Intoxicating beverages abound throughout J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Legolas and the Elves sip on Miruvor (a fictional cordial) along with mead and various other wines, the massive tree-like Ents most prefer the revitalizing Ent-draught, and then, of course, there’s beer and ale. While men and mountain dwarfs enjoy their fair share of brew, there’s perhaps no race of beings in “The Lord of the Rings” saga that loves the beverage more than Hobbits — particularly Merry and Pippin, who even came up with a song and dance that argues which pub serves the best.
Over the course of the three-volume novel, beer and ale are mentioned over 40 times, and the Hobbits take any opportunity to drink it — and a lot of it. So when it came time for producers to translate the novel into its now equally beloved on-screen adaptations, the beverage’s crucial role in the high-fantasy became a priority. Before filming was set to kick off in New Zealand, the crew behind “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” enlisted the help of the local Harrington’s Breweries to create a beer exclusively for on-screen use. While booze-free beer is usually the standard when cameras are rolling, the film’s producers requested the beer to be authentic-looking with a darker coloring, and come in a low-ABV so actors could consume it while filming without getting drunk.
The brewery quickly got to work, reimagining its velvety Clydesdale Stout by lowering its alcohol content to produce SobeRing Thought, a 1
