other publications, I had made this journey for one beer in particular. Known as “Burdisson’s Original,” the label actually reads “Burdisson’s Bolder Beer” and is the first brew recipe that came out of Burdisson’s Brewery. When I informed my guide of this fact, he was delighted that my journey was specifically for that brew, which he told me had always been his favorite.
The journey to the Master Brewer’s station was not long, and I was soon in the company of some of the greatest brewing minds of my time. The current Master Brewer, Gloni Burdisson, was honored that I would take the time to visit his brewery, and I was amazed at the humility by which he welcomed me into his confidence. Dwarves are usually proud and keep their secrets to themselves, but Gloni Burdisson broke the mold a little by taking me on a tour of the brewery, including the restricted sections were visitors are never allowed. Out of respect for the friendship I now share with Gloni, I will not divulge any of the brewing secrets that were revealed to me. What I can share, however, is the marvel of the technological engineering to be found in Burdisson Brewery. I have seen steam powered brewing machines before, but what I saw in Burdisson Hold made everything I had seen previously look like children’s toys. The sheer magnitude of some of the machines took me a long time to comprehend, and the multitude of pressure gauges, measuring devices, and other tools were beyond my ken to decipher. Even the mechanical buckets that transported dwarves all over the brewery on a floating rail system, which they called “the line,” defied most of what I had ever seen or heard of in regard to the limits of dwarven engineering. Next we came to the processing and shipping area of the brewery. Over four thousand kegs of Burdisson Brewery beer is shipped yearly via baggage train to ports of call all over the world. The magnitude of this part of the operation was every bit a match for the rest of the brewery, and I was able to observe a large shipment depart for the middle lands, with a final destination of Portsmouth Harbor. All throughout the tour I could not help but smile at the end result of an operation of this size. Nothing I have ever seen or heard of can ever match it. Afterwards, we passed through the experimental brewing area, where their engineers and brewers test new distillation methods, brewing recipes, new technology meant to make brewing on such a large scale a more manageable task, and other various devices for which I could not immediately discern an application to brewing. When the tour was finally over, Gloni Burdisson brought me back to what could be called the brewery visitor’s center and left me in the capable hands of my guide. Still in awe of all I had heard and seen, I insisted that we find a place to take a meal and let me collect my thoughts on the Burdissons. I scribbled furious notes over a luncheon meal of cold meats and cheese, and my guide took me back to my quarters for the afternoon. He informed me I was free to go anywhere I liked within the hold or the surrounding lands and that he would return to escort me to the evening feast shortly after sundown. When he departed I spent an hour or so more detailing in my notes the information I had acquired, and throughout the mid and late afternoon I took a stroll through the rest of the hold and out into the beginnings of the farmlands. The farmers were happy to answer any of my questions about their growing methods, reinforcing that old Borrdar Burdisson was a genius farmer as much as a brewer. One of the most amazing things about the Burdisson clan is that the farmers appeared to be just as important to the process as the Master Brewer. I am sure that I missed out on much of the internal political points of the hold, and I have no doubt they purposely postponed or moved official functions to places I could not see. I am under no delusion that I stumbled into any sort of utopia, but as far as I can tell, every member of the clan, from the coal miners to the caravan traders to the farmers, believes in the mission of Burdisson Brewery. I returned to my quarters an hour before sunset to make sure I was prepared for the feast that my guide had promised would be a singularly wondrous event. My hope at this point was to be able to hear more from Gloni Burdisson about the brewery and the beers themselves. I was also quite convinced that many important members of the Burdisson clan wanted to be present when I had my official tasting of Burdisson’s Bolder Beer.
As promised, my guide returned just after sundown, and I met him at the bottom of the stairs to my quarters, dressed in some of my finer garb. A crimson shirt gilded in gold filigree, a cape of rich purple with hues of brown and silver displaying my own clan’s crest, boots of black leather, and a large belt with a solid gold buckle made up my appearance for the evening. My manner of dress was not meant to impress anyone in particular, only to say to my hosts that I was there for serious business. The walk to the feasting hall was mostly silent. Soon the sounds of bustling servers and an already raucous group of coal miners reached my ears and heralded the dining hall chamber. The dining hall had four elevation tiers, with the highest in the back of the room from where I entered the hall. Several long tables spanned the width of each tier, and the maids and other attendants accessed the tiers through doors on either side of the hall, each at an appropriate level for the selected tier. This meant that the maids and servers did not have to use the steps in the hall itself to travel between the tiers, smartly eliminating most chance for a catastrophic collision between diner and attendant. My guide led me to the top of the four tiers and to the center table, where I was greeted once again in the formal manner of high clansmanship by Master Brewer Gloni Burdisson. As we sat, he explained that it fell to him to host this feast because the clan elders were currently traveling to the court of the High King for a yearly accounting of our lands and to discuss politics with the other lords. I inquired as to why the clan leaders had to make the trip directly to the High Court when their land technically falls under the lordship of Lord Korrigar Stonehelm of Kar Doragg. Gloni replied that this is a common misconception about Burdisson Hold, and that along with the purchase of the land Borrdar also became Lord of his own realm, as per the contract of the purchase. I had to admit that I knew very little of this political arrangement and further inquired why it was such a little known fact. Gloni simply replied that the elders always buy their “uninvolved” status in dwarf politics with kegs instead of gold, and so far it has served them well to stay out of the majority of the colossal monstrosity that is dwarf clan politics. My curiosity suitably sated on the matter, I asked about more mundane things concerning the brewery, awaiting the time when Gloni would offer me a tasting of Burdisson’s Original. Now, I had tasted Burdisson’s Bolder Beer before, several times in fact. But as I said earlier in this book, the main purpose of this project is to sample beers from as close to the source as possible. Looking around at the dining hall, I judged this place to be close enough to the source. When the feasting had reached a high point, Gloni signaled to an attendant, and amidst the noise and bustle of the dining hall, I finally was brought face to face with my goal. Before me now sat a full pint of Burdisson’s Bolder Beer, arguably the most famous brew in this part of the world. For a moment, I felt the weight and import of this event upon my shoulders. In some ways, part of an entire clan’s future rested on my next few sips of beer. Though an enormous weight, I was resolved to give the beer only the fairest and most discerning tasting I could possibly give, as my reputation was also on the line. Despite the Burdisson clan’s need for me to smile favorably on their offering, I needed to be as judging and impartial as I could be. Just before reaching for the pint, I realized that in many ways beer politics were much more complicated than I ever wanted to believe. The beer’s frothy brown body smelled both of dark hints of flavor and lighter after tones at the same time. The head indicated that the draught had been poured by an expert, and at this point I expected no less from the Burdissons. As my lips first touched the edge of the mug I was assailed by a string of light and flitting tastes akin to the lighter beers in this book. As the sip became a drink my sense moved onto deeper and richer tones not usually found outside the darker, heavier beers. My hand lowered the pint to the table, and I paid close attention to the aftertaste of the brew. Not a single taste was out of place, and the fading of the cavalcade of flavor turned into a warm need for my tongue to drink more of the beer. After my second tasting I sat the mug down and turned to Gloni Burdisson, who no doubt had been watching every twitch of my face under my brindle grey-flecked beard. I nodded and said, “Burdisson, you have a fine beer here, worthy of kings. But you have decided to share it with the world. Truly you bring honor and glory to Borrdar and your ancestors.”
A deafening cheer went up from the whole hall, and it was only then that I realized that everyone had fallen silent to await my judgment. Gloni stood and bowed, making sure to offer me another pint. My official tasting completed, and my notes already forming in my head, I assented and began what is one of the most gratifying and enjoyable nights of drinking I can remember to date. Later that night, my faithful guide brought me back to my chambers, and for the first time I was very glad he was there. I would have likely slept where I sat in the dining hall if not for his insistence in taking me back to my quarters. I stayed with the Burdissons for two more days, cementing my notes on the beer tasting and checking facts with Gloni and others to ensure that I gave an accurate accounting of the Burdissons and their legendary brew. I would have stayed longer with them, but a baggage train was leaving, headed in the direction of the next beer on my list, and I would not mind traveling in the company of the Burdisson clan. My guide, whom I came to know as Noran, also set off with the expedition, happy to have a letter of recommendation for his brews signed by none other than myself. What he did not really know is that his product is sold even before he walks in the door, my recommendation or no, for everyone already knows the Burdisson clan always brews it better.
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/hide comments
written by PlayinitCool, January 30, 2010
-
- +0
-
-
Your writing style is great, the length perfect, and it kept my interest until the end which is most important. Two thumbs up, my good man.