he recalled the research they had done , the sending out for books , and the muted discussions and arguments that had ensued once they had been read ; the purchases they had made , and how they had secreted them into the building and managed to keep them hidden from their peers ; how the brewing had been done in an alcove in an old room on a deserted floor just above the dorms and just below staff quarters ; how they had sneaked down the stairs between classes and at all hours of the night to add sugar , stir and filter the mixture , check the temperature and the acidity , and do all the little things that needed to be done to bring their shelly-like creation to fruition ; and how finally , after what seemed an age , they judged that the moment of consumption had arrived ; how only then did they invite the entire year to a late night drinker in their dorm , where they had all feasted on the tastiest of cheeses , the crispiest of biscuits and a nectar of such refinement and civility that it was determined there and then that the process be repeated at the soonest opportunity .