Modist’s new D&D-themed beer // Photo via Modist Brewing
If you’re a rogue who enjoys visiting the village public house for a stein of ale (and, of course, pickpocketing a fool or two), Modist Brewing’s latest beer release will have you grinning. On Sunday, February 16, the North Loop brewery is debuting what might be the world’s first-ever Dungeons & Dragons-inspired beer—a sessionable hazy IPA—coupled with a full game campaign masterminded by local singer and songwriter jeremy messersmith.
Let’s roll for initiative and find out more.
“Mid to late last year, Jeremy hit me up about this idea he had about a beer that was going to be Dungeons and Dragons-themed,” says Modist director of marketing Dan Wellendorf. Soon the idea progressed from making a sessionable D&D-themed beer to rolling out an entire playable D&D campaign to go along with it.
“I had the idea after a custom D&D session, real-life beer tasting, that left my players almost too drunk to play,” Messersmith explains. “My D&D group—we work and play together under the name Unconventional Pleasures—had the idea to adapt the D&D campaign for the masses.”
Interested adventurers can take part in the live gaming sessions on Sunday when the beer is released. Two game sessions will take place at the taproom: the first at 1pm and the second at 4pm.
All you need to do is head to the brewery in a group of up to five. Oh, and you will need to buy a pack of beer when you arrive to get your characters. “The beer comes in a four-pack, and every beer in the four-pack has its own character on it,” Wellendorf says. From there, you can set forth on the “Search for the Elder Draft.”
Modist doesn’t want to give much away, but basically, you’re quest for a legendary ale that features subtle Modist references throughout.
“The idea from a D&D perspective is for it to be a good way to introduce players to Dungeons and Dragons,” Wellendorf says. “The campaign is designed to last only two to three hours beginning to end; it was purposefully simplified to be a great way to spend a couple of hours drinking with friends.”
The 4.5%-ABV New England IPA isn’t just crafted so players could have more than one and not make poor campaign decisions—it also features Old World malts and fermented honey as a nod to medieval times.
“I’m crossing my fingers [Messersmith] comes up with some sort of medieval jingle to start the game,” Wellendorf says. “Chances are high.”
And if none of this makes sense to you? Come anyway. Wellendorf had never played D&D before and found it to be an enjoyable time during the test run.
“I had an absolute blast. I’m excited for people to play this game,” he says. “In our playtest, we had people who never played and some seasoned [D&D players], and it seemed like everyone had a good time, and jeremy got to be the dungeon master of our playtest. He is well-versed in making funny voices that will definitely have a role in Sunday’s festivities.”
“The event is going to be really fun,” messersmith says. “I’ll be doing little intros for the campaign ‘Search for the Elder Draft’ at 1 and 4, and may even be in costume. If it goes well we may even see a second episode sometime.”
RSVP to the Tabletop Session launch party on Sunday on Modist Brewing’s Facebook page. Or you can play the campaign at home by purchasing a four-pack on or after Monday, February 17, and visiting tabletopsession.com for the campaign outline.
