And much good info on drinkables. It sounds to me like beer and mead are the province of the Minlister cult and are available from the Chief's stead (or possibly from a powerful bloodline than can hang on to the right to brew). The stuff is probably circulated through the clan as part of the Ring's use of clan resources (and intra-clan trade, which should exist as an informal fact of life), but smaller and poorer steads don't see it much, especially the mead. Cider and ale sound like the province of Ernalda the Steadwife (maybe Durev, too) and are likely produced at every stead. Wine is extremely specialized, I don't know if anyone outside of the Colymar make it. Distilling is apparently also done (although this is more anachronistic than hops!*), likely even more rarely than beer/mead. Brandy and the like are probably unknown.
So our average stead is probably not powerful enough to have a brewer; they mostly drink ale and cider. Does that sound right?
Peter Larsen
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