Alcoholic beverages in Ossoria

Consumption of alcoholic beverages in Ossoria is as common as it is in other developed nations of Tyran. Ossoria has a rich and unique combination of alcohol traditions, and is well-known for the quality of its alcoholic products.

Domestic Production

Fermented Beverages

• Beer - The most popular beer varieties in Ossoria are stouts and ales, though other varieties are present to varying degrees.
• Mead - Meads have been a staple of Ossorian drinking culture since the time of the Settlement of the Home Islands. The most popular varieties use fruit or herbal additives, with the most commonly used additives being blackberry, chamomile, meadowsweet, and redcurrant.
• Wine - Ossorian-produced wines are traditionally fruit wines due to the lack of suitable regions in the Home Islands for grape production. The most popular fruits used are blackberry, cherry, elderberry, and redcurrant, though a wine called diodgriafel made from rowan berries is popular in the Kingdom of Brecon.

Distilled Beverages

• Ossorian whiskey - Ossorian whiskey is traditionally seen as the quintessential alcoholic beverage of Ossoria, distilled from malted barley in copper pot stills. By law, Ossorian whiskeys fall into four legally delineated categories: single malt whiskey, single pot still whiskey, grain whiskey, and blended whiskey. In addition to the legal variances in the production process between these categories, all Ossorian whiskeys are required to be produced entirely in the Ossorian Home Islands, to be aged for no fewer than three years in wooden casks not exceeding 700 liters in capacity, and to be of no less than 40% alcohol by volume. There are currently 47 licensed and accredited distilleries producing Ossorian whiskey throughout the Home Islands.
• Poitín - Poitín has its origins among the Ossorian Highlanders, who would produce small-batch whiskey in violation of licensing laws and regulations. While this illicit production continues, particularly in the Wilderness region of the Kingdom of Kenlis, several licensed distillers now also produce poitín commercially. While similar in production methods to Ossorian whiskey, the law defining it allows poitín to be distilled from a wider range of base materials, including cereals, grain, whey, sugar beet, molasses and potatoes. Additionally, poitín is not subject to the aging requirements of Ossorian whiskey, but is required to be produced entirely in the Ossorian Home Islands and be of no less than 40% alcohol by volume.
• Okolehao - Okolehao is the indigenous alcoholic beverage of the Hemar Confederacy, being distilled from the roots of the ti plant to 40-50% alcohol by volume.

Óstaí

Every Ossorian city, town, or village has at least one local ósta (English: inn), which serves as a combination of a public meeting house, drinking establishment, restaurant, and entertainment venue. Traditionally, óstaí take absurd or whimsical names which are prominently displayed on the front of the establishment and on signs hanging from its edifice.

Ossorian patrons are typically known to adopt one ósta as 'theirs', with few people patronizing more than a few óstaí regularly, and tend to prefer 'their' ósta over other any other óstaí in their locality. How one chooses an ósta is unique to the individual, with some selecting based on food or drink on offer, others on the kinds of entertainment available, others on sports team allegiances, some on friend or family preferences, and the rest on simple proximity. While it is not unheard of for people to chose a new ósta, such a change typically occurs when the patron changes residences or some other outside factor. Due to this, the óstaí serve to foster a sense of community among their regular patrons, as well as occasionally fostering rivalries between patrons and establishments.

Regulation and Taxation

The sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages is controlled by the Aireacht um Rialú Deochanna Alcólacha (ARDA) (English: Ministry of Alcoholic Beverages Control), a federal monopoly responsible for the wholesale and retail sales of alcoholic beverages higher than 3% alcohol by volume, the licensing and accreditation of domestic producers, the licensing of óstaí and other drinking establishments, and the enforcement of federal alcohol laws.

ARDA issues licenses to distillers and commercial brewers, meaderies, and winemakers and levies excise taxes based on the volume of product produced and its alcoholic content. State and local governments are entitled to levy additional duties on alcoholic beverages in addition to sales tax at the point of sale. Private citizens are legally allowed to produce beer, wine, and mead for personal use without acquiring a license.