Vanilla Stout and the Blue Moon Belgian White
"Hmm." After wrapping up an incredibly successful tasting session, I returned to my lodging and sank deep into thought. The reason? Obviously, deciding what beer to brew next.
Some might ask if I hadn’t already made up my mind, but that was only about the category of beer. Even within a single type, there are endless variations and flavor profiles—just like how lagers back home split into all those different brands. Sure, I could just brew whatever I personally like best, but it’s not that simple. If this was only for my own enjoyment, fine. But that’s not the case. I’m going to spread this beer far and wide and actually make money from it.
I’d only just firmed up that decision. The whole walk back, people from the tavern kept hounding me with questions: “When can we drink the next one?” “Do we have to pay next time?” “How much for a whole keg?” And so on. One guy even turned out to be the son of a fairly large brewery in the city. He’d somehow snuck a taste, introduced himself as the owner’s secretary, and asked if he could buy the recipe.
If I only knew the method and lacked the equipment, I would’ve handed it over gladly. But since I can whip up beer anytime I want with my skill, there’s no real advantage for them. Plus, I’m clueless about business—I could easily get scammed or stiffed on payment. So I turned him down. Still, even after the rejection, he bowed politely and said, “Next time, I’d love to try it myself. The young master couldn’t stop singing its praises.” That felt pretty satisfying.
...Wait, if this were a novel, wouldn’t this choice be the spark for some major conflict?
It won’t go wrong, right?
...Right?
Let’s check the usual flags. Has a comrade betrayed me? Nope. Am I hated by my party? No. Am I a hero? Definitely not. The protagonist? Absolutely not.
Hmm. Good. I’m safe.
Whoops. Those random thoughts went on way too long. Lately they’ve been getting oddly specific and detailed, like I’m explaining things to someone. ...It’s probably nothing.
Anyway! After letting my mind wander, my head felt clearer. Perfect time to focus.
Judging from how the otherworld customers reacted to the lager, the biggest praise went to that crisp, refreshing quality you can’t get from ales. A tiny handful liked the bread-like flavor or rough texture, but most fell head over heels for the refreshing sensation they’d never experienced before.
So the direction for the next beer is obvious: something with a strong, unique appeal that sets it apart from ordinary ales.
Would a barrel-aged imperial stout—high-ABV dark beer aged in whiskey barrels—work? No. That’s way too high a hurdle for beginners. I need something approachable for people who aren’t already beer enthusiasts.
Let’s narrow it down. Thinking that, I started jotting suitable stouts on a piece of paper.
-Guinness
-Oatmeal stout
-Peanut butter stout
-Chocolate cake stout
Hmm. No middle ground at all? Guinness has that signature trait where you have to wait after pouring, so it’s hard for beginners to experience it at peak condition. Back in my old world, I saw plenty of posts from people who ordered one for the first time, drank it immediately, got an earthy taste, and never touched it again.
Oatmeal stout… I’m not sure if people here even like oatmeal. Does oatmeal exist in this world?
Peanut butter stout might turn people off with that sticky, cloying quality.
Chocolate cake stout was beloved by people who like chocolate cake, but quite a few disliked the weird combined flavor.
Hmm… nothing?
No, there has to be one. A stout that’s creamy yet still carries that classic stout aroma and taste…
…Ah! That’s the one!
I’d remembered the perfect beer. I immediately opened the skill window to input the characteristics.
“Hmm… first, nitrogen surging…”
Some people ask if beer isn’t supposed to be carbonated. That’s only half the story. There are beers served on nitrogen. It creates an even smoother mouthfeel than carbonation and makes the beer easier to drink. And that’s not all—the visual is spectacular too. When poured into a glass, it looks like sand cascading down the sides. Very flashy.
But glassware isn’t common in this world yet, so we’ll move on.
Next characteristic: vanilla aroma. This is the most important point. Beer isn’t just about taste—you drink it with your eyes and nose too. Since we don’t have clear glasses here, smell becomes even more crucial. Vanilla gives a sweet, gentle scent that almost no one dislikes.
Think about it. Have you ever met a single person who hates the smell of vanilla? Who doesn’t like sweet aromas? (Diabetics might be the exception.)
So, vanilla aroma it is. Third characteristic: creamy texture. Nitrogen helps, but to keep that softness all the way down the throat, this is essential. Plus, there’s no downside to making it even smoother.
After selecting those three traits, I set the beer type to stout. All that remained was the ABV. If my memory served, it was 7.5%. Close enough.
Once I finished every setting for the stout, I pressed the brew button.
Brewing Complete In: 10 Days
“Huh?” They said the brewing time had been reduced. Only ten days? I’d expected it to finish in about two. What a shame. Looks like sales will have to wait a while.
One slot left. Time to brew something here too. This time it would be Belgian White—a Belgian-style wheat beer.
What makes it different enough to earn the “Belgian” label? The unique ingredients. The old German purity law meant most German beers used only barley, hops, and water. That gave them solid fundamentals, but limited unique flavors. Belgian White changed the game by adding coriander seeds and orange peel to the wheat beer base, perfectly balancing the wheaty character with bright citrus notes.
Even today it has a dedicated fanbase, and like lagers, it doesn’t split opinions too sharply.
Hmm. No need to overthink which Belgian White to make. It’s fundamentally clean and straightforward. Wheat beers don’t have huge variations anyway.
But certain traits are mandatory: orange peel, coriander seeds, and that signature grainy texture. Yes, “grainy texture.” Wheat beer’s charm comes from that slight roughness on the tongue. When it meets the fruit aroma and flavor, true Belgian White is born.
With all the characteristics set, I only needed to choose the type and ABV. I set it to Belgian White at 5.4% and pressed the button.
Brewing Complete In: 10 Days
“Done!” It might look quick, but after a full hour of agonizing, I’d finally started brewing both beers. Ten days from now is going to be exciting.
With that thought, I headed into the bathroom to wash up.
The next day.
“What the hell.”
An enormous crowd had gathered right outside my lodging.
“Seriously, what is this?”
Did I commit some crime? Had I somehow swapped bodies with my parallel-world self, and that version was a complete bastard? I was busy spiraling when—
Knock knock knock.
Familiar voices came from outside the door.
“Bel, you in there?”
“It’s me and Oakfoot. Open up.”
At first I was suspicious given the situation, but the voices belonged to friends I knew well—my party members, the dwarf Oakfoot and the elf Coriander. Still, why were they here all of a sudden? Wondering that, I opened the door.
“What’s going on?”
“Ah… um… You can see the situation outside, right?”
“Obviously.”
The window was huge and the noise was impossible to miss. As I thought that, Oakfoot spoke up instead of Coriander.
“Bel, we’ve got a big problem.”
“All the drinkers in the city have lost their minds.”
“Why?”
“Because of that beer from yesterday’s tasting, obviously.”
...What does that have to do with anything?
“From your face, I’m guessing you haven’t heard?”
“No…”
“The rumor spread like wildfire. Some adventurer gave away a new beer for free and it tasted like heaven. The people who missed it started turning every tavern upside down asking where to get it. After endless questions, they traced it back to you. That’s how we ended up with this mess.”
“…I’m not being cursed out, am I?”
“No one’s cursing you. They’re saying anywhere is fine—they just want you to sell them beer as fast as possible. Can you?”
“Um…”
I hemmed and hawed, eyes darting around. Finally I decided I shouldn’t lie to my party members.
“Probably not for the next twenty days…”
“…Why?”
“Well… I have to brew it first?”
The moment the words left my mouth, Oakfoot collapsed onto the floor.
“O-Oakfoot?”
“Aigo! If I hadn’t had that mission yesterday I could’ve tried it! Now I have to wait twenty whole days?”
“Isn’t twenty days… pretty quick?”
“I have to go back to my hometown in twenty days!”
Well… that’s unfortunate.
“…Sorry?”
“Aigo!”
Oakfoot sat in the hallway, pounding the floor and wailing.