=== Races | Economy | Buildings & Organizations | Products ===

====== ORBITAL STOUT ======

===== Overview & Game Mechanics =====

| **Origin**                       | **Type**                                     | **Impact (on-table rules)**          | **Cost (Beta Age)**     | **Cost (Gamma Age)**    | **Availability for Players**|                                                                                                                                                                                                            
| Brewed by [[space_drinks_inc|Space Drinks Inc.]] – first cask August 2629 | Thick “ration-grade” stout (6 % ABV) | One pint counts as a complete daily food ration; after 1 h the drinker is pleasantly drowsy → Disadvantage on Perception checks for the next hour | 10 K per 1 L army can | Production banned; contraband can ≈ 28 K | Common in [[beta_age|Beta Age]] mess halls; rare black-market stock in the [[the_gamma_age|Gamma Age]] |

==== Context & Historical Background ====

When the [[volunteer_army_of_man|Volunteer Army of Man]] asked Christos Demopoulos for a calorie-dense field drink that wouldn’t spoil on week-long marches, the brewers at Space Drinks repurposed their darkest wort. By bulking it with protein-rich myco-yeast and slow-roasting Atrana barley, they created Orbital Stout —marketed to troops as “A Meal in a Mug.”

Civilian settlers soon adopted it as a no-cook supper during brutal harvest shifts, while miners in [[firetown|Firetown]] called it “Night-Shift Blanket” for the warm stupor it grants after a hard day.

===== Ingredients & Process =====

  * **Atrana Barley Base Malt** — deep-roasted for near-black colour and roasted-grain bite.
  * **Black Crystal Malt** — caramelised in basalt kilns; adds residual sugars to hit calorie target.
  * **Headwater** — naturally hard water from the [[arla_river|Arla River]] enhances roasted sharpness.
  * **Myco-Yeast Blend** — engineered strain high in proteins and B-vitamins; leaves stout thick enough to spoon.
  * **Ironroot Bittering Hops** — minimal additions (25 IBU) keep focus on malt heft.

===== Legacy & Impact =====

  * **March Fuel** — Field rations of Orbital Stout cut luggage weight: one tin equals a meal & morale booster.
  * **Tin Can Trophies** — Soldiers flattened empty cans into improvised unit badges; collectors now pay high prices for intact VAM-issue tins.

===== Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters =====

  * **Supply Convoy** — PCs escort kegs through snow; each stout consumed can stave off starvation but risks watch-duty fatigue.
  * **Can-Badge Clue** — A rare VAM “8th Platoon” flattened tin links a stolen crate to an illicit arms cache.

===== Related Pages & Further Information =====

  * [[beta_age|Beta Age]]
  * [[free_state_of_settlers|Free State of Settlers]]
  * [[great_war|Great War]]
  * [[volunteer_army_of_man|Voluntary Army of Man]]
  * [[space_drinks_inc|Space Drinks Inc.]]
  * [[space_drinks_inc._headquarters|Space Drinks Inc. Headquarters]]
  * [[space_market|Space Market (New Kourou)]]

**Beverages and spirits of Space Drinks Inc.:**

  * [[space_beer|Space Beer]]
  * [[red_dwarf_firewater|Red Dwarf Firewater]]
  * [[starshine_schnapps|Starshine Schnapps]]
  * [[gravity_grog|Gravity Grog]]
  * [[orbital_stout|Orbital Stout]]