Thanks guys. I did make a trade depot and some guy with a caravan started talking to my trader guy. He had tons of stuff I wanted but I couldn't figure out how to make the trade happen and I think we both left with nothing.
I google whatever I have a question with and that usually brings up some wiki page that his often helpful. I did notice that every dwarf cannot get through a working day without alcohol, but thought they needed water, too (only because alcohol dehydrates humans, but apparently not dwarves).
Right now I have a starvation problem. I figured out traps too late (it's now autumn and no wildlife to be seen). However, my dwarves won't kill and eat all the nice tame animals roaming around my camp, such as water buffalo, yak and guineahen. I tell them to kill and trap live animals but they just walk right by the guineahen without killing it or trapping it. It's autumn now (but no snow yet, I must be in a southern New England or northern mid-atlantic type biome) Not sure if I'll be able to make any booze now? Certainly I'll try. Not sure if my farms have even produced anything. I have about 15 plots or so, but all of them are built on a silty/clay soil with a yellow warning about needing mud. (I don't know how to make mud yet). I'll try this brewery thing tho, and see how it goes. Thanks!
edit: I killed some nearby boar with my militia, but ran out of ammunition, even though I built a bowery and crossbows and saw arrows flying across my screen. I built a bunch more crossbows. I now see a herd of boar in my camp! but I'm afraid they'll move on before I solve my ammunition problem. Any ideas?