At his age, Otto rarely enjoyed a hangover.
He slept very deeply that night, and when he woke up the sun had already risen.
Perhaps the distillation process had eliminated a lot of dirt. After waking up, he did not feel an unbearable headache. Instead, he felt a sense of emptiness all over his body, as if he had been rowing all day long and slept soundly all day. Feel.
But when he thought of the ecstasy he felt after being drunk, he got up, ate some bacon, and hurried to Klavassen's blacksmith shop, taking away the last part of the distilled liquor.
Since enjoying it for the first time, Otto has really fallen in love with it.
In the following days, the ale of the entire Ross tribe was concentrated in the hands of the leader.
Generally speaking, the market price of a barrel of ale in Roseburg is ten silver coins. If there is one with the richest taste, it is normal for the price to rise to twenty silver coins.
Usually prices are constant, but this year things have changed dramatically.
In this era, ordinary civilians obtain wealth either from accidents or from war dividends. Don't expect them to save. It is normal to spend immediately to improve their lives.
This is what Malos' theory of spiritual needs describes. In layman's terms, people need to eat enough and then eat well.
What does it mean to eat well? Eating wheat cakes and grilled meat every day, accompanied by ale wine, life is really full of joy.
The merchants deliberately raised the prices, and the Russians were also very fierce in fighting.
The first ales that entered the port had been sold out long ago. Merchants took the opportunity to raise prices. After more merchants inquired, they began to spontaneously transport Malaren ales to Roseburg.
Otto bought ten oak barrels of ale at a price nearly half higher than the market price, which cost him one hundred and fifty silver coins. These wines were not good wines, but even if they were the most ordinary things, he felt that Klavasen was fully capable of turning them into vodka.
The so-called vodka today is just the exact name given by Rurik to the distilled liquor that the Russians processed themselves.
In Rurik's view, only something that is close to pure alcohol, without any aroma, and only has the smell of alcohol, is worthy of being called vodka.
Inappropriately speaking, vodka can be said to be industrial alcohol without added acetone. Rather than a drink, it would be more appropriate to say the fuel that makes the car run wildly.
Therefore, the burden of processing distilled vodka suddenly fell on Klavasen.
The sudden work can be said to add fuel to the fire of this busy blacksmith family.
Is there any other way? That was the order from the leader of the tribe. The order was strict, but it also meant that huge benefits could be obtained.
What mission did Otto give them?
That means one oak barrel of ale must be processed every day and turned into flammable vodka in three glasses. Although this was Otto's first contact with real spirits, a real alcoholic's taste for wine does not need to be tested too many times. He would personally try to light the spirit to verify that the maker had filled it with water.
To be more precise, he also followed his son Rurik's explanation. The reason why ale cannot burn but the flame of vodka can burn beards is because one has more water and the other has less water.
Under pressure, what else can Klavasen do? It seems that the most important thing about distilling liquor is supervision.
He gave the student Kamnier the job of supervisor, and a magical thing happened under the pressure.
People in the White Tree Manor in Novgorod far in the east would never have imagined that Kamne, an orphan whose parents had died, was being trained by the Varyag people to become the best winemaker.
Good thing Otto didn't indulge in personal enjoyment. He put the newly acquired vodka into water bags made from the beast's stomach, and then distributed it to his most important friends.
This is good, Klavasen's reputation is even greater. Many good people learned about the source of vodka in the name of ordering swords. They still couldn't understand how ale became a "good wine that can burn". In short, the leader regarded lighting vodka as a miracle that could be played with, and by the way, he once again proved his son's nobility.
Otto was certainly not an alcoholic. He really longs to enjoy the nectar and jade liquid every day, but after all, he knows that his life will not last long.
"Burning Vodka" is a miracle. He is in the tribe, and his elderly cronies, who are also a very important group of people in the tribe, promote and display this miracle.
However, every night his father became a little drunk, and Rurik looked at the old guy and couldn't help but worry.
Of course Rurik is eager for his new house to be built, and now the new house that imitates the Novgorod-style wooden house has finally reached a very critical stage. Over there, in the gaps intentionally left in the wooden wall, was stuffed with compacted moss. and laying wooden logs on hard wooden beams arranged in a herringbone pattern. After all, you still need to lay the moss and then lay a layer of logs to serve as the energy supply for the tiles.
This is Mukoleng, a wooden carving room with a stone fireplace. It may have been completed in the past few days.
Rurik gradually focused on the new house. It was obvious that his father was originally interested in the new house, but now he was focused on wine.
Finally, one quiet night, while his father was still in good spirits, he talked about his worries at the dinner table.
"Dad, you've been drinking too much during this time."
"Oh? Is it really a lot? I feel that during this period, every night, my soul is wandering in Valhalla. I...even met Brunhilt. The Valkyrie told me..."
"Brünnhilt?" Rurik thought it was ridiculous, that was just a legendary figure. The Rus generally recognize this god, and it seems that no one except the priests claims to be able to compete with this god. Rurik deliberately asked: "So, what did the Valkyrie say?"
"Oh. He said he would die in a war many years later and die like a true warrior."
Niya was startled when she heard her husband say such words. She coughed twice hurriedly: "Stop talking nonsense, you are a man who wants to die at home."
Otto shrugged, not paying attention to his wife's words. He looked into his son's eyes, and as a warrior, he carefully educated Rurik: "Do you know where the best destination for a man is?"
"It's a battlefield, I know!"
"You know?" Otto was greatly surprised.
Rurik really knew what his father liked to hear. He deliberately said: "A true warrior will die at the last moment of the last war. In this way, he will die in battle instead of aging like a man." A dead branch dies quietly."
Rurik just quoted a famous saying from a certain general a thousand years later. At this moment, it really shocked Otto the most.
To be fair, the words he quoted were really shocking and were really meant for the soldiers.
The excited Otto suddenly stood up, and under the attention of his family, he suddenly raised his son high, with a happy smile on his face.
After a while, Otto reluctantly calmed down and continued the previous topic: "My soul did go to the door of Valhalla. It was not a dream. The Valkyrie told me that I will die in the war many years later, and you, Rurik, You will take my place. Don't worry, these are all fates. Valkyrie said, I enjoyed the wine of Valhalla in advance, which is a proof! It proves that I have been chosen. Maybe anyone who drinks this wine , can all become heroic spirits after death. My child, do you know? Your uncles all feel that you gave them this opportunity!"
Rurik's eyes suddenly opened wide, and he felt that things had become very bizarre.
Of course the old guy Otto was dreaming, but when he popularized the dream to his "uncles", that is, important figures in the tribe such as Haro Zuosen, the situation completely changed.
Over the years, Rurik has long recognized Otto's fatherly role.
The current situation is also very clear. Although in the past, the leader of the Ross tribe was selected through public must-select, now, who has the courage to challenge the "person chosen by Odin"?
He will personally govern. Once the leader Otto dies, no matter what his age, he will definitely take over.
Rurik's biggest need now is to have the greatest power of the tribe. Now Otto is becoming more and more addicted to the hallucinations caused by alcohol, while Rurik is increasingly enjoying the feeling of being surrounded by people and worshiping him.
Of course he will become a new leader, or even be upgraded to a prince, or a new title like Caesar or Augustus.
However, before that, Rurik felt that his father Otto must pave a wider and more solid path for his future.
In other words, the Ross tribe that he takes over must be strong.
Therefore, Otto must not die suddenly because of drinking.
Seeing Otto's excitement and his mother Niya's wry smile, Rurik grimaced, grabbed the sleeping bag around Otto's waist and pulled it off forcefully.
"Oh? Rurik, you want to drink too?"
"No, Dad, you can't drink any more tonight."
"Why?" Otto said in surprise: "I wish you would grow up a little bit more so that we can drink together."
"Forget it. I'm just afraid that if you drink too much, your soul will go to Valhalla and never come back."
"How is that possible?!" Otto could tell that his son was afraid that he would die from drinking.
Can drinking cause death? Otto had no idea of the power of alcohol, and he found it ridiculous.
But Rurik just grabbed the water bag and refused to let go, and said seriously: "Actually, Kanuf told me everything. You old guys are all drinking, and Klavasen also told me many things. You are very fond of vodka." The desire is so strong.”
"What's wrong with that? We should have fun because we are noble."
"No! Although vodka is good, it will erode your heart and make you forget your responsibility as a leader. Dad, you should lead the tribe to become strong, so that the poorest tribe members can eat and drink well. Since it is about enjoyment, if you Bringing all the clan members to enjoy together is the most perfect thing.”
Otto was a little embarrassed. Hearing his son's opinion, he felt that his son's words made some sense, but he couldn't tell how.
Rurik was still holding on to the water bag: "Dad, I must limit your drinking from now on and make sure your mind is clear."
"But you can't restrict your father. My child, you should listen to me on this matter."
This is true, because Otto has only one son, and Otto is frankly doting on Rurik. In many things, he deliberately accommodated his son. Rather, it was entirely because of his son that Otto was extremely polite to the maid Rumia.
He was supposed to be a leader with a single word, but as a result, because of Otto's deliberate laissez-faire, Rurik already had great freedom at a young age.
Rurik is actually already doing things that only the leader should have the authority to do, such as training the army! Even if those troops are just a group of eight or nine-year-old boys. Even in this way, sensitive warriors can foresee a future full of combat.
Rurik shook his head: "Dad, we should make an appointment."
"what is that?"
"An agreement about how much alcohol you should drink each day."
"Okay." Otto breathed a sigh of relief: "It's whatever you say."
"This..." Rurik suddenly came up with another good idea. He hid his latest plan in his heart and returned the water bag to Otto for the time being.
Rurik pointed to the glass on the table: "One glass a day, no more."
"Oh! That's it? Too little."
"Is it less? Dad, for three glasses of vodka, we took away the essence of a barrel of ale. If things go on like this, the ale in the entire alliance will not be able to withstand the consumption of us Russians. You must at least be restrained."
"Okay, okay, I won't argue with you. What you said makes sense. At least you want to give me an exception today. Can it be my last indulgence?"
"That's fine." Rurik shook his head helplessly, and then he saw in shock that his father unscrewed the cork of the water bag and poured strong alcohol into his big mouth.
This move shocked Rurik and even more shocked Niya.
Otto, he indeed enjoyed his last drinking binge of the day.
It was not simply a matter of self-restraint in response to his son's good intentions, but precisely because he really could not continue to drink.
Just because the next day, Rurik just arranged a simple training for his men in the morning and ended the training hastily. He ran to the blacksmith shop and explained his new plan to Klavasen.
It was something that Klavasen found unreliable, but the prospect was quite promising.
Specifically, it was a brand new invention that combined spirits and glasses.
Ever since Klavason invented the "suppressing glass and restraining bottle mouth technique" in a short period of time, Rurik had the idea of instructing Klavason to make small glass bottles.
Moreover, for the sake of efficiency, you should try blowing glass bottles.
The work of glassblowing is a test of skill. Indeed, if a person who lacks training does it rashly, the backlash of hot air can instantly destroy a person's lungs and eventually lead to a tragic death.
What if what is blown up is not a human lung, but an air sac?
In other words, the very existence of the lungs is an air sac. The birth of the lungs comes from the buoyant air sacs evolved by ancient bony fish. The essence of the lungs is retractable air sacs. Breathing with the lungs can be said to be an evolutionary operation from a side job to a main job.
Rurik thought of the technology of using the existing leather bag blower to blow air and make bottles.
According to his own understanding, it seems that blowing glass bottles is not difficult at present.
Originally, Rurik felt that it would be difficult for Klavasen to make a bronze tube. Who would have thought that this old guy would first cast a bronze plate, forge it thinner, then curl it up and heat-weld it to become a pipe. This tube has now become the core component of the distillation equipment.
This time, Rurik simply acted as an engineer and called all the Klavassen family to the blacksmith shop.
Including the future sister-in-law Lilia, and the only valet Kamne.
Rurik ordered Lilia to sweep the gravel floor with a broom, and then he ordered everyone to sit down with leather cushions.
He held a wooden stick, drew sketches on the ground, and explained in his mouth.
Any craftsman has a very high level of logical understanding. He can even make up the appearance of the finished product in his mind just by describing it.
This was the case for Klavasen and Kawei, and even Lilia and Kamne expressed some understanding.
Even though Lilia and Kamne were children, to be precise, they were still illiterate. Since they had been living as craftsmen during this period, the two had been exposed to a lot of practical knowledge.
Children's imitation ability, determination to pursue excitement, curiosity, and need for a sense of achievement are all extremely high.
Lilia suddenly became an expert at making glassware. Her hands also had a lot of calluses, and even parts of her delicate hands were molted due to exposure to alkaline substances.
Kamnier is even more incredible. This child has learned many skills and now has begun to supervise the production of distilled liquor.
Everyone present is a craftsman, and of course Rurik is an engineer.
Rurik made several such demands.
First: Make a bronze tube. A ball of soft molten glass is glued to one end of the bronze tube, and the air bag blower is connected to the other end. Blow up with an air blower, forcing the liquid glass to become a hollow existence.
Second: Make a special bronze mold with the shape of a small narrow-mouth bottle inside. The mold can be split in two and the mold can fit as the bronze tube pulls the molten glass into the hollow interior of the mold. Moreover, the mold cannot be large and the finished product must be very delicate.
Rurik made some gestures, and Klavasen realized what was happening inside just by imagining it. He naturally felt it was amazing, but he still had doubts about the wonderful results Rurik showed.
Suspect? Then use the finished product to verify whether the suspicion is reliable.
In fact, there is nothing magical about Rurik's request, because the mass-produced glasses of later generations all followed this routine.
That is a mechanical blowpipe, which blows molten glass into bottles with a constant capacity in a metal mold. Because of this operation, the global mass production of glass containers began to explode at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century.
This is the power of industry!
Wouldn't it be better to just make molds and fire clay? For now, nothing is faster than casting bronze.
It was August 14th. Rurik asked his father to drink less yesterday. This afternoon, when the sun set, Klavasen had already made the mold.
In just half a month, the Russian people's wine-making technology has completed technological innovations, and even the wine vessels have changed.
This mold is really extraordinary!
Because Rurik required that the clay molds be specially processed. In addition to having a special shape, characters were also engraved in reverse.
The clay mold used as the inner tank was chiselled with the Roman letters "RUS" and "VODKA", and Rurik had no intention of engraving the letters Ron.
In any case, the big trend in the future is indeed that the Roman alphabet will become the mainstream in the world. The reason is that it is the writing of the Roman Empire, nothing more!
Besides, Rurik felt that the modernized Roman alphabet he knew about was a very mature alphabet system.
The inscriptions on the clay mold turned into the inscriptions on the bronze vessel as the casting was completed.
The words RUS and VODKA are raised!
Since the bronze mold cooled down instantly after quenching, Klavasen was eager to experiment now.
A bronze pipe was to be made, a job undertaken by Kawe.
There are two senior blacksmiths in the family, and they are also excellent smelting talents. When Clavarson completed the bronze mold, Kawei also completed the task.
The gaps in the bronze tube fused under the high temperature, and the tube could completely withstand the heat of the molten glass.
After all, Rurik asked for lead oxide to be added to the glass liquid. Of course, lead is poisonous. Since he is poisoning other people's heads and he is just trying to make money, that's what the saying goes. Besides, there is also a dosage issue.
This night, the highly mobile Kravarson family embarked on a great feat!
A ball of viscous liquid glass, or a ball of sticky hot substance, adheres to one end of the copper tube.
The soft glass ball is placed into half of the mold, and the other half is immediately closed. Rurik was afraid that the glass liquid would escape from the gaps on both sides of the mold during blowing, so a stone was pressed against the mold.
Kawei, who controls the air bag blower, takes action!
This man with strong arms is good at rowing and blacksmithing. His wife Lilia admires his strength. Now, this is a slightly slow but absolutely powerful suppression. The strong air pressure from the air bag completely changes the glass mass in the mold. appearance.
As a result, some soft glass overflowed from the mold entrance.
As the mold was opened, Rurik smiled...
Klavasen smiled, Kawei smiled, Lilia and Kamne couldn't believe their eyes for a moment!
Because, a glass container is finished!
Klavasen held the dagger and cut the glass attached to the bottle mouth along the copper pipe. Because the current glass is still very hot, its softness makes it easy to cut.
Besides, since a layer of carbon powder is applied inside the mold before blowing, the glass bottle can be released from the mold without any hindrance.
Now, Rurik pinched his hairless chin and was satisfied that he could see the characters he needed.
"Rurik, now it's good, I think we have succeeded!" Klavasen said excitedly.
"Yes, there are also the characters you want. Is this the character that proves it comes from our Ross tribe? Or is it the character of the Romans?" Kawei said in surprise.
"You are all right." Rurik grabbed a piece of leather and put it on his hand, playing with the bottle that could still scald flesh. Although the tower was scorching hot, it has now cooled to the point where it cannot be plasticized.
As long as the cold wind blows, it will cool down faster! This kind of glass bottle is easy to break, or it will collapse immediately after being filled with boiling water.
However, if it hits the cooled liquor, there will be no problem.
"What are you going to do next? Just hold the wine?" Klavasen asked comfortably.
"Of course! It has to be filled with wine, because it is engraved with VODKA! If it is filled with something else, we have to modify the mold." Rurik said enthusiastically, "Next, after it cools down naturally, we have to clean the inside of it. Then, pour the distilled wine made today into it."
"Is it for the leader to enjoy?" Clavarson asked with a smile.
"Of course! I made an agreement with my father. In order to prevent my father from indulging in wine, like that Bonna who was killed by him, I can only do this to restrain him!"
Klavasen didn't care about Rurik's decision. He continued to mutter: "In this case, in order to restrain the leader, why make such a unique bottle? So that we have learned a new skill."
"Of course it's to make money!"
"Yo! You're really not humble at all."
"Of course." Rurik lost his temper: "Klavasen! Kawei! Do you know what I think?"
"Selling wine? You can't put vodka in a bottle and sell the bottle together?!" Kawei asked knowingly.
"You are absolutely right." Rurik immediately introduced the bright future: "I just want to sell wine! You know Gould's glass bottle, it was the treasure of the Romans. In order to get it, Gould used Thirty gold coins! What’s more! The Romans also knew how to make good wine, but they were not as clever as us. A bottle of Gould’s wine is worth at least forty gold coins, what do you think of us?”
"This..." The excited Klavason's heart almost exploded: "We also sell it for forty gold coins?"
"No need. Not many people can afford that price. In my opinion, ten barrels of ale can be processed into one barrel of vodka. One barrel of vodka poured into this kind of bottle is enough for fifty bottles."
Rurik's estimate was quite accurate. It was completely reasonable for ten barrels of ale to be turned into 50° vodka. The capacity of the glass bottle he created was about 200 ml, which must be said to be a real small bottle.
It is precisely because of its small size that it looks very delicate, which exactly caters to people's needs for babies. Baby, it should be small.
Besides, it is a treasure and a very good daily necessities.
Anyone who owns this bottle can use it to hold honey, ordinary ale, or even pure water.
Especially pure water, at first glance others may think it is filled with fine wine!
In this way, Klavasen made five such small bottles in one go. They did not undergo annealing at all and were all cooled naturally very quickly. Experience and a theory he didn't fully understand led him to conclude that the bottle was not heat-resistant for the time being.
Anyway, it’s just a bottle of wine, and it’s an experiment anyway, so you don’t need to ask too much.
As a result, five glass bottles with the words "Ross Vodka" printed on them were completely filled with the spirit obtained from a barrel of ale distilled today. Its appearance does look a bit like a glass coffee bottle that Rurik remembers being sold in a supermarket. When the oak stopper is closed, its appearance gives Rurik a strong sense of dislocation at all times.
It was as if a product of the post-industrial age of a thousand years had appeared in the barbaric ninth century.
Take a look! There are still traces of mold on it! There is a dark line that runs through the entire bottle, which is the closing line of the two-part mold, and also shows its manufacturing principle. Of course, only the best craftsmen realize how it was created. There are probably only a handful of people like this in Eastern Rome.
And this was the gift Rurik planned to give his father. Then tell Otto to drink one bottle every day.
Even though it's only one bottle, it's still equivalent to two or two Guotou.
But Rurik thought of its commercial value even more.
They are all selling wine, so they must reap more profits.
What are the costs here? Finished ale, distillation labor costs, glass bottle production costs, packaging costs, and sales costs, etc.
So when you add all these up, a bottle of wine can be sold for one hundred and fifty silver coins, right?
After all, the glass bottle alone is worth another hundred silver coins.
Just one hundred and fifty silver coins? Is it still too expensive? If I only sell to big businessmen, it will be difficult to make money from small businessmen.
Rurik was still undecided, but he had already made an agreement with Klavasen, which was to mass-produce new glass bottles and make distilled wine as much as possible.
Rurik thought he could set up a company called "Ross Vodka", and the inscription on the bottle would be his trademark!
As for the price, he made an acceptable range, which was one hundred to one hundred and fifty silver coins for a bottle of spirits.
It is indeed very expensive. One bottle of wine is enough for an ordinary man to live for four years! Anyway, spirits are not something ordinary people can enjoy.
Prices can also be reduced in the future, but the prerequisite is that production capacity must explode!
Capacity explosion? He feels that food production capacity must first explode, otherwise everything will be delusional.
Tip: Enter "giant panda literature" in the search engine to find this site, thank you.
Chapter 226 The Birth of Ross Winery
