The Heortling Stead Project now has a home page at
http://home.iprimus.com.au/pipnjim/stead/stead.html
where you'll find a collection of links and examples, some background tables on stead resources and stead buildings, and a Clan Ring on the Traditional model with stats and character descriptions.
A lot of the fun of course has been the discussions we've had along the way. I thought the following summary would be of general interest. Ian Cooper and Darrin Simms are among the prime contributors.
John
HEORTLING DRINKS Water is sometimes too dirty and dangerous to drink; buttermilk, milk, cider, beer or wine are the staple drinks.
Minlister is the brewer of the Storm Tribe, and his cult holds the secrets of brewing such delights as mead, strong beer and liqueurs.
Beer or Ale is usually brewed with barley and spiced with a mixture of herbs known as grout. Wheat, oats and even rye beers are known, and 'heather ale' is a delight associated with summer crofting in the upland meadows.
Heortling ale is sweet, with a very solid texture. It provides a significant
proportion of most clansfolk's carbohydrate intake, with most adults
drinking between two to four pints a day. It has a low alcohol content,
especially from later washings of the mash ('First water' is strongest,
'small ale' is weakest). To strain the sediments, clansfolk wear a drinking
sieve-spoon around their neck at meals and feasts: these can be highly
ornate and are a common gift. Because of the lack of refrigeration, it is
drunk very fresh.
(The brew is not technically beer, but rather ale, as it is top-fermented and not lagered.)
Ale does not keep well, and making ale is a weekly household activity usually undertaken by the women. Most common ales last only about a week, and are at their best a few days after manufacture, while still fermenting. After a week, most ale is fit only for pigs. Serving week old ale is a calculated insult to a guest.
True Beer uses hops, and so can be kept for longer periods of time. Hops are still unknown to most Heortling clans, but knowledge is slowly spreading from the Empire and from Sun County, and they are cultivated and used by some master Minlister brewers. Beer is an important source of winter sustenance, but requires an expert brewer, and so usually brewed only at a chief's stead.
Cider is fermented apple or similar fruit juice. The pulp or pomace is wrapped in straw and pressed to produce "must", which is fermented in barrels. Fermentation relies on wild yeast present in the apple and takes about three months unless ritually speeded along, so most cider made in Earth Season is ready in Storm Season, and its drinking a highlight of Sacred Time celebrations. Cider lasts well and is another source of winter carbohydrates.
Powerful berry wines and mead are produced at some steads, as is pear and apple cider. Some wine is imported from the south.
Mead is made from honey, water, and yeast, and is usually brewed by initiates of Minlister. It is a drink for the feasting hall. Requiring special brewing knowledge, it is regarded as the drink of kings and poetic inspiration,especially when spiced (with 'metheglin').
Most Steads will not produce mead; it is rather the drink for the king or chief's hall. Mead is strongly alcoholic (about 10-18%) and in the United States is classified as a wine rather than a beer. Whereas ale, beer, and cider are food, mead is a drink.
'Crimpy' and 'scrumpy' are sweet honeyed meads. They are often flavoured
with some form of herb such as meadowsweet (O.E. meduwyrt - 'mead plant').
'Almond milk' is a Pelorian drink that is gaining in popularity; a mixture
of wine, ground almonds and honey.
'Cammy' is fermented mare's milk served with lumps of butter. It is strongly
associated with Elmali ceremonial.
'Hippocras' is mulled spiced wine.
Several clans forbid the consumption or importation of foreign wines, believing that they sap stamina and endurance. It is not a northern custom to water wine.
Poorer families will rely largely on ale, milk and water.
Never whistle while drinking cider; you may summon up a frivolous wind.
This summary has been incorporated into the Heortling farming and daily life essay at
http://home.iprimus.com.au/pipnjim/questlines/florafauna.html
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