Michael had been in this medieval world for ten years, yet he had never seen a single beer in his life. As it turned out, beer hadn't yet been invented in this place at all, which was very surprising.
When he found this out, he quickly decided to produce his own beer. Luckily, one of the crops that Anne grew on the farms was barley, which meant he had an ample amount of ingredients to make beer.
And so, he did. When the dwarves came here, he found it fitting to finally announce this new product to the village.
The adult HobMankeys all sniffed the rich aroma of the beer and couldn't help but be interested in this strange drink.
As for the Dwarves, they immediately felt inclined to try out this new alcoholic drink. They were, of course, famed for their big belly full of ale and alcohol. So, they were the first ones to try out this new product.
Michael opened one of the barrel taps and poured a drink into the wooden cup in his hands. Then, he presented it to Thrain and the rest of the dwarves, who eyed the beer with curiosity and a little bit of scrutiny.
They had refined tastes. No normal alcohol would make them satisfied, much less this strange new yellowish drink that foamed at the top.
"Michael, I must warn you that we might not like this 'beer' of yours. If so, then please do not take it as a slight against you. Our tongues are merely more suited to ale or other types of alcohol," Thrain said, completely confident that he wouldn't like this beer.
Michael may beat them in terms of technical and mechanical advancements, but Thrain's dwarven pride couldn't back down at Michael's attempt to make alcohol.
"Just try it out," Michael said, chuckling to himself.
Thrain carefully took the wooden cup offered to him and noticed that it was very cold to the touch.
"Cold alcohol? Strange…" Thrain muttered to himself.
Alcohol was famed for its ability to warm up the body. So, it was incredibly strange for it to be as cold as the winter ice.
Thrain sniffed at the beer before finally taking a small sip from the cup.
The rest of the dwarves all looked at Thrain's expression, curious as to how this new 'beer' compared to the best ales and alcohols that the Dwarven Kingdom could offer.
"!!!!"
At the very first sip, Thrain took the cup out of his mouth and wiped the foam off from his beard and mustache. His eyes widened as he observed the beer with intense scrutiny.
The dwarves thought his expression was indicative of the beer's bad taste.
"How is it, friend? It tastes bland, does it not?"
"Surely! After all, ale is the superior alcoholic drink."
"Give it here, Thrain. I will see for myself how bad this 'beer' tastes like."
But just as the dwarf was about to take the beer away from Thrain's hands, he suddenly shoved it away and gulped the whole cup in one go, surprising the rest of the dwarves.
"Ahhhh…" a satisfied sigh released out of Thrain's mouth, his beard still stained with beer foam.
"This is the nectar of the gods!" he proclaimed. "Michael, this beer is like sugar to my taste buds. It's not as alcoholic as ale, but it is all the better for it! Its cold temperature also makes it so much better to drink.
It's as if I had been thirsty this whole time, and I simply did not know it. Only when I drank this beer did I finally feel refreshed! Its coldness soothes my soul!"
Thrain's relentless praise for the beer led the other dwarves to feel as if they had to drink the beer.
"Michael, can you please pour me one!"
"I shall be the first one to drink. I want to know what it tastes like."
"I refuse to believe it's better than ale before I drink it myself!"
Michael had to assure the dwarves that there were plenty for everyone. He poured everyone their own cups of beer.
"Drink all that you want!" he said. "Tonight is a celebration."
The dwarves began drinking the cold beer, and just like Thrain, their eyes widened as they finally realized why Thrain had praised this alcoholic drink to the high heavens.
"Hooo!"
"By my beard! This shall be my new water!"
"I could drink the whole barrel for myself! Why hasn't our Dwarven Kingdom ever invented such a drink?!"
The dwarves filled themselves with alcohol, their cheeks slowly becoming redder and redder.
However, Thrain noticed that they were the only ones getting drunk. The HobMankeys only looked at the beer with curious looks but weren't courageous enough to take a sip for themselves.
"What are you all waiting for," he asked them. "It's not as alcoholic as ale, so you can drink as much as you want."
"..."
Their awkward silence made Thrain realize the problem. "You guys…haven't drunk any alcohol in your lives, haven't you?"
The rest of the dwarves stopped their merry drinking and looked at the HobMankeys with pure disbelief painted on their faces. This was akin to blasphemy!
As regular Mankeys, they had trouble finding simple water. They couldn't afford to buy alcohol, even if it was available in the desert wasteland.
"This is unacceptable!" Thrain said, walking over to Kong and offering him his drink. "You have a good mind, but sometimes, this leads you to overthink. It's why I think you lost in the baseball match. It is better to let go of all your inhibitions. Drink!"
The rest of the dwarves also poured beer on cups and offered them to the HobMankeys who were a little bit hesitant to drink.
"You taught us how to play baseball. This time, we will teach you how to drink alcohol!"
Surprisingly enough, the first HobMankey to take a drink was Lolo, the oldest HobMankey in the village.
He was just going to take a sip to try it out, but as the cold beer washed over his body, Lolo couldn't help but finish the whole bottle.
"AAhhhh!" he said in excitement. "That's good!"
The dwarves couldn't help but laugh, knowing that Lolo's reaction to his first alcoholic drink was relatable.
Soon, the rest of the HobMankeys started drinking beer with the dwarves, with the celebration at the plaza becoming more and more lively and soon becoming a party.