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.
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 :)
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
GET DRINK (1/11) from the beer hall bartender before you leave. (Don't forget this part!)
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.]
Swift travel to Ost Forod from the West Bree stablemaster.
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.
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.]
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. Make sure you also have all of the Inn League delivery items if you plan to do those quests as well.
Collect Fake Thistlebelly Brew from Rúnulf before you leave. (Don't forget this part!)