Something's Brewing in the Abbey #123 news

Hello everyone and welcome back to another Something's Brewing - that one place where we discuss everything Ale Abbey!

This week we made quite a lot of progress on the snowy fronts of Ale Abbey's winter aesthetic. Fixing a few things here and there the next big chunk of our time went to UI the work for which we broke down into two different fronts, preparing for some heavy production on the main UI and a smaller part of it that is dedicated to Ale Orders.

Let's get to it!


-- Full-on UI board

If you've been following our news, you know we have been working on the main UI for a while. You also probably know we have a thing for UIs... We've repeatedly mentioned how they are a thorn in our side, mainly because we want to make all Ale Abbey UI dietetic (or at least as much as we can), as well as efficient when it comes to gameplay.

In these UI adventures of ours, what made the aesthetics part a tad easier was a UI board we put together. This board neatly presents all elements as if they are open/active at the same time, making checking for inconsistencies and cohesion a lot more efficient.

On said board (presented below), you will also notice UI elements that don't belong to the main UI. This is expected as it helps ensure the main UI elements are consistent with each other in their natural habitat, and play nicely (aesthetically speaking) with elements found in other UIs in the game (like the one used in Recipe Crafting). They will never appear in the same scenes, but that doesn't mean they can be allowed to create inconsistencies!

The board in all its splendor:

Click for a larger version, enjoy the view, and stay tuned... we're not done with it yet.


-- Ale Orders coming right up!

With all this focus on the main UI we also spent some of our attention to reworking the Ale Orders UI which happens to be a part of it.

Not designed simply for grinding coin or fame, Ale Orders will also test your brewers' skills in both recipe creation and brewing. Some orders will require you to craft recipes that break the mold of a style, asking for ingredients that should not "normally" be there, like a Light Ale with Gruit (which is not a standard ingredient for this style). Some of them will also go as far as to require a minimum quality threshold to be accepted.

But there's more! Another thing Ale Orders put to the test is the player's ability to stay on top of their monastery's production capacity, the recipes already crafted, and the availability of brewing space and time for preparing these orders. As Ale Orders will be coming to you from quite a few sources like the local Lord and the multitude of villages and cities in the monastery's vicinity. so keeping tabs on what's coming, what's signed, and what's done and out of your way, will be pretty valuable information.

The internal build UI has a way of keeping things simple, but maybe lacks a little bit of charm.

A few tries later, we got some parchment going, some copy sorted, but still not there yet...

With the importance placed on Ale Orders as a gameplay mechanic, expect to see a lot more progress (or at least iterations) soon!


-- Winter is coming (along just fine)

Following our work on the winter version of Ale Abbey's original biome last week, we produced a few more assets that give the monastery a crisper wintery look.

As expected, multiple assets need to be sorted to make a seasonal version immersive enough. Trying to make sure that the aesthetics set the mood in every possible way, the season will need to be obvious in the environs, the inhabitants, and your monastery's every nook and cranny. Which loosely translates into anything from the ground to the monastery's rooftops.

Raimo, our pixel artist, delivered...

Just hinting here, our project lead, Emiliano, is already discussing Fall and Springtime assets ;)


-- Seasonal considerations

You are setting your brewing schedule for the year and start considering what and when. Do seasons play any role or should you go wild and start brewing bocks in the middle of summer?!?

Different seasons bring unique challenges, whether it's managing fermentation temperatures, selecting available ingredients, or choosing the right beer style to brew. Since homebrewing can be a little unforgiving at times, anticipating and adapting to the changing seasons can help make the most of the ingredients you have and the environment! So, a few things to consider:

• Temperature Control:

  • Spring/Fall: Ideal for stable fermentation, you won't need much temperature control
  • Summer: You will have to find ways to cool your wort FAST, but it's also great for warm-fermenting styles like saisons
  • Winter: You might have to find ways to increase temperatures, but it's the perfect time for lagers and high-gravity beers

• Ingredient Availability:

  • Spring/Summer: The time of fresh hops, fruits, and herbs to brew lighter, refreshing beers (hint: check Maturation Times and Styles below for secret synergy bonuses 😉)
  • Fall/Winter: Seasonal ingredients like pumpkins, spices, and dark malts set the stage for richer, warming beers
• Fermentation Challenges:

(A good reason to revisit the Temperature Control point above!)

• • Summer: High temperatures, as expected, are a major risk for off-flavors and contamination of your brew
  • Winter: Many were the homebrewers who had their fermentation stall because of too cold of an environment...

• Maturation Time & Styles:

  • Spring/Summer: Lighter, refreshing styles like pale ales and wheat beers. Their maturation time also allows for a really fast turnaround which means you can brew and drink relatively fast
  • Fall/Winter: Super ideal for brewing and aging beers that improve over time, your best bet would be malty, strong, and spiced beers like stouts, porters, and holiday ales

With this, we'll let you enjoy your weekend responsibly, but remember to join us next week for some more Ale Abbey news!

-- Hammer & Ravens

Craving for more Ale Abbey? Maybe looking to chat with the team and our community? Follow:

Ale Abbey on

Our studio, Hammer & Ravens, on Discord or: