The Ale Association

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The Ale Association
Region: Ered Luin
Area: Thorin's Gate
Settlement: Thorin's Hall


The Ale Association is found in the basement of Thorin's Hall, entered via Thorin's Hall Inn.

During festivals this ale loving club is bubbling and boiling with activities, whereof a considerable amount are aimed at undermining the Inn League's wild success. However, these usually noble dwarves of Thorin's Hall also provides some attractive rewards for visitors who manage to wind themselves through the quests and gain reputation *hic*

  • Reputation vendors and quests

Description

Founded by a furious Dwarf. The Ale Association feels deeply offended that the Inn League has had such wild success despite the lack of influence from the Dwarves.

People

Ale Association Leader: Jónar

Ale Association Acquaintance Trader: Lar

Ale Association Kindred Trader: Gapi

Gaining Reputation

Reputation quests are only available during Festivals.

Gaining membership to the Ale Association

Players must complete The Ale Association Challenge quest series, which is given by Andri in Thorin's Hall Inn, who directs you to speak with Bjarni at the Prancing Pony in Bree.

The quests are timed with minimal seconds to spare. See "Tips and Tricks: Ale Association Challenge" for helpful information.

During the challenge, your character will eventually become tipsy. To avoid blurry vision, before beginning the challenge, you can turn off the Adv Graphics option "Post Processing Effects".

After completing "The Ale Association Challenge: The Stone Quarter", players receive 1,200 reputation with the Ale Association plus a one-time bonus of 10,000 reputation, and the deed granting the title of "Ale Association Member."

Repeating the Ale Association Challenge

After gaining membership to the Ale Association, players can repeat the The Ale Association Challenge quest series once a day to receive 1,200 reputation with the Ale Association (and also leaving your character befuddled from drink for a bit). Note that this Challenge is the only quest series that gives reputation with the Ale Association without at the same time removing reputation with the Inn League! It is therefore especially good to get both factions to maximum reputation at the same time. It's a quick run too, can be done in around 7 minutes :)

You do not start with Andri in Thorin's Hall Inn. Rather, you start directly with The Ale Association Challenge: The Prancing Pony.

Jónar's "spoiler" quests chain

Another way to earn reputation as a member of the Ale Association involves completing a chain of quests that intend to ruin different aspects of the Inn League. Jónar, the founder of the Ale Association, happily assigns each quest one-by-one (repeatable every 16 hours). After completing a quest, players receive 900 reputation with the Ale Association as well as a Badge of Dishonour.

Only the quest "Jónar's Special Delivery" is timed (30 minutes).

Repeating Jónar's "spoiler" quests chain

After you complete Jónar's "spoiler" quests chain once, Jónar offers all quests simultaneously for repeat runs. You can accept Tainted Mug, An Irritating Initiation, The Draught Drought, and Jónar's Special Brew at the same time. The quest arrow on the minimap conveniently leads you from destination to destination.

Do not accept Jónar's Special Delivery until you have completed the other four quests. It is timed and depends upon completion of Jónar's Special Brew.

Delivery Quests

Ale Association Tavern Keeps are helping Jónar ruin the Inn League. They want you to fetch an Inn League member a drink from far away within a time limit - but not the drink they want. Instead, you're to procure something completely unlike what they want, and disguise it as their desired beverage.

Unlike Inn League quests you must first get the quest from an Ale Association Tavern Keep, then travel to the pickup location and obtain the item (you do not have to purchase it), and finally travel to the delivery location. You are given an hour (60 minutes) to complete each quest. Each completion gives +900 reputation for the Ale Association, -500 reputation for the Inn League, and a Badge of Dishonour.

The delivery quests can be repeated daily; after finishing a quest, selecting the Ale Association Tavern Keep again will tell you how many hours you must wait.

Quest Fake Drink (Desired Drink) Pickup Location Delivery Location
[15] All But the Good Cider Fake Stars of Old Cider (Forsaken Cider) The Forsaken Inn, Lone Lands Brockenborings, The Shire
[15] Never Further From Home Fake Limael's Vintage (Isenwine) The Prancing Pony, Bree Thornley's Work Site, Bree-Land
[15] One Drink Too Few Fake Forsaken Ale (Barliman's Best) The Prancing Pony, Bree Thrasi's Lodge, Ered Luin
[20] Quite a Tickle Fake Thistlebelly Brew (Small Beer) Thorin's Hall Inn, Ered Luin Ost Haer, Lone-lands
[25] A Bit of White Fake Blagrove's Brown (Whitebranch) The Ivy Bush, The Shire Oatbarton, Evendim
[25] Bombur's Breath Fake Bombur's Beard Lager (Green Dragon's Breath Ale) The Green Dragon, The Shire Othrikar, North Downs
[30] A Different Reminder of Rivendell Fake Dorwinion White (Dorwinion Red) The Last Homely House, The Trollshaws Refuge of Edhelion, Ered Luin
[35] A Drink of the Best Character Fake Swill (Mead) The Plough and Stars Inn, The Shire Aughaire, Angmar
[35] A Convoluted Wine Fake Brandy Wine (Old Winyards) The Bird and Baby Inn, The Shire Echad Candelleth, The Trollshaws
[45] A Dark Prank Fake Moor-boar Beer (Toad's Tongue Ale) The Floating Log Inn, The Shire Zigilgund, Forochel
[45] Not Atli's Favourite Fake Beakbreaker Ale (1404 Vintage Reserve) The Green Dragon, The Shire Hrimbarg, Misty Mountains

Other Quests

During the Harvest Festival, you can speak with Ráthgeir near the Haunted Burrow, who will give you a quest to scare several hobbits who are lost in the burrow.

Reputation Barter Items

None known

Mobs Defeated

None known

Deeds

Click [-] to contract a list of deeds.

Crafting Quests

None known

The Perfect Ale Association Run

Guide on how to perform all the Ale Association delivery quests in one hour.

  • Requires level [45] for access to all the quests, quite a few of the horse travel skills and completion of all initial Ale Association quests
  • Milestones in Hobbiton-Bywater, Othrikar or Rivendell are quite helpful
  • The run using milestones and ports is best if you have immediate porting ability or a 5 minute cooldown and multiple milestones (Michel Delving, Thorin's Gate, Bree, Hobbiton/Bywater, Ost Guruth, The Forsaken Inn, Esteldin/Othrikar, Rivendell, Gloin's Camp/Hrimbarg, Suri Kyla/Zigilgund, Aughaire). If you have a 5 minute cooldown, you may opt to do some of the direct milestone ports out of order to allow for cooldown time.
  • Kindred standing with the Eglain of the Lone-lands will provide Return to Ost Guruth is quite helful
  • Add your version of the Perfect run under this one

Delivery guides

Here are some ale deliveries guides for the ale association (which turns out to be the same as doing them for both factions):

F2p Guide (approx 35 min)

  • Starts in Thorin's Hall, ends at Thrasi's Lodge
  • Requires your milestone to be set at the Forsaken Inn

Optimized Guide (approx 25 min) Requires the following LOTRO Store / Mithril Coin purchases:


Hunter-assisted Guide (approximately 25 minutes) - Blog post and YouTube video

  • Requires your milestone to be set at Duillond

No-travel enhancements Guide (approximately 35 minutes) - Blog post and YouTube video

  • Starts and ends at the Bree-town West Gate
  • Requires your milestone to be set at Duillond

Combined Deliveries for Both Factions

Completing each quest will gain you 900 reputation with one faction, while costing you 500 reputation with the other faction. Since the amount gained is greater than the amount lost, you can reach kindred with both factions. Each daily route of 11 deliveries will net you 4,400 reputation with each faction.

Because the NPC where you complete each Ale Association delivery quest is also the one where you both pick up and complete each Inn League delivery question, you can do both at the same time. This route is based upon Rhanti's F2P Delivery Guide, with some updates due to changes in swift travel routes in recent years.

Note: You can consider combining this run with the quest The Draught Drought, because you can visit 5 of its 7 locations anyway, as indicated between [ ] below.

Port Skills

You should have port skills (Return to, Guide to, or Muster in) or milestones for the following locations:

  • Bree
  • Ost Guruth
  • Thorin's Gate
  • Forsaken Inn (optional milestone)
  • Rivendell (optional milestone)
  • Duillond (optional milestone)

Before You Begin

You must have room to accept all 11 Ale Association quests. You must also have each of the following in your inventory:

  • Bombur's Beard Lager (from Thorin's Hall)
  • Limael's Vintage (from Limael's Vineyard, which is north of Celondim)
  • Blagrove's Brown (from the Bird & Baby Inn in Michel Delving)
  • Thistlebelly Brew (from the Ivy Bush in Hobbiton)
  • Brandy Wine (from the Golden Perch in Stock)
  • Stars of Old Cider (from the Prancing Pony in Bree)
  • Moor-Boar Beer (from the Prancing Pony in Bree)
  • Beakbreaker Ale (from Combe)
  • Forsaken Ale (from the Forsaken Inn)
  • Swill (from the Forsaken Inn)
  • Dorwinion White (from the Hall of Fire in the Last Homely House in Rivendell)

When Delivering Drinks

At each NPC where you are delivering drinks you will:

  • Complete the Ale Association quest.
  • Accept an Inn League quest.
  • Immediately complete the Inn League quest.

Delivery Route

Note: Revised after the addition of the stable at The Last Homely House

  1. Start at the beer hall in Thorin's Hall.
  2. Do not take any of the Inn League delivery quests! Instead, get all 11 of the Ale Association quests from the Ale Association Tavern Keep. Each quest has a 1-hour time limit, so be sure you're ready before taking them! At a reasonable pace, the whole route takes 40-45 minutes. Also pick up the quest The Draught Drought if you want to combine it with the below run.
  3. GET DRINK (1/11) from the beer hall bartender before you leave. (Don't forget this part!)
  4. Exit the beer hall and ride SSW to stable.
  5. Swift travel to Michel Delving.
  6. GET DRINK (2/11) at The Bird and Baby Inn. [For The Draught Drought, also puncture the keg in the back room (1/7).]
  7. Swift travel to Hobbiton.
  8. GET DRINK (3/11) at The Ivy Bush. [For The Draught Drought, now ride to the Party Tree to puncture a keg (2/7).]
  9. Ride east to Bywater.
  10. GET 2 DRINKS (4-5/11) at The Green Dragon. [For The Draught Drought, also puncture the keg (3/7).]
  11. Ride east to Frogmorton.
  12. GET DRINK (6/11) at The Floating Log Inn. [For The Draught Drought, also puncture the keg (4/7), and then ride to Woodhall to puncture another (5/7). These are the last kegs you can puncture during this Ale run.]
  13. Milestone to The Forsaken Inn; OR
    1. Port to Ost Guruth.
    2. Stable horse to The Forsaken Inn.
  14. GET DRINK (7/11) in The Forsaken Inn.
  15. Port to Bree.
  16. Swift travel to Ost Forod from the West Bree stablemaster.
  17. Swift travel to Oatbarton. DELIVER DRINKS (1/11). Important: Remember after each of the following deliveries to also accept and complete the Inn League quest at the same NPC.
  18. Swift travel to Brockenborings. DELIVER DRINKS (2/11).
  19. GET DRINK (8/11) at The Plough and Stars.
  20. Port to Rivendell, then ride to The Last Homely House; OR
    1. Swift travel to Oatbarton.
    2. Swift travel to Tinnudir.
    3. Swift travel to Esteldin.
    4. Swift travel to Rivendell Stables.
    5. Swift travel to The Last Homely House.
  21. GET DRINK (9/11) in the Hall of Fire (the 1st door on the left on the 1st floor) in The Last Homely House.
  22. Swift travel to Echad Candelleth (from The Last Homely House stable). DELIVER DRINKS (3/11).
  23. Swift travel to Rivendell Stables.
  24. Swift travel to Gloin's Camp.
  25. Swift travel to Hrimbarg. DELIVER DRINKS (4/11).
  26. Port to Thorin's Gate; OR
    1. Swift travel to Gloin's Camp.
    2. Swift travel to Rivendell Stables
    3. Swift travel to Bree.
    4. Swift travel to Thorin's Gate.
  27. Ride to Edhelion. DELIVER DRINKS (5/11).
  28. Port to Bree; OR
    1. Ride west to Thorin's Gate
    2. Swift travel to Bree.
  29. Ride east to The Prancing Pony.
  30. GET 2 DRINKS (10-11/11) in The Prancing Pony.
  31. Ride to Thornley's Work Site (or stable horse from West Bree to Hengstacer Farm and dismount near Thornley's Work Site). DELIVER DRINKS (6/11).
  32. Port or ride SSE to Bree.
  33. Swift travel to Sûri-kylä.
  34. Swift travel to Zigilgund. DELIVER DRINKS (7/11).
  35. Swift travel to Sûri-kylä.
  36. Swift travel to Gath Forthnír.
  37. Swift travel to Aughaire. DELIVER DRINKS (8/11).
  38. Swift travel to Gath Forthnír.
  39. Swift travel to Esteldin.
  40. Stable horse to Othrikar. DELIVER DRINKS (9/11).
  41. Port to Ost Guruth.
  42. Ride SSE to Ost Haer. DELIVER DRINKS (10/11).
  43. Milestone to Duillond; OR
    1. Port to Thorin's Gate.
    2. Ride SSW to stable.
    3. Swift travel to Celondim.
    4. Stable horse to Duillond.
  44. Stable horse to Thrasi's Lodge. DELIVER DRINKS (11/11). [For The Draught Drought, you now have two remaining kegs to puncture, in Stock and Budgeford.]

Rewards

Acquaintance

Receive the title The Sinister (Be careful -- you are starting to take after a certain sinister, hobbit-hating dwarf.)

You may also trade in Badges of Dishonour for festival tokens from Lar.

Item to Receive Items to Trade
 Box of Festival Tokens 2 Badges of Dishonour
3 Deluxe Stink Bombs Badge of Dishonour


Friend

Receive the title Abuser of Amusement (You are not on a very good path.)

Ally

Receive the title The Great Saboteur (Did you know that you're not very nice?)

Kindred

Receive the title Creep (In reaching kindred status with the Ale Association, you have demonstrated that you definitely play for the wrong side.)

You may also trade in Badges of Dishonour for the following items from Gapi.

Item to Receive Items to Trade
 Dwarf-make Waistcoat 5 Badges of Dishonour
 Fine Waistcoat 5 Badges of Dishonour
 Ale Association Robe 5 Badges of Dishonour
 Defiled Inn League Keg 5 Badges of Dishonour
 Defiled Inn League Statue 5 Badges of Dishonour
 Hooded Cloak of the Ale Association 10 Badges of Dishonour
 Cloak of the Ale Association 10 Badges of Dishonour
 Prized Ale Association Goat 20 Badges of Dishonour