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== Overview ==
+
'''Brewers!'''
 +
 +
In an effort to make the sharing and finding of beer recipes (and yeast locations) easier,
 +
a database has been created at http://www.talescripts.org/atitdbeer/. If you're interested in
 +
sharing your research, please check it out.
  
[[Image:Beer.jpg|700 px|center]]
+
== Introduction ==
 +
[[Beer]] is made from [[honey]], [[malt]] and/or [[wheat]], brewed in a [[Beer Kettle]]. Through use of the right [[yeast]] or combination of yeasts, and with proper ingredients, you can concoct beers with a wide variety of flavors, features, and potencies.  This guide shows how to become a productive brewer.
  
The national beverage of Egypt. Beer is brewed in a [[Beer Kettle]] using various combinations of [[malt]], [[wheat]] and [[honey]], stored in a [[Small Barrel]], and served at a [[Ceremonial Tasting Table]].
 
  
Aside from being drunk to increase [[Beer Tasting]] skill (an important route to [[Perception]] improvement), beer may be brewed into ambrosia for festivals, or distilled into [[spirits]] using an [[Alembic]].
+
=== Why Brew? ===
  
=== Beer Characteristics ===
+
First of all, what's the good of beer brewing (besides the fact that it's fun)?  What function does it play in the game, and why is it useful to be able to make a variety of beers?
Individual beers can vary across many characteristics, depending on the ingredients and yeasts used in their brewing:
+
* Drinking beer improves the [[Beer Tasting]] skill, which in turn leads to permanent [[Perception]] bonuses.  Variety in sampling appears to be the fastest route to gaining points.  So, the ability to produce a varied supply of tasty brews will lead to greater point-gaining success -- for yourself and your friends.
* '''Potency''', or alcohol content: no special potency, Potent, or Very Potent.
+
* Tests, such as the [[Test of the Banquet]] and the [[Test of Festivals]], will sometimes require beer of specific characteristics, randomly determined (e.g. Very Potent Cherry, Spicy Dry Honey). The more you master the art of brewing, the better you will become at crafting beers to fulfill these specific demands.
* '''Color''': no color, Brown, or Black.
 
* '''Sweetness''': Dry, Sweet, or neither.
 
* '''Special Properties''': Fruity and/or Spicy.
 
* '''Flavors''': up to two of Barley, Bread, Honey, Banana, Blackberry, Cherry, Date, Grapefruit, Orange, Pear, Prune, Jasmine, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Clove, or Nutmeg. Such flavors can be "bold", "noticeable", or merely a "hint".
 
  
Beer is stored in [[Small Barrel|small barrels]]. A barrel of beer is very heavy, with weight 100 and bulk 1. There is no way to empty a full barrel of beer other than by using it (by unkegging it at a tasting table, or by distilling it or making it into ambrosia).
+
=== What You Will Need ===
  
=== Spoilage ===
+
To get started in the exciting world of beer brewing, you will need the following:
If beer stays too long in the barrel (or on the tasting table), it will eventually spoil, rendering it unfit for drinking.  Beer can only go bad after it has been kegged; it can sit in the kettle indefinitely before then. The more potent a beer, the longer it will last after kegging.
+
* The [[Beer_Brewing/Amunet|Beer Brewing]] tech.
* A Very Potent beer will last over a week.
+
* At least one [[Beer Kettle]].
* A Potent beer seems to last one Teppy day.
+
* At least one [[Small_Barrel|small barrel]] in which to collect the result of your work.
* A non-potent beer lasts only one Teppy hour.  
 
  
You will not be told whether a beer has gone bad until you attempt to drink it. Beer will also spoil on the tasting table if left out long enoughSpoilage does not affect a beer's fitness for distilling, ambrosia making, or donating to university research.
+
You will also need a supply of ingredients for the beer itself.  You will not need these for [[Yeast Testing|yeast testing]], though, so you can build your ingredient supply while you look for a good place to keep your kettle:
 +
* A supply of [[honey]].
 +
* A supply of [[malt]](Don't forget to build a [[Malting Tray]]!)
 +
* A supply of [[wheat]].
 +
* A [[Grain Oven]] in which to roast your malt and wheat.
  
== Drinking Beer ==
+
Lastly, you need a place to brew!  See the [[Yeast Testing]] article for how to find a suitable location and seal time for your kettle.  The rest of this guide assumes that you have isolated a yeast and are ready to begin brewing with ingredients.
  
[[Image:BeerTasting.png|left|border]]
 
  
Beer is drunk at a [[Ceremonial Tasting Table]].  Served in mugs, each barrel provides 21 servings.  Click on a mug to fill it, then click on it again to drink.
+
=== The Beer-Making Process: An Overview ===
 
 
Drinking beer differs from [[wine]] in two important respects.  First, unlike wine glasses, all mugs are identical -- there is no mug on the table that is "better" for drinking.  Grab whatever you like.  Mugs are provided automatically and for free; they are not individually crafted as wine glasses are.
 
 
 
Second, the results of a taste of beer are the same for everyone.  That is, what you taste is exactly what the barrel has to offer; there is no "beer palate" to refine.  (That said, multiple Beer Tasting points can be had from the same barrel -- see the [[Beer Tasting]] article for discussion.)
 
 
 
 
 
== Beer Making Overview ==
 
Beer is made from honey or malt (anything else displays ''"You can only use Malt and Honey in beer."''), brewed in a [[Beer Kettle]]. You must have the [[Beer Brewing]] tech (available at a University of the Human Body) to make beer.
 
  
 
It takes 60 [[Wood]] and 25 [[Water in Jugs |Water]] to start a kettle of beer. Once started, the beer making process goes through two phases:
 
It takes 60 [[Wood]] and 25 [[Water in Jugs |Water]] to start a kettle of beer. Once started, the beer making process goes through two phases:
  
* Brewing (20 minutes) -- in which grain and honey are added to the brew.
+
* '''Brewing''' (20 minutes) -- in which grain and honey are added to the brew.
* Fermentation (40 minutes) -- in which local microbes enter the kettle and convert the brew's sugars into -- ideally -- alcohol.
+
* '''Fermentation''' (40 minutes) -- in which local [[microbe|microbes]] enter the kettle and convert the brew's sugars into -- ideally -- alcohol.
  
 
'''The brewing phase''' counts down from a 1200-second timer. At any point during this stage, you may add grain and/or honey. The type and amount of ingredients, and how early or late in the process they are added, determine a number of factors -- not least the amount of sugar and vitamins available in fermenting.
 
'''The brewing phase''' counts down from a 1200-second timer. At any point during this stage, you may add grain and/or honey. The type and amount of ingredients, and how early or late in the process they are added, determine a number of factors -- not least the amount of sugar and vitamins available in fermenting.
  
'''The fermentation phase''' counts down from a 2400-second timer. At any point during this stage, you may ''seal the kettle''. Sealing the kettle prevents any (more) microbes from entering. While you can get drinkable beers from an unsealed kettle, most of the time you will want to seal the kettle after the yeast microbe has entered, and before bad microbes enter. (See below, [[#How to Find and Isolate Yeast]].)
+
'''The fermentation phase''' counts down from a 2400-second timer. At any point during this stage, you may ''seal the kettle''. Sealing the kettle prevents any (more) microbes from entering. While you can get drinkable beers from an unsealed kettle, most of the time you will want to seal the kettle after the yeast microbe has entered, and before bad microbes enter. (See the [[Yeast Testing]] guide.)
  
 
Once the fermenting is done, you may leave the beer in the kettle indefinitely. With an empty small barrel in your inventory, you may ''Take the beer'' (kegging it). You are given a display showing the statistics of your beer.  
 
Once the fermenting is done, you may leave the beer in the kettle indefinitely. With an empty small barrel in your inventory, you may ''Take the beer'' (kegging it). You are given a display showing the statistics of your beer.  
Line 52: Line 46:
 
* If it is drinkable, you are given an opportunity to name the beer for later use. (Once you use the beer, your barrel is returned.)
 
* If it is drinkable, you are given an opportunity to name the beer for later use. (Once you use the beer, your barrel is returned.)
  
=== The Details of Beer, or the Brewing Phase ===
+
== Beer Characteristics ==
The brewing phase lasts for 1200 seconds, or 20 minutes. At any time during this phase, you may add ingredients (honey and grain) to the kettle. The type and amount of these ingredients will determine some of the attributes of your beer. These attributes are further modified by the time at which the ingredient is added.
+
 
 +
[[Image:beer_results.png|left|360px|border]]
 +
 
 +
Let's start by looking at a finished product, so you can see all the variables that go into a beer and what they mean.
 +
 
 +
After you keg a finished brew, you will see a screen that looks like the one to your left.  On the top will be a description of your finished beer, or a description of your failed brew (e.g. "Nonalcoholic Soup").  Below that is a page of statistics about your brew.  Let's review them one by one, so that we need no longer fear them.
 +
 
 +
==== Alcohol ====
 +
 
 +
This figure shows the total alcohol in your brew.  Alcohol is produced by [[Yeast|yeasts]] as they consume sugar; for each unit of sugar eaten, 1 alcohol is produced.  A brew must have an alcohol level of 100 or more to count as beer; anything less than that is "soup".
 +
 
 +
If a beer has alcohol of 800 to 1199, it is considered '''Potent'''.  Beer with alcohol of 1200 or more is '''Very Potent'''.  All else being equal, higher-potency beer is preferable, because it can last longer after kegging before going bad.
 +
 
 +
==== Color ====
 +
 
 +
This represents the beer's darkness.  If color is between 200 and 499, it becomes '''Brown Beer'''.  Over 500 makes it '''Black Beer'''.  Color is another way to bring variety to a beer; additionally, sometimes a [[Test of the Banquet|banquet]] or [[Test of Festivals|festival]] will specifically require a brown or black beer.
 +
 
 +
Color is created by the grain in the brew -- the more you add, the earlier you add it, and the darker the roast, the greater the influence on color.  Burnt malt and wheat have the most effect on color (and, in fact, have few other characteristics, so they're used almost exclusively for coloring purposes).
 +
 
 +
==== Mold ====
 +
 
 +
If you allow [[microbes|mold microbes]] into your kettle, some of your sugar may be converted into mold.  Ideally, your kettle will be sealed to avoid this, so mold will generally be zero.  (See the [[Yeast Testing]] guide for more on kettle sealing.)  A brew can survive with very small amounts of mold (50 or less); anything more will ruin it outright.
 +
 
 +
==== Vitamins ====
 +
 
 +
This shows the amount of '''vitamins''' left in your brew after your yeasts have had their way with it.  Microbes such as yeasts consume vitamins for "fuel" as they process sugar; insufficient vitamins will halt the fermentation process.  There will nearly always be leftover vitamins in a finished brew, and they're harmless.
 +
 
 +
Vitamins are created by the ingredients you add during the brewing phase.  Honey adds a little, malt and wheat significantly more.  The less-roasted your ingredients, the more vitamins they provide (the main use for raw malt/wheat is to add lots and lots of vitamins).  Adding the ingredient later in the brewing phase produces more vitamins.
 +
 
 +
==== Glucose, Maltose, Lactose ====
 +
 
 +
The next three categories show the leftover sugar in your brew.  '''Glucose''' and '''maltose''' are the sugars used in brewing.  (There is no such thing as '''lactose''' in the game; it was never implemented and will always be zero.)  Sugar is created by the ingredients you add: honey provides glucose, malt/wheat provides maltose with a little glucose.  This sugar is then converted by the yeasts into alcohol.
 +
 
 +
Owing to the way microbes work, there will nearly always be sugar left over in your brew.  This is a good thing, as it is this residual sugar that provides the sweetness to counteract the bitter flavors.  If the ratio of bitterness to sweetness is too high, a brew becomes '''Bitter Beer''' and undrinkable.  On the other hand, too much sweetness compared to bitterness produces '''Cloying Beer''', also undrinkable.  Thus, you want leftover sugar to be neither too much nor too little.
 +
 
 +
Sweetness that is below a certain fixed threshold will yield '''Dry Beer''', while above a certain threshold will make '''Sweet Beer'''.
 +
 
 +
==== Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Acetic Acid ====
 +
 
 +
Ideally, these will all be zero.  '''Citric acid''' will definitely be zero, as it was never implemented into the game and nothing produces it.  '''Lactic acid''' and '''acetic acid''' are produced by unwholesome [[microbes]] (lactobacilli and acetobacter, respectively).  Generally, you will seal your kettle in a manner that prevents these undesirables from getting in (see the [[Yeast Testing]] guide for more details).
 +
 
 +
Lactic acid produces a sour flavor.  In high enough proportion (compared to sweetness and bitterness), it can overwhelm and ruin a beer, but is harmless otherwise.  Acetic acid, on the other hand, will always ruin a beer at levels above 50, regardless of other factors (amounts less than 50 are fine).
 +
 
 +
==== Flavors ====
 +
 
 +
Every brew sports a variety of flavors to a greater or lesser degree.  Some flavors (such as Honey) derive from the ingredients added during the brewing phase, but most are created by yeast(s) during fermentation as a byproduct of alcohol production.  Some flavors only appear when the brew contains malt, others only when wheat is added.  The sample beer pictured above was made with malt and honey, so the "wheat flavors" such as Vanilla and Blackberry are not present to any degree.
 +
* '''Fruity flavors''' include Orange, Banana, Cherry, Date, Grapefruit, Pear, Blackberry, Prune, and Honey.  If the total amount of fruity flavor is high enough, the beer gains the '''Fruity''' descriptor.
 +
* '''Spicy flavors''' include Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Clove.  Enough total spiciness grants a beer the '''Spicy''' descriptor.
 +
* '''Pleasant flavors''' include Barley, Bread, Jasmine, and Vanilla.
 +
* '''Unpleasant flavors''' include Grassy, Nasty, and Herbal.  Grassy or Nasty over 100 ruins a beer; Herbal does not.
 +
* '''Bitter flavors''' include Tannin and, to a much lesser extent, the spicy flavors (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Clove).  Bitterness needs to be properly balanced with sweetness (from the leftover sugars) or else the brew will not be drinkable.
 +
 
 +
==== Microbes Detected ====
 +
 
 +
At the bottom is a list of the [[microbes]] in the brew, in the order in which they appeared in the kettle.  Which microbes are present depends on where your kettle is placed and what time you sealed it.  See the [[Yeast Testing]] page for more details.
 +
 
 +
== The Brewing Phase ==
 +
 
 +
The brewing phase lasts for 1200 seconds, or roughly 20 minutes. At any time during this phase, you may add ingredients (honey, malt, and wheat) to the kettle. The type and amount of these ingredients will determine some of the attributes of your beer. These attributes are further modified by the time at which the ingredient is added.
  
* '''Glucose''' is a sugar, and is created by grain and honey. Honey adds 10 glucose per unit. Light, medium, and dark roasted malt add 2 glucose per unit. Raw malt adds 1 glucose per unit. Burnt malt adds no glucose. Wheat provides 120% of the glucose of a similarly roasted malt.
+
* '''Glucose''' is a sugar, and is provided by all ingredients, but most of all by honey. Malt and wheat provide only a little bit. Glucose is twice as sweet as maltose, but it's also the first sugar targeted by hungry microbes, so your typical beer will have very little glucose left over.
* '''Maltose''' is a sugar created by grain. Light, medium, and dark roasted malt add 10 maltose per unit. Raw malt adds 5 maltose per unit. Burnt malt adds 2 maltose per unit. Wheat provides half the maltose of a similarly roasted malt.
+
* '''Maltose''' is a sugar provided by wheat and malt. Yeasts and other microbes start eating maltose only after there's no more glucose to be had; thus, most of the leftover sugar in a brew will normally be maltose.
 +
* '''Color''' is created by wheat and malt.  (Honey is colorless.)  The darker the roast of the grain, the darker the color. Also, the earlier in the brewing phase you add the grain, the darker the color.
 +
* '''Vitamins''', which are consumed by microbes during fermentation, are created by grain and, to a lesser extent, honey. The later you add the ingredient, the more vitamins are created. The darker the roast of the grain, the fewer vitamins it creates.
 
* '''Barley flavor''' is created by malt. The earlier in the brewing phase you add the malt, the stronger the barley flavor. Raw malt gives twice as much barley flavor as light, medium, and dark roasted malt. Burnt malt has no barley flavor at all.  The counterpart flavor in wheat beer is '''Bread'''.
 
* '''Barley flavor''' is created by malt. The earlier in the brewing phase you add the malt, the stronger the barley flavor. Raw malt gives twice as much barley flavor as light, medium, and dark roasted malt. Burnt malt has no barley flavor at all.  The counterpart flavor in wheat beer is '''Bread'''.
 +
* '''Bread flavor''' is created by wheat.  The earlier in the brewing phase you add the wheat, the stronger the Bread flavor. Raw wheat gives twice as much Bread flavor as light, medium, and dark roasted wheat; burnt wheat has no Bread flavor at all.
 +
** In addition, Bread flavor is produced by yeast whenever there is wheat in the brew.  This is added to the Bread flavor created by the ingredients.  The amount of flavor created per alcohol varies by yeast.
 
* '''Honey flavor''' is created by honey. It works the opposite of barley flavor: the later in the brewing phase you add the honey, the stronger the honey flavor.
 
* '''Honey flavor''' is created by honey. It works the opposite of barley flavor: the later in the brewing phase you add the honey, the stronger the honey flavor.
* '''Color''' is created by malt. The earlier in the brewing phase you add the malt, the darker the color. Also, the darker the roast of the malt, the darker the color. Burnt malt is mainly used to create color.
+
** In addition, Honey flavor is produced by yeast whenever there is malt in the brew.  This is added to any Honey flavor created by the ingredients. The amount of flavor created per alcohol varies by yeast.
 
* '''Tannin''', a bitter flavor, is created by malt. The earlier in the brewing phase you add the malt, the greater the effect on tannin. Also, the darker the roast of the malt, the less tannin it creates.
 
* '''Tannin''', a bitter flavor, is created by malt. The earlier in the brewing phase you add the malt, the greater the effect on tannin. Also, the darker the roast of the malt, the less tannin it creates.
* '''Vitamins''', which are consumed by microbes during fermentation, are created by malt and honey. The later in the brewing phase you add the ingredient, the more vitamins are created. The darker the roast of the malt, the fewer vitamins it creates; honey creates fewer vitamins than dark roasted malt, and burnt malt creates no vitamins at all. Raw malt is mainly used for vitamins.
 
 
* '''Grassy flavor''' is created by raw and light roasted malt. (Grassy flavor can also be created by yeast during fermentation.) The earlier in the brewing phase you add the malt, the greater its effect on grassy flavor. Raw malt adds significantly more grassy flavor than light roasted malt. If grassy flavor goes above 100, your beer will be undrinkable.  The counterpart flavor in wheat beer is '''Herbal'''.
 
* '''Grassy flavor''' is created by raw and light roasted malt. (Grassy flavor can also be created by yeast during fermentation.) The earlier in the brewing phase you add the malt, the greater its effect on grassy flavor. Raw malt adds significantly more grassy flavor than light roasted malt. If grassy flavor goes above 100, your beer will be undrinkable.  The counterpart flavor in wheat beer is '''Herbal'''.
 +
* '''Herbal flavor''' is created by raw and light roasted wheat.  It functions the same as Grassy flavor does with malt beer, except that a high Herbal does not appear to ruin a brew.
 +
 +
Note that Banana, Blackberry, Cherry, Date, Grapefruit, Orange, Pear, Prune, Jasmine, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, and Nasty flavors are determined entirely by the yeast being used.  They are not created until the fermentation phase, when the yeasts get to work.
 +
 +
 +
=== Ingredient Characteristics ===
 +
 +
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1"
 +
|-
 +
! '''Ingredient''' !! Glucose !!  Maltose !! Color !! Vitamins !! Barley Flavor !! Bread Flavor !! Honey Flavor !! Tannin Flavor !! Grassy Flavor !! Herbal Flavor
 +
|- style="background-color:#fedf9c;"
 +
|''' Malt (Burnt)''' || -- || 2 || 12 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || -- || -- || -- || -- || -- || --
 +
|- style="background-color:#fedf9c;"
 +
| '''Malt (Dark Roasted)''' || 2 || 10 || 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 || 6000 / (T + 240) || 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || -- || 1.5 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || --
 +
|- style="background-color:#fedf9c;"
 +
| '''Malt (Medium Roasted)''' || 2 || 10 || 3 * (T + 240) / 1440 || 8400 / (T + 240) || 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || -- || 2 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || --
 +
|- style="background-color:#fedf9c;"
 +
| '''Malt (Light Roasted)''' || 2 || 10 || 1.5 * (T + 240) / 1440 || 12000 / (T + 240) || 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || -- || 3 * (T + 240) / 1440 || 1.5 * (T + 240) / 1440 || --
 +
|- style="background-color:#fedf9c;"
 +
| '''Malt (Raw)''' || 1 || 5 || 1 * (T + 240) / 1440 || 15600 / (T + 240) || 12 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || -- || 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 || 12 * (T + 240) / 1440 || --
 +
|- style="background-color:#fff099;"
 +
|''' Wheat (Burnt)''' || -- || 1 || 12 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || -- || -- || -- || -- || -- || --
 +
|- style="background-color:#fff099;"
 +
| '''Wheat (Dark Roasted)''' || 2.4 || 5 || 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 || 8400 / (T + 240) || -- || 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || 1.5 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || --
 +
|- style="background-color:#fff099;"
 +
| '''Wheat (Medium Roasted)''' || 2.4 || 5 || 3 * (T + 240) / 1440 || 9600 / (T + 240) || -- || 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || 2 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || --
 +
|- style="background-color:#fff099;"
 +
| '''Wheat (Light Roasted)''' || 2.4 || 5 || 1.5 * (T + 240) / 1440 || 10800 / (T + 240) || -- || 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || 3 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || 1.5 * (T + 240) / 1440
 +
|- style="background-color:#fff099;"
 +
| '''Wheat (Dried, Raw)''' || 1.2 || 2.5 || 1 * (T + 240) / 1440 || 12000 / (T + 240) || -- || 12 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 || -- || 12 * (T + 240) / 1440
 +
|- style="background-color:#ffff6c;"
 +
| '''Honey''' || 10 || -- || -- || 1200 / (T + 240) || -- || -- || 1200 / (T + 60) || -- || -- || --
 +
|}
 +
 +
T = Time remaining (based on nearest tick; see below)
 +
 +
Formula is for 1 deben of ingredient -- multiply result by # of ingredient.
 +
 +
Each calculation is rounded off to the nearest whole number.
 +
 +
'''''Example #1:''''' Adding 30 Malt (Light Roasted) with 300 seconds remaining creates 60 glucose, 300 maltose, 17 color, 667 vitamins, 68 Barley flavor, 34 Tannin flavor, and 17 Grassy flavor.
 +
 +
'''''Example #2:''''' Adding 30 Wheat (Medium Roasted) with 900 seconds remaining creates 72 glucose, 150 maltose, 71 color, 253 vitamins, 143 Bread flavor, and 48 Tannin flavor.
 +
 +
'''''Example #3:''''' Adding 60 honey with 600 seconds remaining creates 600 glucose, 86 vitamins, and 109 Honey flavor.
 +
 +
 +
==== Timing and "Ticks" ====
 +
 +
For the purpose of these above formulas, it should be noted that the game views the brewing phase not as 1200 seconds, but as a series of "ticks" spaced 12 seconds apart.  Ticks occur on every second evenly divisible by 12 (except for 0): 1200, 1188, 1176, etc.  When making calculations, the game will round off to the nearest tick.  If the add time is exactly halfway between ticks (e.g. 1194 is halfway between the ticks at 1200 and 1188), it will round downward to the lower tick.  The only exception is the final six seconds of the brewing phase (between 1 and 6 seconds remaining): this range is not rounded down to zero, but rounded up to 12.
 +
 +
In other words, adding an ingredient with anywhere from 1200 and 1195 seconds remaining will be calculated by the game as an add time of 1200.  Adding between 1194 and 1183 will be treated as 1188, and so on.  At the end of the brewing phase, anything between 1 and 18 is counted as 12.  To put it graphically:
 +
 +
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1"
 +
|-
 +
! '''Actual Add Time''' !! '''Effective Add Time'''
 +
|-
 +
| 1200 - 1195 || 1200
 +
|-
 +
| 1194 - 1183 || 1188
 +
|-
 +
| 1182 - 1171 || 1176
 +
|-
 +
| (...) || (...)
 +
|-
 +
| 42 - 31 || 36
 +
|-
 +
| 30 - 19 || 24
 +
|-
 +
| 18 - 1 || 12
 +
|}
 +
 +
== The Fermentation Phase ==
 +
 +
The '''fermentation phase''' lasts 2400 seconds, or roughly 40 minutes.  During this time, local [[microbe|microbes]] -- most importantly, [[yeast]] -- will enter the kettle and go to work on the sugar in the brew.  It is not possible to add further ingredients during this phase.
 +
 +
During fermentation you may take one action: sealing the kettle.  Sealing the kettle prevents any further microbes from entering for the remainder of the phase.  This allows control (in a limited fashion) over which microbes will act in your brew.
 +
 +
There are 100 numbered [[microbe|microbes]] in the game, of which over half are useful yeasts.  The remainder are Lactobacilli, Molds, and Acetobacteria -- these are generally harmful to a brew and should be avoided.  In order to make drinkable beer, a brew needs alcohol and therefore at least one yeast.  Thus, it is necessary in many spots, and useful in others, to isolate a yeast before you try to make beer.
 +
 +
* [[Yeast]]
 +
:A desirable microbe which converts sugars to alcohol and flavors.
 +
* '''Mold'''
 +
:An undesirable microbe which converts sugars to mold.
 +
* '''Acetobacterium'''
 +
:An undesirable microbe which converts sugars to acetic acid (vinegar).
 +
* '''Lactobacillus'''
 +
:An undesirable microbe which converts sugars to lactic acid.
 +
 +
(For simplicity, this article will use "yeast" interchangeably with "microbe", since yeasts are the important microbes for brewing beer.)
 +
 +
 +
=== Fermentation Timing ===
 +
 +
Much like the brewing phase, the fermentation phase is broken into a series of discrete "ticks".  In the case of fermentation, each "tick" lasts 24 seconds, with the exception of the first tick (2400 to 2389 seconds), which is 12 seconds long.  Presumably the last fermentation tick is either 12 seconds or 36 seconds; it's unknown which is the case.  But in general, we can say that fermentation consists of about 100 24-second steps.
 +
 +
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1"
 +
|-
 +
! '''Time Remaining''' !! '''Size of Tick (in seconds)'''
 +
|-
 +
| 2400 - 2389 || 12
 +
|-
 +
| 2388 - 2365 || 24
 +
|-
 +
| 2364 - 2341 || 24
 +
|-
 +
| 2340 - 2317 || 24
 +
|-
 +
| (...) || (...)
 +
|-
 +
| 1236 - 1213 || 24
 +
|-
 +
| 1212 - 1189 || 24
 +
|-
 +
| 1188 - 1165 || 24
 +
|-
 +
| (...) || (...)
 +
|}
  
Note that Banana, Blackberry, Cherry, Date, Grapefruit, Orange, Pear, Prune, Jasmine, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, and Nasty flavors are determined entirely by the yeast being used. They are not created by the ingredients.
+
And so on.
  
Barley beer is able to produce the following flavors: Barley, Banana, Cherry, Date, Orange, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Grassy.
+
When microbes enter a kettle, they do so at the start of a tick.  There are thus about 100 effective possible entry times for microbes: 2388, 2364, 2340, ... 1236, 1212, 1188, etc.
  
Wheat beer is able to produce the following flavors: Blackberry, Grapefruit, Pear, Prune, Jasmine, Vanilla, Clove.  They also produce Bread and Herbal flavors, which are the equivalent of Barley and Grassy in barley beer.
+
=== How Microbes Behave ===
  
=== Beer Attributes, and the Fermentation Process ===
+
''(For a full listing of microbes and their characteristics, see the [[Microbe]] article.)''
'''*http://www.atitd.org/wiki/tale3/Guides/Beer (Helpful T3 Guide with Base Ingredient Attibutes Chart)'''
 
  
Figuring out what will result in good beer takes three steps:
+
All microbes consume the sugar (glucose and maltose) in a brew, generating their product -- alcohol, in the case of yeasts -- on a 1:1 basis.  Glucose is always converted first, then maltose.  Microbes also consume vitamins as they work.  A microbe will produce up to its '''alcohol threshold''' provided it has enough sugar and vitamins to eat.
* finding and isolating a yeast,
 
* finding out what the yeast does,
 
* and then using that information to make beer.
 
  
Yeast converts sugar into alcohol on a 1:1 basis. Yeast always converts the glucose first, then the maltose. A yeast will always leave a minimum amount of glucose and maltose unconverted; these amounts are called the "glucose floor" and "maltose floor" and are different for each yeast.
+
Every microbe shares six characteristics: '''growth rate''', '''alcohol threshold''', '''glucose floor''', '''maltose floor''', '''vitamin ratio''', and '''vitamin threshold'''.
  
In addition, each yeast has a different "alcohol ceiling" -- a maximum # of sugar which it can convert into alcohol.
+
* '''Growth rate''' is either 10%, 20%, 30%, or 40%.  During fermentation, a microbe will consume sugar and vitamins in a series of "bites", taking one bite each 24-second tick in the fermentation phase.  Each "bite" is larger than the one before it.  The microbe's growth rate describes how quickly the bites increase in size.
 +
* '''Alcohol threshold''' is the maximum alcohol level at which the microbe will continue to take "bites".  When the alcohol level of the brew reaches this level, the microbe will stop working.
 +
* '''Glucose floor''' is the minimum amount of glucose that the microbe will leave behind.  When glucose reaches this level (or if it was less than the floor to begin with), the microbe will stop consuming glucose and start working on the maltose.
 +
* '''Maltose floor''' is the minimum amount of maltose that the microbe will leave behind.  When maltose reaches this level (or if it was less than the floor to begin with), the microbe will stop working.
  
 
''Example'':<br>
 
''Example'':<br>
* Yeast-17 has a glucose floor of 13, maltose floor of 37, and alcohol ceiling of 992.  
+
* Yeast-27 has a glucose floor of 7, maltose floor of 203, and alcohol cap of 573.  
* A brewer is using Y-17 to make a beer, using 50 honey and 50 medium malt.  
+
* A brewer is using Y-27 to make a beer, adding 20 honey and 50 medium malt during the brewing phase.
* Total sugars in the brew: 600 glucose, 500 maltose.  
+
* Total sugars in the brew: 300 glucose, 600 maltose.  
* During fermentation, Y-17 will first convert 587 glucose into 587 alcohol (leaving 13 glucose).  
+
* During fermentation, Y-27 will first convert 293 glucose into 293 alcohol (leaving 7 glucose).  
* It will then work on the maltose, converting 405 maltose into 405 alcohol (leaving 95 maltose).
+
* It will then work on the maltose, converting 280 maltose into 280 alcohol (leaving 320 maltose).
* It will then stop because it has now created 992 alcohol (the alcohol ceiling).
+
* It will then stop because it has now created 573 alcohol (the alcohol cap).
 +
 
 +
Additionally, a microbe consumes vitamins as it works. If the vitamin level drops below a certain threshold (which, again, varies by microbe), the microbe will stop converting sugar into alcohol, no matter how much sugar it has to work with.
  
Finally, a yeast consumes vitamins as it works. If the vitamin level reaches a certain floor (which, again, varies by yeast), the yeast will stop converting sugar into alcohol, no matter how much sugar it has to work with.
+
* '''Vitamin ratio''' ranges between 1 and 8.  It measures how much alcohol is produced by each vitamin eaten.  For instance, a microbe with a vitamin ratio of 6 will need to eat 1 vitamin for every 6 alcohol it produces.  (Due to the rounding that takes place with each "bite", the overall ratio of total alcohol produced to total vitamins consumed may not exactly equal the vitamin ratio, but it will be close.)
 +
* '''Vitamin threshold''' is the lowest vitamin level at which the microbe will continue to take "bites".  As long as vitamins are equal to or above the threshold, the microbe can take another bite of sugar and vitamins.  Once vitamins drop below the threshold amount, the microbe will stop working.  (The vitamin threshold is not the same as a vitamin ''floor''.  It is perfectly possible for the vitamin level to fall below the threshold; this merely ensures that no further bites will be taken.)
  
To summarize, each yeast has the following attributes:
 
* '''Glucose floor'''
 
:The yeast will only convert glucose to alcohol if the glucose remaining is above this level.
 
* '''Maltose floor'''
 
:The yeast will only convert maltose to alcohol if the maltose remaining is above this level.
 
* '''Alcohol ceiling'''
 
:The yeast will never produce more than this amount of alcohol.
 
* '''Vitamin consumption'''
 
:The yeast will consume this many vitamins for each unit of alcohol produced.
 
* '''Vitamin floor'''
 
:The yeast will only produce alcohol if the vitamins remaining is above this level.
 
* '''Flavor production'''
 
:The yeast will produce roughly a certain amount of each flavor for each unit of alcohol produced.
 
  
 
A sealed kettle which contains a single yeast may be modeled as follows:
 
A sealed kettle which contains a single yeast may be modeled as follows:
# Start with 10 yeast
+
# If the vitamins remaining is less than the vitamin threshold, stop.
# If the vitamins remaining is less than the vitamin floor, stop.
+
# If the alcohol in the brew is greater than the alcohol threshold, stop.
# If the alcohol produced is greater or equal to the alcohol ceiling, stop.
+
# Take a "bite" of sugar.  The first bite is always 10 sugar; further bites increase in size as governed by the growth rate.
# Consume 1 glucose per yeast, up to the limit set by the glucose floor.
+
# Consume glucose, up to the limit set by the glucose floor.
# If the previous step left any yeasts unfed, consume 1 maltose per unfed yeast up to the maltose floor limit.
+
# If no more glucose can be eaten, consume maltose, up to the maltose floor limit.
# Produce 1 alcohol and proportional flavors per sugar consumed.
+
# Produce 1 alcohol (and proportional flavors) per sugar consumed.
# Yeasts reproduce (typically 10-40%)
+
# Consume vitamins equal to the number of sugar consumed divided by the vitamin ratio.
# If any yeasts were left unfed, stop. Otherwise continue from step 2.
+
# If both the glucose floor and maltose floor have been met, stop.
 +
# Return to step 1.
  
 
In other words, the yeast will produce alcohol until one of three things happens:  
 
In other words, the yeast will produce alcohol until one of three things happens:  
 
* It runs out of sugars
 
* It runs out of sugars
 
* It runs out of vitamins, or
 
* It runs out of vitamins, or
* It produces as much alcohol as its alcohol ceiling.  
+
* The alcohol level is greater than its alcohol threshold.
 +
 
 
Yeasts will always convert glucose in preference to maltose.
 
Yeasts will always convert glucose in preference to maltose.
  
For multi-yeast kettles, please see my idea about alcohol ceiling on the discussion page -- Amnhotep
+
 
 +
==== Alcohol Threshold vs. Max Alcohol ====
 +
 
 +
As a brewer, you will of course want to know the maximum amount of alcohol possible with each yeast.  If you look on the [[Yeast]] page, you'll see that each yeast is listed with a '''Max Alcohol''' value.  That value is not the same as the '''alcohol threshold''' we were discussing above, though.  Alcohol threshold is the point above which the yeast stops taking "bites" of sugar; the alcohol level at the end of that final bite is the maximum amount of alcohol that yeast can produce.
 +
 
 +
Figuring out max alcohol for a yeast is easy: do a test brew with lots of sugar and lots of vitamins, and see how much alcohol you get.  Figuring out alcohol '''threshold''' is far trickier -- in fact, we don't even know what the alcohol threshold is for any of the yeasts in T5, and we only know it for a few non-yeasts.  Nonetheless, we know it exists because of the way multiple yeasts interact with each other.  If there were no such thing as an alcohol threshold (as separate from max alcohol), we would expect a multi-yeast brew to always produce right up to the max alcohol of the largest yeast in the brew.  In practice, that doesn't happen -- multi-yeast brews cap out at a slightly lower level.
 +
 
 +
For most practical brewing purposes, alcohol threshold isn't important -- max alcohol is the thing that matters.
  
  
 
=== Flavor Production in Fermentation ===
 
=== Flavor Production in Fermentation ===
  
Some flavors generate entirely during the brewing phase, based on the ingredients added (these include Barley, Bread and Honey flavors, which derive from malt, wheat and honey respectively)Most flavors, however, arise during fermentation -- they are created by the yeast(s) as sugar is converted to alcohol.  For these flavors, the type and amount are fixed by the particular yeast(s) being used, how much alcohol is produced, and whether the brew contains malt or wheat.
+
We've seen above that some of the flavors in a beer come from the ingredients: Barley and Grassy flavors from malt, Bread and Herbal flavors from wheat, and Honey flavor from honey.  In addition to these, there are a variety of flavors which are created by yeasts during fermentation, as a byproduct of alcohol productionEvery yeast produces these flavors in their own fixed proportion to the alcohol produced. 
 +
 
 +
Because every yeast has a limit to the alcohol it can produce (the alcohol cap), so too does each yeast have an effective limit on how much it can create of a given flavor.  Every yeast produces every flavor to some extent, but only some yeasts are capable of producing a flavor in sufficient quantity to be "tasteable" (200 or more).  For instance, Yeast-82 can produce up to 254 Vanilla, and is thus desired for making vanilla-flavored beer.  Some yeasts produce no special flavors in any significant quantity.  A few yeasts produce large amounts of ''undesirable'' flavors, such as Nasty or Grassy.
  
There are two sets of flavors produced in fermentation: those generated by malt and those generated by wheat.  If you have no malt in your brew, none of the malt flavors will appear; similarly for the wheat flavors. (A brew containing ''both'' wheat and malt will contain ''both'' sets of flavors in proportion.)
+
There are two sets of flavors produced in fermentation: those generated by malt and those generated by wheat.  If you have no malt in your brew, none of the malt flavors will appear; similarly for the wheat flavors.
  
 
Flavors derived from '''malt''':
 
Flavors derived from '''malt''':
Line 136: Line 309:
 
* '''Cherry''' (fruity)
 
* '''Cherry''' (fruity)
 
* '''Date''' (fruity)
 
* '''Date''' (fruity)
 +
* '''Honey ''' (fruity) - Note that this adds to any Honey flavor created by the ingredients
 
* '''Nutmeg''' (slightly bitter)
 
* '''Nutmeg''' (slightly bitter)
 
* '''Cinnamon''' (slightly bitter)
 
* '''Cinnamon''' (slightly bitter)
* '''Grassy''' (unpleasant)
+
* '''Grassy''' (unpleasant) - Note that this adds to any Grassy flavor created by the ingredients
 
* '''Nasty''' (unpleasant)
 
* '''Nasty''' (unpleasant)
 +
  
 
Flavors derived from '''wheat''':
 
Flavors derived from '''wheat''':
 +
* '''Bread''' (pleasant)  - Note that this adds to any Bread flavor created by the ingredients
 
* '''Grapefruit''' (fruity)
 
* '''Grapefruit''' (fruity)
 
* '''Pear''' (fruity)
 
* '''Pear''' (fruity)
Line 149: Line 325:
 
* '''Clove''' (slightly bitter)
 
* '''Clove''' (slightly bitter)
 
* '''Vanilla''' (pleasant)
 
* '''Vanilla''' (pleasant)
* '''Herbal''' (unpleasant)
+
* '''Herbal''' (unpleasant) - Note that this adds to any Herbal flavor created by the ingredients
 +
 
 +
 
 +
(Note that '''Honey''', '''Bread''', '''Grassy''', and '''Herbal''' flavors are also created in the brewing phase from ingredients.  Yeasts will produce additional quantities of these flavors during fermentation.)
 +
 
 +
==== Flavor in Mixed Malt/Wheat Brews ====
  
(Note that '''Grassy''' and '''Herbal''' flavors are also created in the brewing phase from raw and light-roasted grainsSome yeasts produce additional Grassy and Herbal flavor during fermentation.)
+
What happens if a brew contains '''both''' malt and wheat?  In that instance, it will produce '''both''' malt and wheat flavors, in proportion to the relative quantities of malt and wheat it contains. 
 +
* ''Example:'' A brew is made using 30 raw malt and 20 medium wheat (plus some honey).  1000 alcohol is producedOf the grain that was added, 60% was malt and 40% was wheat; thus, the beer will generate 600 alcohol worth of malt flavors and 400 alcohol worth of wheat flavors.
  
If a brew contains '''neither''' malt nor wheat (that is, only contains honey), then none of the malt flavors or wheat flavors will generate.  Since honey does not create tannin, there will be no bitter flavors to counteract the sugar; the brew will end up "Cloying Beer" and be undrinkable.
+
If a brew contains '''neither''' malt nor wheat (that is, it only contains honey), then '''none''' of the malt flavors or wheat flavors will generate.  This situation pretty much dooms a brew to failure: since honey does not create tannin, there will be no bitter flavors to counteract the sugar, and the brew will end up "Cloying Beer" and be undrinkable.
  
 
=== Output ===
 
=== Output ===
Line 214: Line 396:
 
* '''Tannin'''
 
* '''Tannin'''
 
:A very bitter flavor produced by malt and wheat.
 
:A very bitter flavor produced by malt and wheat.
* '''Herbal'''
 
:An unpleasant flavor produced by raw and light wheat.
 
 
* '''Grassy'''
 
* '''Grassy'''
 
:An unpleasant flavor, produced by yeasts or by raw or light malt. Too much grassy flavor will produce undrinkable Grassy Beer.
 
:An unpleasant flavor, produced by yeasts or by raw or light malt. Too much grassy flavor will produce undrinkable Grassy Beer.
Line 285: Line 465:
 
* '''Nonalcoholic Soup (undrinkable)'''
 
* '''Nonalcoholic Soup (undrinkable)'''
 
:Alcohol < 100
 
:Alcohol < 100
 +
:Any brew with alcohol < 100 will be described as "soup" instead of "beer".  '''Moldy Soup''' and '''Vinegar Soup''' are also possible, if mold or acetic acid are high in addition to low alcohol.  (High lactic acid just makes Nonalcoholic Soup.)
 
* '''Cloying Beer (undrinkable)'''
 
* '''Cloying Beer (undrinkable)'''
 
:Glucose + (Maltose/2) > Tannin + Cinnamon + Nutmeg + Lactic
 
:Glucose + (Maltose/2) > Tannin + Cinnamon + Nutmeg + Lactic
Line 294: Line 475:
 
:Grassy > 100
 
:Grassy > 100
 
* '''Moldy Beer (undrinkable)'''
 
* '''Moldy Beer (undrinkable)'''
:Mold > 100
+
:Mold > 50
 
* '''Nasty Beer (undrinkable)'''
 
* '''Nasty Beer (undrinkable)'''
 
:Nasty > 100
 
:Nasty > 100
Line 300: Line 481:
 
:Not well understood, but may be (Lactic + Acetic) > (Glucose + Maltose)
 
:Not well understood, but may be (Lactic + Acetic) > (Glucose + Maltose)
 
* '''Vinegar Beer (undrinkable)'''
 
* '''Vinegar Beer (undrinkable)'''
:Acetic > 100
+
:Acetic > 50
 
(my first attempt yielded Acetic = 73 and an undrinkable Vinegar Beer: Temm)
 
(my first attempt yielded Acetic = 73 and an undrinkable Vinegar Beer: Temm)
 
(my first attempt yielded Acetic = 62 and an undrinkable Vinegar Beer; Fugue)
 
(my first attempt yielded Acetic = 62 and an undrinkable Vinegar Beer; Fugue)
 
(ditto, Acetic=62, Vinegar Beer --[[User:Numaris|Numaris]])
 
(ditto, Acetic=62, Vinegar Beer --[[User:Numaris|Numaris]])
* '''Vinegar Soup (undrinkable)'''
+
(My experiments show brews becoming Moldy upon mold > 50; therefore I would assume the same threshold exists for the Vinegar fail.  --[[User:Hekatef|Hekatef]])
:Rare, might be Alcohol < 100 and Acetic > Alcohol
 
  
 
''The exact effect of Lactic is still uncertain, but I have had several beers that should have been Cloying, but were drinkable, and had some lactic acid. Simply adding lactic to tannin in that formula fits all my results.''
 
''The exact effect of Lactic is still uncertain, but I have had several beers that should have been Cloying, but were drinkable, and had some lactic acid. Simply adding lactic to tannin in that formula fits all my results.''
  
=== Multiple Yeast Beers ===
+
(It appears that lactic acid does not directly spoil a beer the way mold and acetic acid do, though the sour flavor might ruin a beer -- or possibly save it from cloying or bitterness.  In this respect, one could say that lactobacilii are the least useless of the useless microbes.  --[[User:Hekatef|Hekatef]])
Beers can have as many microbes in them as you care to let get in. Mold, Acetobacterium, and Lactobacillus may be hard to work around, because they add factors both harmful and little-studied.
+
 
 +
== Multiple-Yeast Brews ==
 +
 
 +
The simplest brewing is done with single-yeast beers -- that is, brews where the kettle is sealed to let in only one yeast.  You can enjoy a long and varied brewing career making only these (and most brewers do), but it's also possible to brew beer that involves the interaction of two or more yeasts.  Since the mechanics of multiple-microbe beers are even more complex than those of single-yeast brews, why study them?
 +
* '''Variety'''.  Some flavor and attribute combinations are only possible by combining two or more yeasts.  For example, in Tale 5, the only yeast that produces Prune beer is Yeast-89; however, Y89 tops out at 574 alcohol.  If you want Potent or Very Potent Prune beer (so that it will last longer on the tasting table), the only way to make it is to combine Y89 with something else.
 +
* In particular, some '''tests''', such as the [[Test of Festivals]] and the [[Test of the Banquet]], may call for specific beers which are not achievable with any one yeast (Very Potent Cherry, for example).  Tracking down yeast blends that can fulfill these demands will make passing these tests a little easier for everyone (and just might make you a Great Big Hero in the eyes of your fellow Egyptians).
 +
 
 +
 
 +
==== Overview of Multi-Yeast Fermentation ====
  
Generally, you see the largest effects on the resulting beer from the first few yeasts in the kettle. While computing each yeast independently may get you a rough approximation of the flavors and alcohol resulting, the results are not really cumulative or averaged.
+
Here's basically how it works when you've got multiple yeasts in a brew.  As described in previous sections, yeasts (and other microbes) work in steps, processing sugar in ever-increasing "bites" until the yeast reaches the alcohol threshold, or it runs out of sugar to eat, or it runs out of vitamins.
  
Vigorous yeasts (with high alco max or low floor values) can have a big effect even if they enter late. One example from the last Telling was of a particular yeast added at the very end of the list of microbes. Its presence or absence made a 300 alcohol difference in the maximum alcohol generated.
+
When there is a second yeast in a brew, ''both'' yeasts work simultaneously in this step-by-step process -- but the process is staggered. The second yeast starts in after some fixed # of steps.
 +
* '''Example:''' In a brew which contains Yeast A and Yeast B, Yeast A comes in first and takes the first 12 bites on its own. Then Yeast B comes in, taking its first bite while Yeast A takes its bite #13.  On the next step, Yeast A takes bite #14 while Yeast B takes bite #2.  And so on.
  
Another example:
+
A yeast will still stop when it reaches the alcohol threshold, vitamin threshold, or sugar floor, but the other yeast will keep going if it hasn't reached its own limits.  Fermentation stops once '''all''' of the microbes in the kettle have reached their respective limits.
:I tested two spots:
 
:1) Y3 Y59 A6 M63 Y24 M87 L61 Y65 A62 Y49 L44 M47 Y67 L52 Y64 Y90 Y2 M71 M55 Y82
 
:2) Y3 Y59 A6 L61 L52 M63 Y24 M71 L44 M47 Y65 Y67 Y90 Y49 M31 L85 Y64 M87 L69 Y91 A22 A62 Y2
 
  
:1 gave 1421 alc and 20 cinnamon, 2 gave 1250 alc and 379 cinnamon. In 1 nearly all of the effect was done by Y3 but in 2 Y59 was able to act more, perhaps something to do with entry times?
+
'''What governs the stagger time between two microbes?'''  It appears to be location-specific, based on the difference in entry times between the two microbes.  The correlation is still being worked out.  But it's important to keep your specific kettle location in mind when you're working with multiple microbes.  It's possible for even a small change in location to show a noticeable difference in relative entry times of your microbes -- and that in turn may lead to noticeable changes in your results.
  
More research in this field needs to be done.
 
  
:I have had great success with predicting multi yeast recipes. Stats seem to be location/seal time dependent. Exact seal times are important. Just run your yeast tests using teh exact seal time and this will give stats that can be plugged into beercalc to predict recipes. This strategy has worked very well for me for several locations.
+
==== General Strategies ====
  
== Practical Beer Making ==
+
Although multi-yeast brewing involves a lot of math and a lot of variables (not all of which may be understood even by tale's end), it doesn't mean it's not worth playing with.  Some rules of thumb can be boiled down from all the complexities.
=== How to Find and Isolate a Yeast ===
 
There are 100 microbes in the game, of which 58 are useful yeasts.  The remaining 42 are useless Lactobacilii, Molds, and Acetobacteria. Microbes that aren't yeasts will make beer undrinkable if they are high enough on the microbe list. Thus, it is necessary in many spots, and useful in others, to isolate a yeast before you try to make beer.
 
  
* '''Yeast'''
+
* '''If you want to know what a particular yeast mix does, then try it!''' Just get in there and make a beer and see what you get. Don't wait for [[User:Hekatef|Hekatef]] or anybody else to write a beer calculator that can predict what you'll get before you try. Predicting is pretty much impossible without knowing the relative entry times of the yeasts at your kettle spot, and you won't really know ''that'' until you do a test or two, so you might as well try first.
:A desirable microbe which converts sugars to alcohol and flavors.
 
* '''Mold'''
 
:An undesirable microbe which converts sugars to mold.
 
* '''Acetobacterium'''
 
:An undesirable microbe which converts sugars to acetic acid (vinegar).
 
* '''Lactobacillus'''
 
:An undesirable microbe which converts sugars to lactic acid.  Very useful if you're making sauerkraut; not so much with beer.
 
  
Very little detailed study has been done on molds, acetobacteria, and lactobacteria. These microbes all produce undesirable flavors that will ruin the beer if too strong. It is never desirable to have anything except yeasts in your kettle. In the fermentation phase, your job is to seal your kettle at the proper time to keep out the "bad" microbes and allow only the yeasts.
+
* '''When testing, add ingredients as though you were brewing for the largest yeast in your kettle.'''  The ending alcohol level should be somewhere in between the lowest and the highest alcohol caps of the yeasts you're using.
  
You isolate a yeast by running a '''Yeast Test'''. This kettle option is a shortcut that eliminates the brewing phase, thus taking only 40 minutes to complete. At the end of the test, you take the 'beer' (you need your small barrel!) and get a display of the results. At the bottom is a list of the microbes that are in the kettle, in the order they entered (first to last).
+
* '''The best candidate for multi-yeast brewing is a spot with a low-alcohol yeast followed by a high-alcohol yeast.''' Remember, the first yeast in the queue gets first crack. If you have a low-alcohol yeast in the second or later spots, odds are good that the brew will already be at or near that yeast's alcohol threshold by the time it gets its turn, and it won't be able to contribute much. In an ideal spot, your yeasts will enter the kettle in ascending order by alcohol limit.  Then each yeast in turn will have "room" to contribute to the overall beer.
  
# Run a yeast test (The Yeast option, which takes 25 water, 60 wood, 2400 Teppy seconds (about 44.25 minutes real time)), leaving the lid open until the end. If the first microbe in the list is not a yeast, start over in another spot. Don't forget to have a small barrel with you so you can get the results of the yeast test!
+
So one really good use of multiple-yeast brews is when you've got a yeast that produces a neat flavor, but not a lot of alcohol. Find a spot where that yeast comes in first, then pair it with a second yeast that is Potent or Very Potent. You'll get the tasty flavor of the first yeast, plus the extra alcohol from the second yeast, and everyone will be happy.  Good flavored yeasts to try combining with high-alcohol yeasts include:
# Once you find somewhere where at least the first microbe is a yeast, run a new yeast test, closing the lid at 1200 seconds (the halfway point of the fermentation phase).
+
* '''Yeast-16''' (Vanilla)
# If the results show no microbes, it means you have closed the lid too soon; run a new test and close the lid at 600 seconds (remaining). If the results show more than one microbe, run another yeast test and close the lid at 1800 seconds to see if you have isolated the time when the first yeast enters the kettle.
+
* '''Yeast-17''' (Cinnamon)
# Keep running yeast tests, dividing the times when the yeast might have entered in half, until you get only the first yeast. This tells you your sealing time when making beer -- close the lid at the same time as you did in this successful test so that only this first yeast will be active in your beer.
+
* '''Yeast-19''' (Cherry)
 +
* '''Yeast-27''' (Clove)
 +
* '''Yeast-42''' (Vanilla)
 +
* '''Yeast-59''' (Grapefruit)
 +
* '''Yeast-88''' (Vanilla)
 +
* '''Yeast-89''' (Prune)
 +
* '''Yeast-90''' (Cherry, Date)
  
'''NOTE:''' If you are in a spot where the second (or more) microbes are also yeasts, you may also want to try making multi-yeast beer by finding the seal time that gets you only 2 yeasts (or 3, etc, up to however many you have). While the results of multiple-yeast brews are hard to predict, some people have successfully used the beerCalc tool to do this. Moreover, many beers made without sealing the lid are effectively multi-yeast beers, and you can find many such recipes and locations on the Wiki (do a search for your yeast -- e.g., search for Y3 to find pages with recipes for that yeast).
+
'''Note''': An important aspect is how much time each yeast has to do its job. How much time is between the yeasts, and how close is the final yeast to 0. usually you want big time intervals, so the processes can run to the max, but sometimes you can actually benefit from short time intervals, either allowing more flavor from the second yeast, or in some cases pushing the max alcohol (if the second yeast is allowed to grow more, the final 'bite' will be bigger). This also means that in theory you could gain new flavor combinations from a combination of 2 high-alcohol yeasts with a short time interval between them. - ''Solaris''
  
[[#Yeast Map]] - please report the locations of the microbes you find in the map above!
+
== Tools ==
 +
=== Yeast Map ===
  
==== Microbe Transition Lines ====
+
Yeast locations can be reported in the [http://www.talescripts.org/atitdbeer/ Beer Database] for easy retrieval.
Hellinar - Inspired by Jaby's work on large scale microbe distribution, I've been testing the changes in microbe distribution on small scales. These tests demonstrate that the microbe population shifts as your kettle crosses coordinate lines. The degree of shift is dependent on the degree to which the coordinate is divisible by two. Thus if the coordinate you cross is divisible by 128, most of the upper microbes will change. On the other hand if the coordinate can only be divided by 8, or 4 or 2, the shift in order is likely to be small. This shift occurs very sharply within a small fraction of a coordinate. So avoid placing kettles on such a high power of two coordinate. On the other hand, if you are searching for new microbes, place four kettles on odd numbered coordinates around the point where two lines divisible by 128 cross. This will give you four sets of well shuffled microbes.
 
  
=== How to Find Out What a Yeast Does, or the Fermentation Phase ===  
+
=== Yeast Attributes ===
Once you have isolated a yeast, if it has not already been analyzed, run a couple of test beers.
+
See '''[[Yeast]]''' page to read or post yeast attribute results.  These are the numbers you want to plug into the Spreadsheet below.
  
Making beer is just like doing a yeast test, except that a brewing period, 1200 Teppy seconds long, is added BEFORE the fermentation period. During brewing, you can add honey and the various malts at any time, though it calculates results in 12-second "ticks." Once you've finished brewing, it immediately goes into fermentation, and you should close the lid at a time that will catch the yeast(s) you want but no other microbes.
+
=== Tools ===
  
You should try:
+
[http://www.talescripts.org/atitdbeer/ Beer Database] - This is a database for cataloguing yeast locations and ready-made beer recipes all over Egypt.  All users are welcome to add to it.
* One test with low amounts of sugars and vitamins, which should get you at least one of the floor values for your yeast.
 
* One test with lots of sugars and vitamins, which should get you the max alcohol for your yeast and reveal any flavors it produces.
 
  
Don't expect these beers to be drinkable! These are just to get the yeast values which will allow you to make good beers.
+
'''Updated 3/31/11:''' [[File:Beer_Calculator.zip]] - Hekatef's beer calculator for Microsoft Excel 2010.  Can handle '''2''' microbe brews! Select your microbe from the drop-down box, enter ingredients and time, and get your results!  Contains detailed information on all 51 yeasts, plus a few non-yeasts.
== Yeast and Recipe Research ==
 
=== Yeast Map ===
 
  
 +
'''Updated 3/31/11:''' [[File:Beer_Calculator_Old.zip]] - Hekatef's beer calculator for older versions of Excel prior to 2010.
  
 +
[http://www.atitd.org/wiki/tale5/Beer_Recipes Special Beer Recipes]
  
=== Yeast Attributes ===
+
[[User:Yerbouti|Yerbouti User Page]]
See '''[[YeastTest|Yeast Test]]''' page to read or post yeast attribute results.  These are the numbers you want to plug into the Spreadsheet below.
 
  
=== Recipes ===
+
[http://www.atitd.org/wiki/tale5/Sinai_Pest_Control ThePharaohArmsPublicHouse]
'''[[Beer/Recipes|Recipes Page]]'''
 
  
 
[[Image:BeerCalc_T3_1.4.zip|Old T3 BeerCalc spreadsheet]] (Note this version has a broken cell calculation under Herbal Label (P2). I found a spreadsheet called 1.4.1 from http://wiki.atitd.net/tale3/Guides/Beer/Spreadsheet which seems to have more yeast values (probably outdated) but no broken cells) - Cegaiel
 
[[Image:BeerCalc_T3_1.4.zip|Old T3 BeerCalc spreadsheet]] (Note this version has a broken cell calculation under Herbal Label (P2). I found a spreadsheet called 1.4.1 from http://wiki.atitd.net/tale3/Guides/Beer/Spreadsheet which seems to have more yeast values (probably outdated) but no broken cells) - Cegaiel
  
[[Image:BeerCalc_T4_1_0.zip|T4 BeerCalc spreadsheet]] Please add more yeast values if you want to.
+
[http://www.atitd.org/wiki/tale4/images/b/b5/BeerCalc_T4_1_0.zip Tale 4 Beer Spreadsheet] - Above link no longer works. Correct link.
 +
 
 +
[http://www.atitd.org/wiki/tale4/ATITD_Timer ATITD Timer] - very useful for hearing when your beer kettle wants attention.
 +
 
  
 
  '''Warning'''<br>This information provided courtesy of the Tale 3/4 wiki, Some information might have changed.
 
  '''Warning'''<br>This information provided courtesy of the Tale 3/4 wiki, Some information might have changed.

Latest revision as of 14:14, 20 October 2011

Brewers!

In an effort to make the sharing and finding of beer recipes (and yeast locations) easier,
a database has been created at http://www.talescripts.org/atitdbeer/. If you're interested in
sharing your research, please check it out.

Introduction

Beer is made from honey, malt and/or wheat, brewed in a Beer Kettle. Through use of the right yeast or combination of yeasts, and with proper ingredients, you can concoct beers with a wide variety of flavors, features, and potencies. This guide shows how to become a productive brewer.


Why Brew?

First of all, what's the good of beer brewing (besides the fact that it's fun)? What function does it play in the game, and why is it useful to be able to make a variety of beers?

  • Drinking beer improves the Beer Tasting skill, which in turn leads to permanent Perception bonuses. Variety in sampling appears to be the fastest route to gaining points. So, the ability to produce a varied supply of tasty brews will lead to greater point-gaining success -- for yourself and your friends.
  • Tests, such as the Test of the Banquet and the Test of Festivals, will sometimes require beer of specific characteristics, randomly determined (e.g. Very Potent Cherry, Spicy Dry Honey). The more you master the art of brewing, the better you will become at crafting beers to fulfill these specific demands.

What You Will Need

To get started in the exciting world of beer brewing, you will need the following:

You will also need a supply of ingredients for the beer itself. You will not need these for yeast testing, though, so you can build your ingredient supply while you look for a good place to keep your kettle:

Lastly, you need a place to brew! See the Yeast Testing article for how to find a suitable location and seal time for your kettle. The rest of this guide assumes that you have isolated a yeast and are ready to begin brewing with ingredients.


The Beer-Making Process: An Overview

It takes 60 Wood and 25 Water to start a kettle of beer. Once started, the beer making process goes through two phases:

  • Brewing (20 minutes) -- in which grain and honey are added to the brew.
  • Fermentation (40 minutes) -- in which local microbes enter the kettle and convert the brew's sugars into -- ideally -- alcohol.

The brewing phase counts down from a 1200-second timer. At any point during this stage, you may add grain and/or honey. The type and amount of ingredients, and how early or late in the process they are added, determine a number of factors -- not least the amount of sugar and vitamins available in fermenting.

The fermentation phase counts down from a 2400-second timer. At any point during this stage, you may seal the kettle. Sealing the kettle prevents any (more) microbes from entering. While you can get drinkable beers from an unsealed kettle, most of the time you will want to seal the kettle after the yeast microbe has entered, and before bad microbes enter. (See the Yeast Testing guide.)

Once the fermenting is done, you may leave the beer in the kettle indefinitely. With an empty small barrel in your inventory, you may Take the beer (kegging it). You are given a display showing the statistics of your beer.

  • If the beer is undrinkable, it will automatically be thrown out, and your barrel is left empty.
  • If it is drinkable, you are given an opportunity to name the beer for later use. (Once you use the beer, your barrel is returned.)

Beer Characteristics

Beer results.png

Let's start by looking at a finished product, so you can see all the variables that go into a beer and what they mean.

After you keg a finished brew, you will see a screen that looks like the one to your left. On the top will be a description of your finished beer, or a description of your failed brew (e.g. "Nonalcoholic Soup"). Below that is a page of statistics about your brew. Let's review them one by one, so that we need no longer fear them.

Alcohol

This figure shows the total alcohol in your brew. Alcohol is produced by yeasts as they consume sugar; for each unit of sugar eaten, 1 alcohol is produced. A brew must have an alcohol level of 100 or more to count as beer; anything less than that is "soup".

If a beer has alcohol of 800 to 1199, it is considered Potent. Beer with alcohol of 1200 or more is Very Potent. All else being equal, higher-potency beer is preferable, because it can last longer after kegging before going bad.

Color

This represents the beer's darkness. If color is between 200 and 499, it becomes Brown Beer. Over 500 makes it Black Beer. Color is another way to bring variety to a beer; additionally, sometimes a banquet or festival will specifically require a brown or black beer.

Color is created by the grain in the brew -- the more you add, the earlier you add it, and the darker the roast, the greater the influence on color. Burnt malt and wheat have the most effect on color (and, in fact, have few other characteristics, so they're used almost exclusively for coloring purposes).

Mold

If you allow mold microbes into your kettle, some of your sugar may be converted into mold. Ideally, your kettle will be sealed to avoid this, so mold will generally be zero. (See the Yeast Testing guide for more on kettle sealing.) A brew can survive with very small amounts of mold (50 or less); anything more will ruin it outright.

Vitamins

This shows the amount of vitamins left in your brew after your yeasts have had their way with it. Microbes such as yeasts consume vitamins for "fuel" as they process sugar; insufficient vitamins will halt the fermentation process. There will nearly always be leftover vitamins in a finished brew, and they're harmless.

Vitamins are created by the ingredients you add during the brewing phase. Honey adds a little, malt and wheat significantly more. The less-roasted your ingredients, the more vitamins they provide (the main use for raw malt/wheat is to add lots and lots of vitamins). Adding the ingredient later in the brewing phase produces more vitamins.

Glucose, Maltose, Lactose

The next three categories show the leftover sugar in your brew. Glucose and maltose are the sugars used in brewing. (There is no such thing as lactose in the game; it was never implemented and will always be zero.) Sugar is created by the ingredients you add: honey provides glucose, malt/wheat provides maltose with a little glucose. This sugar is then converted by the yeasts into alcohol.

Owing to the way microbes work, there will nearly always be sugar left over in your brew. This is a good thing, as it is this residual sugar that provides the sweetness to counteract the bitter flavors. If the ratio of bitterness to sweetness is too high, a brew becomes Bitter Beer and undrinkable. On the other hand, too much sweetness compared to bitterness produces Cloying Beer, also undrinkable. Thus, you want leftover sugar to be neither too much nor too little.

Sweetness that is below a certain fixed threshold will yield Dry Beer, while above a certain threshold will make Sweet Beer.

Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Acetic Acid

Ideally, these will all be zero. Citric acid will definitely be zero, as it was never implemented into the game and nothing produces it. Lactic acid and acetic acid are produced by unwholesome microbes (lactobacilli and acetobacter, respectively). Generally, you will seal your kettle in a manner that prevents these undesirables from getting in (see the Yeast Testing guide for more details).

Lactic acid produces a sour flavor. In high enough proportion (compared to sweetness and bitterness), it can overwhelm and ruin a beer, but is harmless otherwise. Acetic acid, on the other hand, will always ruin a beer at levels above 50, regardless of other factors (amounts less than 50 are fine).

Flavors

Every brew sports a variety of flavors to a greater or lesser degree. Some flavors (such as Honey) derive from the ingredients added during the brewing phase, but most are created by yeast(s) during fermentation as a byproduct of alcohol production. Some flavors only appear when the brew contains malt, others only when wheat is added. The sample beer pictured above was made with malt and honey, so the "wheat flavors" such as Vanilla and Blackberry are not present to any degree.

  • Fruity flavors include Orange, Banana, Cherry, Date, Grapefruit, Pear, Blackberry, Prune, and Honey. If the total amount of fruity flavor is high enough, the beer gains the Fruity descriptor.
  • Spicy flavors include Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Clove. Enough total spiciness grants a beer the Spicy descriptor.
  • Pleasant flavors include Barley, Bread, Jasmine, and Vanilla.
  • Unpleasant flavors include Grassy, Nasty, and Herbal. Grassy or Nasty over 100 ruins a beer; Herbal does not.
  • Bitter flavors include Tannin and, to a much lesser extent, the spicy flavors (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Clove). Bitterness needs to be properly balanced with sweetness (from the leftover sugars) or else the brew will not be drinkable.

Microbes Detected

At the bottom is a list of the microbes in the brew, in the order in which they appeared in the kettle. Which microbes are present depends on where your kettle is placed and what time you sealed it. See the Yeast Testing page for more details.

The Brewing Phase

The brewing phase lasts for 1200 seconds, or roughly 20 minutes. At any time during this phase, you may add ingredients (honey, malt, and wheat) to the kettle. The type and amount of these ingredients will determine some of the attributes of your beer. These attributes are further modified by the time at which the ingredient is added.

  • Glucose is a sugar, and is provided by all ingredients, but most of all by honey. Malt and wheat provide only a little bit. Glucose is twice as sweet as maltose, but it's also the first sugar targeted by hungry microbes, so your typical beer will have very little glucose left over.
  • Maltose is a sugar provided by wheat and malt. Yeasts and other microbes start eating maltose only after there's no more glucose to be had; thus, most of the leftover sugar in a brew will normally be maltose.
  • Color is created by wheat and malt. (Honey is colorless.) The darker the roast of the grain, the darker the color. Also, the earlier in the brewing phase you add the grain, the darker the color.
  • Vitamins, which are consumed by microbes during fermentation, are created by grain and, to a lesser extent, honey. The later you add the ingredient, the more vitamins are created. The darker the roast of the grain, the fewer vitamins it creates.
  • Barley flavor is created by malt. The earlier in the brewing phase you add the malt, the stronger the barley flavor. Raw malt gives twice as much barley flavor as light, medium, and dark roasted malt. Burnt malt has no barley flavor at all. The counterpart flavor in wheat beer is Bread.
  • Bread flavor is created by wheat. The earlier in the brewing phase you add the wheat, the stronger the Bread flavor. Raw wheat gives twice as much Bread flavor as light, medium, and dark roasted wheat; burnt wheat has no Bread flavor at all.
    • In addition, Bread flavor is produced by yeast whenever there is wheat in the brew. This is added to the Bread flavor created by the ingredients. The amount of flavor created per alcohol varies by yeast.
  • Honey flavor is created by honey. It works the opposite of barley flavor: the later in the brewing phase you add the honey, the stronger the honey flavor.
    • In addition, Honey flavor is produced by yeast whenever there is malt in the brew. This is added to any Honey flavor created by the ingredients. The amount of flavor created per alcohol varies by yeast.
  • Tannin, a bitter flavor, is created by malt. The earlier in the brewing phase you add the malt, the greater the effect on tannin. Also, the darker the roast of the malt, the less tannin it creates.
  • Grassy flavor is created by raw and light roasted malt. (Grassy flavor can also be created by yeast during fermentation.) The earlier in the brewing phase you add the malt, the greater its effect on grassy flavor. Raw malt adds significantly more grassy flavor than light roasted malt. If grassy flavor goes above 100, your beer will be undrinkable. The counterpart flavor in wheat beer is Herbal.
  • Herbal flavor is created by raw and light roasted wheat. It functions the same as Grassy flavor does with malt beer, except that a high Herbal does not appear to ruin a brew.

Note that Banana, Blackberry, Cherry, Date, Grapefruit, Orange, Pear, Prune, Jasmine, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, and Nasty flavors are determined entirely by the yeast being used. They are not created until the fermentation phase, when the yeasts get to work.


Ingredient Characteristics

Ingredient Glucose Maltose Color Vitamins Barley Flavor Bread Flavor Honey Flavor Tannin Flavor Grassy Flavor Herbal Flavor
Malt (Burnt) -- 2 12 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Malt (Dark Roasted) 2 10 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 6000 / (T + 240) 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- -- 1.5 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- --
Malt (Medium Roasted) 2 10 3 * (T + 240) / 1440 8400 / (T + 240) 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- -- 2 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- --
Malt (Light Roasted) 2 10 1.5 * (T + 240) / 1440 12000 / (T + 240) 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- -- 3 * (T + 240) / 1440 1.5 * (T + 240) / 1440 --
Malt (Raw) 1 5 1 * (T + 240) / 1440 15600 / (T + 240) 12 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- -- 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 12 * (T + 240) / 1440 --
Wheat (Burnt) -- 1 12 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Wheat (Dark Roasted) 2.4 5 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 8400 / (T + 240) -- 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- 1.5 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- --
Wheat (Medium Roasted) 2.4 5 3 * (T + 240) / 1440 9600 / (T + 240) -- 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- 2 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- --
Wheat (Light Roasted) 2.4 5 1.5 * (T + 240) / 1440 10800 / (T + 240) -- 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- 3 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- 1.5 * (T + 240) / 1440
Wheat (Dried, Raw) 1.2 2.5 1 * (T + 240) / 1440 12000 / (T + 240) -- 12 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- 6 * (T + 240) / 1440 -- 12 * (T + 240) / 1440
Honey 10 -- -- 1200 / (T + 240) -- -- 1200 / (T + 60) -- -- --

T = Time remaining (based on nearest tick; see below)

Formula is for 1 deben of ingredient -- multiply result by # of ingredient.

Each calculation is rounded off to the nearest whole number.

Example #1: Adding 30 Malt (Light Roasted) with 300 seconds remaining creates 60 glucose, 300 maltose, 17 color, 667 vitamins, 68 Barley flavor, 34 Tannin flavor, and 17 Grassy flavor.

Example #2: Adding 30 Wheat (Medium Roasted) with 900 seconds remaining creates 72 glucose, 150 maltose, 71 color, 253 vitamins, 143 Bread flavor, and 48 Tannin flavor.

Example #3: Adding 60 honey with 600 seconds remaining creates 600 glucose, 86 vitamins, and 109 Honey flavor.


Timing and "Ticks"

For the purpose of these above formulas, it should be noted that the game views the brewing phase not as 1200 seconds, but as a series of "ticks" spaced 12 seconds apart. Ticks occur on every second evenly divisible by 12 (except for 0): 1200, 1188, 1176, etc. When making calculations, the game will round off to the nearest tick. If the add time is exactly halfway between ticks (e.g. 1194 is halfway between the ticks at 1200 and 1188), it will round downward to the lower tick. The only exception is the final six seconds of the brewing phase (between 1 and 6 seconds remaining): this range is not rounded down to zero, but rounded up to 12.

In other words, adding an ingredient with anywhere from 1200 and 1195 seconds remaining will be calculated by the game as an add time of 1200. Adding between 1194 and 1183 will be treated as 1188, and so on. At the end of the brewing phase, anything between 1 and 18 is counted as 12. To put it graphically:

Actual Add Time Effective Add Time
1200 - 1195 1200
1194 - 1183 1188
1182 - 1171 1176
(...) (...)
42 - 31 36
30 - 19 24
18 - 1 12

The Fermentation Phase

The fermentation phase lasts 2400 seconds, or roughly 40 minutes. During this time, local microbes -- most importantly, yeast -- will enter the kettle and go to work on the sugar in the brew. It is not possible to add further ingredients during this phase.

During fermentation you may take one action: sealing the kettle. Sealing the kettle prevents any further microbes from entering for the remainder of the phase. This allows control (in a limited fashion) over which microbes will act in your brew.

There are 100 numbered microbes in the game, of which over half are useful yeasts. The remainder are Lactobacilli, Molds, and Acetobacteria -- these are generally harmful to a brew and should be avoided. In order to make drinkable beer, a brew needs alcohol and therefore at least one yeast. Thus, it is necessary in many spots, and useful in others, to isolate a yeast before you try to make beer.

A desirable microbe which converts sugars to alcohol and flavors.
  • Mold
An undesirable microbe which converts sugars to mold.
  • Acetobacterium
An undesirable microbe which converts sugars to acetic acid (vinegar).
  • Lactobacillus
An undesirable microbe which converts sugars to lactic acid.

(For simplicity, this article will use "yeast" interchangeably with "microbe", since yeasts are the important microbes for brewing beer.)


Fermentation Timing

Much like the brewing phase, the fermentation phase is broken into a series of discrete "ticks". In the case of fermentation, each "tick" lasts 24 seconds, with the exception of the first tick (2400 to 2389 seconds), which is 12 seconds long. Presumably the last fermentation tick is either 12 seconds or 36 seconds; it's unknown which is the case. But in general, we can say that fermentation consists of about 100 24-second steps.

Time Remaining Size of Tick (in seconds)
2400 - 2389 12
2388 - 2365 24
2364 - 2341 24
2340 - 2317 24
(...) (...)
1236 - 1213 24
1212 - 1189 24
1188 - 1165 24
(...) (...)

And so on.

When microbes enter a kettle, they do so at the start of a tick. There are thus about 100 effective possible entry times for microbes: 2388, 2364, 2340, ... 1236, 1212, 1188, etc.

How Microbes Behave

(For a full listing of microbes and their characteristics, see the Microbe article.)

All microbes consume the sugar (glucose and maltose) in a brew, generating their product -- alcohol, in the case of yeasts -- on a 1:1 basis. Glucose is always converted first, then maltose. Microbes also consume vitamins as they work. A microbe will produce up to its alcohol threshold provided it has enough sugar and vitamins to eat.

Every microbe shares six characteristics: growth rate, alcohol threshold, glucose floor, maltose floor, vitamin ratio, and vitamin threshold.

  • Growth rate is either 10%, 20%, 30%, or 40%. During fermentation, a microbe will consume sugar and vitamins in a series of "bites", taking one bite each 24-second tick in the fermentation phase. Each "bite" is larger than the one before it. The microbe's growth rate describes how quickly the bites increase in size.
  • Alcohol threshold is the maximum alcohol level at which the microbe will continue to take "bites". When the alcohol level of the brew reaches this level, the microbe will stop working.
  • Glucose floor is the minimum amount of glucose that the microbe will leave behind. When glucose reaches this level (or if it was less than the floor to begin with), the microbe will stop consuming glucose and start working on the maltose.
  • Maltose floor is the minimum amount of maltose that the microbe will leave behind. When maltose reaches this level (or if it was less than the floor to begin with), the microbe will stop working.

Example:

  • Yeast-27 has a glucose floor of 7, maltose floor of 203, and alcohol cap of 573.
  • A brewer is using Y-27 to make a beer, adding 20 honey and 50 medium malt during the brewing phase.
  • Total sugars in the brew: 300 glucose, 600 maltose.
  • During fermentation, Y-27 will first convert 293 glucose into 293 alcohol (leaving 7 glucose).
  • It will then work on the maltose, converting 280 maltose into 280 alcohol (leaving 320 maltose).
  • It will then stop because it has now created 573 alcohol (the alcohol cap).

Additionally, a microbe consumes vitamins as it works. If the vitamin level drops below a certain threshold (which, again, varies by microbe), the microbe will stop converting sugar into alcohol, no matter how much sugar it has to work with.

  • Vitamin ratio ranges between 1 and 8. It measures how much alcohol is produced by each vitamin eaten. For instance, a microbe with a vitamin ratio of 6 will need to eat 1 vitamin for every 6 alcohol it produces. (Due to the rounding that takes place with each "bite", the overall ratio of total alcohol produced to total vitamins consumed may not exactly equal the vitamin ratio, but it will be close.)
  • Vitamin threshold is the lowest vitamin level at which the microbe will continue to take "bites". As long as vitamins are equal to or above the threshold, the microbe can take another bite of sugar and vitamins. Once vitamins drop below the threshold amount, the microbe will stop working. (The vitamin threshold is not the same as a vitamin floor. It is perfectly possible for the vitamin level to fall below the threshold; this merely ensures that no further bites will be taken.)


A sealed kettle which contains a single yeast may be modeled as follows:

  1. If the vitamins remaining is less than the vitamin threshold, stop.
  2. If the alcohol in the brew is greater than the alcohol threshold, stop.
  3. Take a "bite" of sugar. The first bite is always 10 sugar; further bites increase in size as governed by the growth rate.
  4. Consume glucose, up to the limit set by the glucose floor.
  5. If no more glucose can be eaten, consume maltose, up to the maltose floor limit.
  6. Produce 1 alcohol (and proportional flavors) per sugar consumed.
  7. Consume vitamins equal to the number of sugar consumed divided by the vitamin ratio.
  8. If both the glucose floor and maltose floor have been met, stop.
  9. Return to step 1.

In other words, the yeast will produce alcohol until one of three things happens:

  • It runs out of sugars
  • It runs out of vitamins, or
  • The alcohol level is greater than its alcohol threshold.

Yeasts will always convert glucose in preference to maltose.


Alcohol Threshold vs. Max Alcohol

As a brewer, you will of course want to know the maximum amount of alcohol possible with each yeast. If you look on the Yeast page, you'll see that each yeast is listed with a Max Alcohol value. That value is not the same as the alcohol threshold we were discussing above, though. Alcohol threshold is the point above which the yeast stops taking "bites" of sugar; the alcohol level at the end of that final bite is the maximum amount of alcohol that yeast can produce.

Figuring out max alcohol for a yeast is easy: do a test brew with lots of sugar and lots of vitamins, and see how much alcohol you get. Figuring out alcohol threshold is far trickier -- in fact, we don't even know what the alcohol threshold is for any of the yeasts in T5, and we only know it for a few non-yeasts. Nonetheless, we know it exists because of the way multiple yeasts interact with each other. If there were no such thing as an alcohol threshold (as separate from max alcohol), we would expect a multi-yeast brew to always produce right up to the max alcohol of the largest yeast in the brew. In practice, that doesn't happen -- multi-yeast brews cap out at a slightly lower level.

For most practical brewing purposes, alcohol threshold isn't important -- max alcohol is the thing that matters.


Flavor Production in Fermentation

We've seen above that some of the flavors in a beer come from the ingredients: Barley and Grassy flavors from malt, Bread and Herbal flavors from wheat, and Honey flavor from honey. In addition to these, there are a variety of flavors which are created by yeasts during fermentation, as a byproduct of alcohol production. Every yeast produces these flavors in their own fixed proportion to the alcohol produced.

Because every yeast has a limit to the alcohol it can produce (the alcohol cap), so too does each yeast have an effective limit on how much it can create of a given flavor. Every yeast produces every flavor to some extent, but only some yeasts are capable of producing a flavor in sufficient quantity to be "tasteable" (200 or more). For instance, Yeast-82 can produce up to 254 Vanilla, and is thus desired for making vanilla-flavored beer. Some yeasts produce no special flavors in any significant quantity. A few yeasts produce large amounts of undesirable flavors, such as Nasty or Grassy.

There are two sets of flavors produced in fermentation: those generated by malt and those generated by wheat. If you have no malt in your brew, none of the malt flavors will appear; similarly for the wheat flavors.

Flavors derived from malt:

  • Orange (fruity)
  • Banana (fruity)
  • Cherry (fruity)
  • Date (fruity)
  • Honey (fruity) - Note that this adds to any Honey flavor created by the ingredients
  • Nutmeg (slightly bitter)
  • Cinnamon (slightly bitter)
  • Grassy (unpleasant) - Note that this adds to any Grassy flavor created by the ingredients
  • Nasty (unpleasant)


Flavors derived from wheat:

  • Bread (pleasant) - Note that this adds to any Bread flavor created by the ingredients
  • Grapefruit (fruity)
  • Pear (fruity)
  • Blackberry (fruity)
  • Prune (fruity)
  • Jasmine (pleasant)
  • Clove (slightly bitter)
  • Vanilla (pleasant)
  • Herbal (unpleasant) - Note that this adds to any Herbal flavor created by the ingredients


(Note that Honey, Bread, Grassy, and Herbal flavors are also created in the brewing phase from ingredients. Yeasts will produce additional quantities of these flavors during fermentation.)

Flavor in Mixed Malt/Wheat Brews

What happens if a brew contains both malt and wheat? In that instance, it will produce both malt and wheat flavors, in proportion to the relative quantities of malt and wheat it contains.

  • Example: A brew is made using 30 raw malt and 20 medium wheat (plus some honey). 1000 alcohol is produced. Of the grain that was added, 60% was malt and 40% was wheat; thus, the beer will generate 600 alcohol worth of malt flavors and 400 alcohol worth of wheat flavors.

If a brew contains neither malt nor wheat (that is, it only contains honey), then none of the malt flavors or wheat flavors will generate. This situation pretty much dooms a brew to failure: since honey does not create tannin, there will be no bitter flavors to counteract the sugar, and the brew will end up "Cloying Beer" and be undrinkable.

Output

You can collect your finished brew anytime after the end of the fermentation phase. You must be carrying a small barrel to do this. When you keg your brew, you will receive data on its attributes -- you will never know for sure how your brew turned out until you try to keg it. If your brew is undrinkable for some reason, it will automatically be thrown out. If your beer was successful, it will be stored in the barrel and you will have the option to name your beer.

Beer Attributes

When you keg a beer, you will be shown the levels of the various attributes as well as the final flavor. The attributes are:

  • Alcohol
The higher the alcohol value, the more potent the beer.
  • Color
The higher the color value, the darker the beer.
  • Mold
Produced if there was mold among the microbes that worked on your brew. If there is too much mold, you get undrinkable Moldy Beer.
  • Vitamins
Vitamins remaining; no effect on the taste of the beer.
  • Glucose
A sugar; the more sugars, the sweeter the beer.
  • Maltose
A sugar; the more sugars, the sweeter the beer. Not as sweet as glucose.
  • Lactose
A sugar. Despite being displayed, there is no way to get lactose in a beer.
  • Citric Acid
Despite being displayed, there is no way to get citric acid in a beer.
  • Lactic Acid
Produced by lactobacteria; too much will produce undrinkable Sour Beer.
  • Acetic Acid
Produced by acetobacteria; too much will produce undrinkable Vinegar Beer.
  • Barley
A flavor produced by malt.
  • Bread
A flavor produced by wheat.
  • Banana
A fruity flavor produced by yeasts from malt.
  • Blackberry
A fruity flavor produced by yeasts from wheat.
  • Cherry
A fruity flavor produced by yeasts from malt.
  • Date
A fruity flavor produced by yeasts from malt.
  • Grapefruit
A fruity flavor produced by yeasts from wheat.
  • Orange
A fruity flavor produced by yeasts from malt.
  • Pear
A fruity flavor produced by yeasts from wheat.
  • Prune
A fruity flavor produced by yeasts from wheat.
  • Honey
A fruity flavor produced by honey.
  • Jasmine
A pleasant flavor produced by yeasts from wheat.
  • Vanilla
A pleasant flavor produced by yeasts from wheat.
  • Nutmeg
A bitter, spicy flavor produced by yeasts from malt.
  • Cinnamon
A bitter, spicy flavor produced by yeasts from malt.
  • Clove
A bitter, spicy flavor produced by yeasts from wheat.
  • Tannin
A very bitter flavor produced by malt and wheat.
  • Grassy
An unpleasant flavor, produced by yeasts or by raw or light malt. Too much grassy flavor will produce undrinkable Grassy Beer.
  • Herbal
An unpleasant flavor, produced by yeasts or by raw or light wheat.
  • Nasty
An unpleasant flavor produced by yeasts. Too much nasty flavor will produce undrinkable Nasty Beer.
  • Microorganisms
A list of the microorganisms that entered your brew during the fermentation phase, listed in order of when they entered. You can control the list of microorganisms, to an extent, by choosing when to seal your kettle.

Beer Qualities

A beer may have the following qualities:

Property name Condition to be met
Very Potent Alcohol >= 1200
Potent Alcohol >= 800
(no name) Alcohol < 800
Dry (Glucose * 2) + Maltose < 150
Sweet (Glucose * 2) + Maltose > 300
(no name) 150 < (Glucose * 2) + Maltose < 300
Black Color > 500
Brown Color > 200
(no name) Color < 200
Fruity Orange + Banana + Cherry + Date + Honey > 500
Spicy Cinnamon + Nutmeg > 300
Bold flavor Flavor > 1000
Noticeable flavor Flavor > 400
Hint of flavor Flavor > 200
(no description) Flavor < 200

Each flavor in the beer (cherry, nutmeg, etc.) may be "bold", "noticeable", or just a "hint". A flavor that is very strong can drown out a weaker flavor; if you have 1000 honey flavor and 200 barley flavor, the barley will not appear. A flavor is drowned out if it is less than 50% of the most powerful flavor in the beer.

If two or more other flavors are greater than 50% of the strongest flavor, it will have "muddled flavor", and none of the flavors will apply.

Unsuccessful Brews

Not all brews become drinkable beer. There are many situations which will cause a brew to fail:

  • Nonalcoholic Soup (undrinkable)
Alcohol < 100
Any brew with alcohol < 100 will be described as "soup" instead of "beer". Moldy Soup and Vinegar Soup are also possible, if mold or acetic acid are high in addition to low alcohol. (High lactic acid just makes Nonalcoholic Soup.)
  • Cloying Beer (undrinkable)
Glucose + (Maltose/2) > Tannin + Cinnamon + Nutmeg + Lactic
  • Bitter Beer (undrinkable)
(Glucose * 2) + Maltose < Tannin + (Cinnamon + Nutmeg)/5
  • Caustic Beer (undrinkable)
(Glucose * 6) + (Maltose * 3) < Cinnamon + Nutmeg (very high fruity flavours can also produce Caustic Beer)
  • Grassy Beer (undrinkable)
Grassy > 100
  • Moldy Beer (undrinkable)
Mold > 50
  • Nasty Beer (undrinkable)
Nasty > 100
  • Sour Beer (undrinkable)
Not well understood, but may be (Lactic + Acetic) > (Glucose + Maltose)
  • Vinegar Beer (undrinkable)
Acetic > 50

(my first attempt yielded Acetic = 73 and an undrinkable Vinegar Beer: Temm) (my first attempt yielded Acetic = 62 and an undrinkable Vinegar Beer; Fugue) (ditto, Acetic=62, Vinegar Beer --Numaris) (My experiments show brews becoming Moldy upon mold > 50; therefore I would assume the same threshold exists for the Vinegar fail. --Hekatef)

The exact effect of Lactic is still uncertain, but I have had several beers that should have been Cloying, but were drinkable, and had some lactic acid. Simply adding lactic to tannin in that formula fits all my results.

(It appears that lactic acid does not directly spoil a beer the way mold and acetic acid do, though the sour flavor might ruin a beer -- or possibly save it from cloying or bitterness. In this respect, one could say that lactobacilii are the least useless of the useless microbes. --Hekatef)

Multiple-Yeast Brews

The simplest brewing is done with single-yeast beers -- that is, brews where the kettle is sealed to let in only one yeast. You can enjoy a long and varied brewing career making only these (and most brewers do), but it's also possible to brew beer that involves the interaction of two or more yeasts. Since the mechanics of multiple-microbe beers are even more complex than those of single-yeast brews, why study them?

  • Variety. Some flavor and attribute combinations are only possible by combining two or more yeasts. For example, in Tale 5, the only yeast that produces Prune beer is Yeast-89; however, Y89 tops out at 574 alcohol. If you want Potent or Very Potent Prune beer (so that it will last longer on the tasting table), the only way to make it is to combine Y89 with something else.
  • In particular, some tests, such as the Test of Festivals and the Test of the Banquet, may call for specific beers which are not achievable with any one yeast (Very Potent Cherry, for example). Tracking down yeast blends that can fulfill these demands will make passing these tests a little easier for everyone (and just might make you a Great Big Hero in the eyes of your fellow Egyptians).


Overview of Multi-Yeast Fermentation

Here's basically how it works when you've got multiple yeasts in a brew. As described in previous sections, yeasts (and other microbes) work in steps, processing sugar in ever-increasing "bites" until the yeast reaches the alcohol threshold, or it runs out of sugar to eat, or it runs out of vitamins.

When there is a second yeast in a brew, both yeasts work simultaneously in this step-by-step process -- but the process is staggered. The second yeast starts in after some fixed # of steps.

  • Example: In a brew which contains Yeast A and Yeast B, Yeast A comes in first and takes the first 12 bites on its own. Then Yeast B comes in, taking its first bite while Yeast A takes its bite #13. On the next step, Yeast A takes bite #14 while Yeast B takes bite #2. And so on.

A yeast will still stop when it reaches the alcohol threshold, vitamin threshold, or sugar floor, but the other yeast will keep going if it hasn't reached its own limits. Fermentation stops once all of the microbes in the kettle have reached their respective limits.

What governs the stagger time between two microbes? It appears to be location-specific, based on the difference in entry times between the two microbes. The correlation is still being worked out. But it's important to keep your specific kettle location in mind when you're working with multiple microbes. It's possible for even a small change in location to show a noticeable difference in relative entry times of your microbes -- and that in turn may lead to noticeable changes in your results.


General Strategies

Although multi-yeast brewing involves a lot of math and a lot of variables (not all of which may be understood even by tale's end), it doesn't mean it's not worth playing with. Some rules of thumb can be boiled down from all the complexities.

  • If you want to know what a particular yeast mix does, then try it! Just get in there and make a beer and see what you get. Don't wait for Hekatef or anybody else to write a beer calculator that can predict what you'll get before you try. Predicting is pretty much impossible without knowing the relative entry times of the yeasts at your kettle spot, and you won't really know that until you do a test or two, so you might as well try first.
  • When testing, add ingredients as though you were brewing for the largest yeast in your kettle. The ending alcohol level should be somewhere in between the lowest and the highest alcohol caps of the yeasts you're using.
  • The best candidate for multi-yeast brewing is a spot with a low-alcohol yeast followed by a high-alcohol yeast. Remember, the first yeast in the queue gets first crack. If you have a low-alcohol yeast in the second or later spots, odds are good that the brew will already be at or near that yeast's alcohol threshold by the time it gets its turn, and it won't be able to contribute much. In an ideal spot, your yeasts will enter the kettle in ascending order by alcohol limit. Then each yeast in turn will have "room" to contribute to the overall beer.

So one really good use of multiple-yeast brews is when you've got a yeast that produces a neat flavor, but not a lot of alcohol. Find a spot where that yeast comes in first, then pair it with a second yeast that is Potent or Very Potent. You'll get the tasty flavor of the first yeast, plus the extra alcohol from the second yeast, and everyone will be happy. Good flavored yeasts to try combining with high-alcohol yeasts include:

  • Yeast-16 (Vanilla)
  • Yeast-17 (Cinnamon)
  • Yeast-19 (Cherry)
  • Yeast-27 (Clove)
  • Yeast-42 (Vanilla)
  • Yeast-59 (Grapefruit)
  • Yeast-88 (Vanilla)
  • Yeast-89 (Prune)
  • Yeast-90 (Cherry, Date)

Note: An important aspect is how much time each yeast has to do its job. How much time is between the yeasts, and how close is the final yeast to 0. usually you want big time intervals, so the processes can run to the max, but sometimes you can actually benefit from short time intervals, either allowing more flavor from the second yeast, or in some cases pushing the max alcohol (if the second yeast is allowed to grow more, the final 'bite' will be bigger). This also means that in theory you could gain new flavor combinations from a combination of 2 high-alcohol yeasts with a short time interval between them. - Solaris

Tools

Yeast Map

Yeast locations can be reported in the Beer Database for easy retrieval.

Yeast Attributes

See Yeast page to read or post yeast attribute results. These are the numbers you want to plug into the Spreadsheet below.

Tools

Beer Database - This is a database for cataloguing yeast locations and ready-made beer recipes all over Egypt. All users are welcome to add to it.

Updated 3/31/11: File:Beer Calculator.zip - Hekatef's beer calculator for Microsoft Excel 2010. Can handle 2 microbe brews! Select your microbe from the drop-down box, enter ingredients and time, and get your results! Contains detailed information on all 51 yeasts, plus a few non-yeasts.

Updated 3/31/11: File:Beer Calculator Old.zip - Hekatef's beer calculator for older versions of Excel prior to 2010.

Special Beer Recipes

Yerbouti User Page

ThePharaohArmsPublicHouse

Old T3 BeerCalc spreadsheet (Note this version has a broken cell calculation under Herbal Label (P2). I found a spreadsheet called 1.4.1 from http://wiki.atitd.net/tale3/Guides/Beer/Spreadsheet which seems to have more yeast values (probably outdated) but no broken cells) - Cegaiel

Tale 4 Beer Spreadsheet - Above link no longer works. Correct link.

ATITD Timer - very useful for hearing when your beer kettle wants attention.


Warning
This information provided courtesy of the Tale 3/4 wiki, Some information might have changed.