I Became a Food Developer in Another World

Chapter 38: Beer (3)

The rumored release of a secret “hop” for a dwarven dark beer has the populace in a frenzy.

And they were horrified to learn that the hops would be distributed by the Trion Corporation.

“If it’s Trion Corporation, it must be the White Tower.”

“Could it be that Sage Yuri is making beer…?”

“Huh!”

It was an open secret that the White Tower was behind Trion Corporation.

It wasn’t unreasonable for the people to associate dark beer with the White Tower, as the food products it had developed over the years were far too amazing to be merely distributed.

Of course, the White Tower never made an official statement on the matter, but it was common knowledge among the people that the creator of the dark beer was Yuri Grail.

“They say Yuri helped the dwarves create the dark beer.”

“From what I’ve heard, the dwarves taught Yuri how to brew beer.”

“I see! That’s right!”

There was a rumor in the Empire that ‘when it comes to food of unknown origin, suspect the White Tower, nine times out of ten.’

Even the legendary tofu, a traditional food of the elves, had been invented by Yuri but the brewers only scoffed at the lush rumors about hops.

“You know so little about brewing.”

“A secret of the dwarves, you’re being ridiculous.”

The brewers were well aware that the dwarves had been using only grunt for thousands of years.

The dwarves’ brew was worth thousands of gold among human brewers and they dismissed the rumors about hops as fanciful nonsense.

But when the hops were released, these brewers’ views changed 180 degrees.

“This, this tastes like…?!”

“Huh!”

The hop beers were refreshing and elegant, unlike the gritty grain beer.

Its aroma, in particular, was incomparable to Grunt.

Even the most discerning brewers felt this way, not to mention the common people.

“Ahhh! I’ve never tasted such a clean beer before, it feels so refreshing in the mouth.”

“Is this really beer? It’s nothing like Grunt!”

The flavor of the hops, which surpassed Grunt’s, excited the people.

Of course, the flavor wasn’t the only thing that made it great.

“What, a year?”

“You mean it can be preserved for a year!”

The brewers were astounded by the hops’ ability to preserve the beer.

Flavor, aroma, and even preservation.

Hops were completely outclassing grunt in every way.

Hops were even cheaper.

Grunt, which was sold exclusively by local lords and monasteries, was extremely expensive.

Hops, on the other hand, were sold by Trion, and were many times cheaper.

It was only natural that brewers would turn their backs on Grunt.

Meanwhile, the rise of hops wasn’t just about improving the flavor of beer.

“This beer was distributed in the Gerz Duchy.”

“What?! Gerz is in the north, not the south. A beer from the north has made it to the south?!”

The use of hops allowed beer with a longer shelf life to be distributed farther afield.

Naturally, the people who consumed the beer were delighted by the increased distribution.

“Hahaha! I’ve always wanted to taste beer, but I never imagined I’d be able to drink it at home!”

“Well, tomorrow there will be a new batch of beer coming in from Yuren.”

“Ooh, from Yuren? I can’t wait!”

Many more people were able to taste and enjoy “traditional beers” that were previously produced and consumed only in one region.

With the advent of hops, “grunt” gradually fell out of favor with the people.

It was the people in power who were selling the grunt who were the ones who got burned.

“We will not allow the distribution of hops in our territory!”

“If you’re caught using anything other than Grunt in your beer, you’ll be fined!”

The local lords, who had enriched themselves by capitalizing on the monopoly position of the grain, immediately blocked the spread of hops.

“It is said that those who eat hops are blinded, and the White Tower plans to cover it up!”

“It is a proven fact in the monastery that hops are the fruit of the devil!”

They spread all sorts of bad rumors about hops and continued to incite.

Normally, the lords’ propaganda and lies would have worked well with the people.

This time, however, the lords’ propaganda and lies did not work.

“Hops are used by dwarves, are they?”

“It can’t be a bad thing if the White Tower spread it.”

The Empire had long been ingrained with the dwarven universalism that anything ‘dwarven’ is always good.

It was the White Tower that distributed hops, after all.

‘Dwarves’ and ‘White Tower’.

The combination of the two words reduced the cries of the lords to a muffled roar and then came the news that would be the last straw for those lords.

The Dwarves’ beer, Guinness, has landed in the Empire!

“Kaaaah!”

“Grrrr.”

The local lords collapsed, clutching their backs.

Thus, petitions from local lords to block the distribution of hops began to arrive in droves at the Minister of Finance.

*

“……Stop the distribution of hops.”

Count Jandersen, the Minister of Finance, rubbed his jaw as he read the petitions from lords from all over.

The petitions were filled with negative opinions, ranging from dubious research showing hops to be a poisonous herb to claims that hops would lead the people to indulgence.

Count Jandersen glanced to the side and asked.

“You came to see me knowing this would happen?”

“Yes, because the lords would not let go of their rights so easily.”

“You are very shrewd.”

Count Jandersen stuck out his tongue.

The figure standing beside him was none other than Yuri.

Yuri had come to see Count Jandersen in person, long before the petition was posted.

And Yuri’s quick response was instrumental in Count Jandersen’s decision to distribute the hops.

“I never thought you’d look into this.”

On Count Jandersen’s desk, Yuri’s research papers were piled high.

【Mental harm caused by Grunt to the body】

【Corruption of local lords due to Grunt】

【The economic benefits of the hop beer trade to the Empire】

The details in the report were so detailed that even Count Jandersen was impressed.

Yuri had mobilized experts in each field to conduct meticulous research.

It was a far cry from the low-quality petitions that appealed to the emotions of local lords.

‘It’s as if he did this many times before.’

Yuri’s organizational skills amazed Count Jandersen.

He wasn’t a bureaucrat, but he was as organized as a bureaucrat.

‘He saved me a lot of trouble.’

In fact, Count Jandersen had no intention of stopping the distribution of hops, even if Yuri hadn’t convinced him.

The current Emperor was a man who was all about strengthening centralization.

To such an emperor, the ‘Grunt’ that fed the provincial lords’ stomachs was an eyesore.

The first thing the emperor wanted was to weaken the power of the provincial lords.

This was also the case with Count Jandersen, the Emperor’s handler.

However, he couldn’t just put pressure on the provincial lords without any reason.

Just as he was thinking about it, Yuri came to him with these well-organized ‘reasons’.

Count Jandersen couldn’t help but like what he heard.

“You mean to tell me you did all this research to distribute hop beer?”

“Well, it’s better to have something delicious to drink than something tasteless.”

“Haha, I see.”

Count Jandersen nodded in agreement.

Count Jandersen held a glass of Guinness, a dark beer with a creamy foamy head, in his hand.

*

The petitions of the local lords were all rejected but they had no means of protesting.

The Minister of Finance came up with a flawless excuse.

The lords were left with no way to forcibly stop the distribution of hops.

“Lords, sign it now!”

“Ugh! I will allow the use of Hop’s… ….”

Under pressure from all walks of life, the lords were forced to sign the form with shaky hands.

Thus ended the long reign of Grunt, who had kept the Lords’ bellies full.

And with it, Guinness spread across the empire, bringing an end to Grunt-infused beer.

The world has moved on from the thick, cloudy beers of old to the clear, crisp beers of the modern age.

Chicken, burgers, fries, coke, cider, beer…….

It was the age of ‘processed food’.

“My, my teeth!”

“Ahhhhh!”

People’s teeth began to rot from the euphoria of the overabundance of processed food.