Frostcask Brewery
Frostcask Brewery is the largest and most prestigious brewery in Golden Cliff, responsible for producing the renowned Frosted Ale. With its grand stone and wood architecture, the brewery combines traditional craftsmanship with modern brewing techniques. It features vast brewing halls, aging cellars, and administrative offices, all designed to maintain the family’s high-quality production. Security is tight, with stone walls and guards protecting valuable barrels of ale. A symbol of the Frostcask family's legacy, the brewery is both a bustling production facility and a pillar of Golden Cliff’s economy.
Purpose / Function
The Frostcask Brewery is the largest and most prestigious brewing facility in Golden Cliff, producing the renowned Frosted Ale. It is the heart of the Frostcask family’s commercial empire, where the crafting, aging, and bottling of their famous brew takes place. The brewery's vast infrastructure ensures that it can meet both local and kingdom-wide demand. In addition to brewing, it houses management offices for overseeing the Frostcask family's distribution network and logistics across Golden Cliff.
Design
The interior of the brewery is practical yet grand in its own right. The main brewing hall is a cavernous space, filled with rows of copper brewing kettles, and the high ceilings allow for ventilation and temperature control. The walls are made of polished stone, but large wooden beams crisscross the ceilings, adding a rustic touch. The storage and aging rooms are darker, with rows of oak barrels lining the walls. In the administrative wing, large wooden desks and cabinets full of contracts, trade agreements, and family records showcase the business side of the brewery, while the main office features the family’s brewing awards and accolades, proudly displayed on stone walls.
Entries
Main Entrance: A large arched stone gateway leads into the brewery complex. Wide enough for carts to pass through, it serves as the primary access point for deliveries and shipments.
Service Entrance: A more discreet entry at the rear, used to transport barrels and raw materials, is carefully guarded and locked.
Cellar Access: The underground storage facilities have their own secure entry points, protected by heavy iron doors and locks, accessible only to the family or trusted employees.
Sensory & Appearance
As one approaches the brewery, the rich scent of malt, hops, and yeast permeates the air, mingling with the occasional sweet whiff of honey from seasonal batches. Inside, the faint clanking of machinery and the constant bubbling of fermenting ale create a sense of industrious activity. The lighting in the main halls is warm and golden, casting a glow over the rows of copper kettles. The cool air of the cellars contrasts sharply with the warmer brewing areas, and the scent of oak from the aging barrels lingers heavily in the storage rooms.
Contents & Furnishings
The brewery’s interior is filled with industrial brewing equipment, including massive copper kettles, fermentation tanks, wooden barrels, and bottling machines. Large stone hearths keep certain parts of the brewery warm, while the cellar remains naturally cool. Shelves filled with brewing logs and records can be found in the offices, alongside hand-carved wooden desks where contracts and deals are negotiated. Old, worn benches line the walls in employee areas, and scattered around the facility are various brewing tools, some passed down through generations of Frostcask brewers.
Valuables
The most valuable contents of the brewery are the barrels of Frosted Ale in various stages of aging. Certain barrels, aged for decades, are considered priceless and often reserved for royalty or elite clientele.
Alterations
The brewery has expanded several times to keep up with growing demand. Initially a modest structure, it now includes vast brewing halls, specialized rooms for aging ale in custom barrels, bottling facilities, and a connected distribution hub. The largest alteration was the addition of underground storage, which keeps the ale at an ideal temperature during the aging process. New brewing equipment has been integrated into the facility, though the family ensures traditional methods are still upheld to maintain the flavor of Frosted Ale.
Architecture
The architecture of Frostcask Brewery is functional, focusing on the industrial demands of large-scale production but maintaining the family's aesthetic of sturdy, traditional design. The exterior is a blend of stone and timber, with large stone arches over the main entry and smaller, more refined details around windows and doorways. Copper domes sit atop the brewing vats, visible through tall, glass-paned windows that line the brewing halls. Unlike the more regal and homely design of the family’s keep, the brewery’s architecture is a testament to industry and craftsmanship, blending the rustic charm of the city with a pragmatic and efficient layout.
Defenses
Given the importance of the brewery to both the Frostcask family and the city’s economy, security is high. There is a tall, reinforced stone wall around the entire brewery complex, and the main entrance is guarded by family-hired security forces. Key areas, like the aging cellars and the distribution warehouses, are tightly locked, with only authorized family members and trusted employees given access. While not designed for warfare, the brewery’s defenses are built to deter theft or sabotage, with strategic positioning of watch posts and reinforced gates.
History
The Frostcask Brewery has been at the core of Golden Cliff’s brewing industry for centuries. Originally a small, family-run operation, it rapidly grew in size and reputation after the success of their Frosted Ale. Significant historical moments include the time a fire nearly devastated the brewery, but the family rebuilt it stronger than ever. The brewery is now a symbol of endurance and craftsmanship, respected throughout the kingdom.
