WEEK 240--make craft beer easier to understand

 

craft beer has became more widely known in the last 10-15 years or so--in many cities across Asia, craft beer is no longer confined to specialized bars or bottle shops but available in some cafes/restaurants as well selected covenience store/supermarket--that said--how to make craft beer easier to understand/less intimidating/ confusing to newbies is still something craft industry/community as a whole need to work on.

过去十多年来craft beer在亚洲不再局限在专卖吧/瓶子店，亚洲不少城市可以在咖啡馆/餐厅/特定便利店/超市看到/买到--不过，怎么让新朋友更容易理解/减少开始接触时的困惑 疑问/甚至误解都是业者以至整个craft beer社区需要努力的方向。

近期和香港啤迷朋友WARREN YU聊聊，听听他自酿课程导师/瓶子店/专卖吧/酿坊/啤酒裁判等等不同业者经历的观点 ：- 

Met Warren at HKBrewcraft some years ago and more recently at a SheungWan craft beer bar--here's a chat to get his thoughts on the topic of getting  messages through first liners to newbies in view of his experiences of operating bottle shop/ home brew classes/ craft beer bar/ BJCP beer judge/ brewery....

*English written by Warren/ Mandarin transcript by me.

1) what might be some effective ways of introducing craft beer to newbies/first timers from craft community point of view?

To the industries: Let’s keep things straightforward and ditch the fancy terminology. Discuss flavor profiles and balance in a straightforward and relatable manner. 

To the customers: Let’s keep an open mind and be ready to rethink some of the misleading marketing that you might have encountered in mainstream beer advertisements.

1）craft beer社区观点来说，什么是对新人比较有效的推介方式？

业者要摈弃华丽辞藻，简单直白更有助新人理解，讲述啤酒风味时可以（站在新人角度）尽量说得浅白易懂。

新人们要保持开放接受心态，重新审视之前受到的大厂啤酒营销策略/广告宣传影响。

2) what might be some  obstacles faced by craft community in attracting more people to try out craft beer- here in Asia?

1.Too many middle-aged men are trying to give their opinions, like what we are doing now. Does not only apply to Asia 

2.Excessive use of local ingredients without mastering the basic beer style.

3.Using TIPA or Imperial Stout in a drinking game.

WEEK 239--Sour Beer made simple

"beer is sour?"--that's a rather novel concept to many newbies-- some who only had MACRO LAGER before would have thought this is beer gone bad OR would be concerned about the puckering/one dimensional sourness of a sour beer.

刚接触craft beer新人对啤酒可以是酸的概念觉得陌生，也担心会只酸没其他风味的顾虑，对很多新人来说酸味啤酒是之前不知道的全新概念。

 实际上酸味啤酒的分布相对广阔，几个以酸为风味主轴啤酒类型风格之外，酸味啤酒也可以延伸至比如黑啤或印度淡啤等原有风味主轴不是酸的类型。

 酸啤是什么一回事？以下是一些简易概念：-

for those who know--sour beer refer to quite some different beer styles focusing on sour taste/smell either as the main characteristic OR part of the characteristics of a beer--in fact other than a few beer styles which are specifically well known as sour beer styles--other styles not usually associated with sourness like IPA/Stout can also be made into a sour beer if the brewer wishes to. 

here are some simple basics about sour beer:-

1) where does sourness come from?

in simple words--sourness in a beer can be achieved via brewing method--and/or also with adjunts like adding sour fruits/juices....

1）酸从哪里来？

简单说，酸味来源主要通过不同发酵方式，另外就是添加食材比如水果提味而成。

*Brewing method*

1-1) Kettle Sour

A relatively faster and easier to control way of making a sour beer by inoculating sour bacteria such as Lactobacillus into the cooling wort during brewing process. Kettle sour beer might be lacking in depth and layers but adding adjunts is 1 way of making the beer more interesting.

发酵方式

1-1）Kettle Sour

相对来说快捷又可控的酸啤发酵方式，通过添加乳酸菌让冷却麦汁酸化然后煮沸而成，风味以酸爽为主，可能欠缺丰富层次风味变化不过可通过添加食材或桶陈方式提升。

1-2) Mixed Fermentation

Depending on what the brewer wanted--this is about using at least 2 different bacteria/yeast--souring agents such as Lactic acid bacteria as well as Brettanomyces/ Saccharomyces yeast can be used /mixed during different stages of brewing process--which usually take longer time to achieve desired tartness & complexity. This is still very much a controlled process when compared to Spontaneous fermentation beer such as Lambic.

1-2）Mixed Fermentation 

视乎酿酒师要什么，通过添加两种或以上不同酵母，包括乳杆菌，酒香酵母，酿酒酵母等发酵并酸化酿造而成。这也是可控酿造方式，需要较长时间工序让风味层次更丰富。

1-3) Spontaneous Fermentation

While many beer geeks would instantly think of terms like Pajottenland in and around Brussels area as well Lambic--this method is being used by brewers outside of that area including US & more--what is unique about this method is that No yeast is added by brewer--everything is up to the Bacteria existing naturally in the air/surroundings.

Another unique feature of this method is brewing can only be done during Cool/Cold weather period because hot/humid weather would mean BAD bacteria will take over and the beer will go bad.

1-3）Natural / Spontaneous Fermentation 

天然发酵酸啤类型中，比利时天然发酵酸啤（Lambic）备受推崇, 通过让麦芽汁(wort)在冷却槽（coolship)中吸收野生菌自然发酵方式而成，可控性低只能在冷季节酿造，好作品风味层次表现可以是最迷人的类型风格。

Lambic以外，其他类型风格啤酒也能通过自然发酵方式酿造。

*Adding adjunts*

adding fruits with natural sourness is another way of making a beer sour--sounds direct & simple but this also takes consideration and care as well time.

添加食材

增加啤酒风味，包括酸味表现是可通过添加食材比如不同水果（酸樱桃，柠檬，橘子等等）浸泡/桶陈而成，是看似直接但也讲究时间工序的一关。

 

2) What the beer styles available?

2-1) Berliner Weisse

If German weisse beer is malty and sweet with banana/clove flavours--this is the less malty/ligher sour weisse beer.

2）有什么类型风格选择？

2-1）Berliner Weisse

柏林小麦啤酒是德式麦芽啤酒基础上变化而来，和甘甜爽口带麦香味的Weissbier 截然不同，是酸味轻型麦芽啤酒。

 

2-2) Gose

also originated from Germany--traditional style Gose are known for sour/salty/coriander flavours though the modern ones can be rather different nowadays.

2-2）Gose

也是源自德国的咸味酸啤，传统作品典型风味是酸中有盐味和香菜/芫荽味道气息，发展至今世界不同角落酿坊有各自不同诠释/呈现方式。

2-3) American Wild Ale

While the term American Sour can be any sour styles made in US--here we are refering specifically to Wild Ale--which invloved spontaneous  fermentation sour beer styles--while Spontaneous style beer can be similar in brewing method to the ones in Belgium--geographical differences would mean the US wild ale is a category of its own.

2-3）American Wild Ale

美式酸啤(American Sour)可以是个统称，意思是包含好多个不同啤酒类型风格，这里只说美式自然发酵酸啤，酿造方式或许和比利时Lambic有非常相似之处，地理位置和风土区别让美式天然发酵酸啤自成一格。

2-4) Pastry Sour

Widely popular since some years ago--this is an interesting style--while it has the word sour--depending on how it's made--many a time Pastry Sour is known to be either sweet sour or outright sweet--not always sour while looking like a fruit punch / milk shake.

2-4）Pastry Sour

近些年风行的甜品类型果泥酸啤 加入大量水果让酒体浓郁如奶昔著称，虽是酸啤类型但不同酿坊有不少甜味或酸甜风味类型作品

2-5) Flanders Red & Oude Bruin

1 in Red another in Brown--these are 2 traditional sour beer styles from Belgium--Flanders Red are more pronounced with sourness from fruits like sour cherries/plum/berries and so on--while Oude Bruin is usually more malty with lesser sour tone.

2-5）Flanders Red 和 Oude Bruin

比利时两大传统酸啤，前者酒色带红，后者棕色。风味表现Flanders Red以水果比如樱桃李子莓果等酸味为主，Oude Bruin则带有较明显麦芽底蕴，酸味表现相对来说较低。

2-6) Lambic

This is 1 style which is always looking up to the sky for when to brew as Spontaneous fermentation using bacteria from the air means only can be done during Cool/Cold weather period. 

Funky note is 1 big feature of this beer(smelling good or otherwise can be no middle ground).

Beer styles wise the 3 main ones are Oude Gueuze( no adjuncts only blend of different years lambic), Framboos( with Raspberry) & Kriek( with sour cherries)--of course there are also other variants with different fruits/adjuncts.

2-6）Lambic

比利时天然发酵啤酒是“看天”而酿的类型作品，因为要靠空气中野生菌发酵所以只能在天冷季节酿，意味着一年中酿酒时间非常有限，野生菌带出独特霉味（是香或臭不同人不同答案）是风味表现一大特点，主要分原酒混合版（Oude Gueuze) ,覆盆子版本（Framboos) 和 酸樱桃(Kriek)版本三大分支。

Above are some are the more commonly known/seen sour beer styles--but sour beer can exists in literally any other beer styles too if the brewer so wishes.

In truth--a well made sour beer will not be only about puckering sourness--it shall be layered with depth and displaying more flavours/nuances than just monotonous sourness.

以上是主要酸啤类型风格，但酸啤范围并不只限于上述，只要酿酒师想，农场风格啤酒，黑啤，印度淡啤等等都能以酸味为主。

至于酸啤是不是只能一酸到底没变化，答案是酿得好的作品会有不同层次风味表现，不会只是单调酸。

WEEK 238--IPA Gone Fruit Juice Like---Yes or No

 

For craft beer drinkers who started some 10 years or more before NEIPA/Hazy IPA came along & changed the landscape of traditional IPA scene with it's juicy/fruity/at times fruit punch like hops bomb-there were this curiosity as to whether newbies who started say some 5-6-7 years ago would know that IPA wasn't like this before.

有个不是笑话的情况是，近五六年才开始接触craft beer的新朋友有可能并不知道印度淡啤（IPA) 原本是以啤酒花苦味为风味主轴，相反的以为IPA指的就是近年风行，充满热带水果鲜香酒体厚实浑浊口感甘甜浓郁（甚至是甜腻）的类果汁印度淡啤（Hazy IPA或NE(New England) IPA)就是全貌，对不少人来说知名美国酿坊如Trillium，Tree House，Other Half， Monkish或英国酿坊Cloud Water就是IPA代名词。

同样是印度淡啤，然而传统印度淡啤(Traditional IPA 或只就是IPA)和类果汁印度淡啤的风味表现可说是截然不同的层次，最简单说法是传统印度淡啤以啤酒花苦味（比如柑橘，松树，青草等）为主导，而类果汁印度淡啤则是以充沛特出的热带水果和柑橘风味带出啤酒花鲜香甜苦为主轴。

In short--old school/traditional IPA is the "bitter" half of the scene with focus on getting more piney/grassy/earthy/citrusy flavours out of the beer--NEIPA/Hazy IPA while still focus on all of those flavours--the biggest difference is they tend to be much more juicy/ fruit juics like-- at times even leaning towards the sweet side rather than hops bitterness.

Though there at times some confusion by newbies pertaining to how thick/juicy/cloudy/milk shake like certain NEIPA/Hazy IPA would look--not to be confused with PASTRY SOUR which may at times look very much similar--there is no fruits added in an IPA( unless the brewer stated so)--all those hazy/cloudy appearance were the "magic" work of hops/malts(grains such as oats/wheat) as well yeast depending on what varieties used by the brewers.

实际上单只观察酒体颜色等外观元素就能清楚看出两者之间区别，传统印度淡啤无论颜色或酒体厚薄度都更接近一般认知中的啤酒颜色，无论比较薄身或厚实都是看得透的深浅金黄色。而类果汁印度淡啤外观则是很多时候看起来比较像现打果汁或水果奶昔，无论酒体或颜色都显得更加浓郁混沌，可以说一定程度上颠覆了对啤酒外观的一般印象。

虽然两者之间无论酒体颜色厚薄程度以至风味口感表现都大相径庭，不过有一点是一致的，那就是传统印度淡啤和类果汁印度淡啤都是通过使用不同啤酒花特质风味以及有区别的酿造手法方式创造出差异，所以觉得类果汁印度淡啤是不是加入水果所以才那么充满果汁感的看法只是错觉。

The rise of NEIPA/Hazy IPA was sweeping some years ago--to say that it has somehow became the main stream IPA choice for many is not far from truth though those who started with traditional IPA might beg to differ.

Here in Asia-- going back to the 2010--what was mostly available in the market then were IPA from names like Ballast Point, Bells, Dechuttes, Dogfishhead, Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada, Stone...While the iconic Heady Topper & Pliny The Elder were and still are the accepted bench-mark IPA--due to inavailability via official distribution channel here in Asia--those 2 were onlu accesible via geeks own source of import/beer mail so naturally not widely available.

对比较早期就开始喝IPA的啤迷来说，类果汁印度淡啤的崛起是个让一些人觉得有惊喜，但另一些人觉得让原版变得面目全非的颠覆性改造所以不喜欢的冒现。远的不说，从2010年代开始来说，能在亚洲不同城市找到的知名美国印度淡啤酿坊包括Ballast Point，Bell's，Dogfish Head，Lagunitas，Sierra Nevada，Stone 等等。 当然说到美式IPA就不能不提起公认的经典酿坊Russian River的Pilny the Elder（以及限量版Younger)，还有The Alchemist酿坊的Heady Topper和Focal Banger，不过由于在亚洲基本无法在正式进口市场找到这两家作品所以并不普及。

有趣的是，不少美国酿酒师意见认为类果汁印度淡啤起源自早期的Heady Topper，虽然无论酒体颜色或厚度浑浊度都不是现今不少类果汁印度淡啤作品的模样，但在当时被认为是风味表现非常有别于传统印度淡啤，是更能表现啤酒花柑橘和热带水果鲜香甘苦风味的作品，实际上至今也被公认为认识印度淡啤顶级作品风味表现必喝典范作品之一。

To a certain extent--the emergence of NEIPA/Hazy IPA has opened up another path for newbies to sample IPA with relative ease as comapred to starting with bitterness forward traditional ones--the fruity/juicy/even sweet at times flavours is an easier entry point so to speak for newbies who are trying IPA for the first time. While some who still think NEIPA/Hazy IPA is NOT IPA and reluctant to drink or despise emmm---I guess there is no right or wrong--on the contrary that's the interesting part of craft beer and why we love it --varieties of choices--one will surely find one or more beer styles to his.her liking.

类果汁印度淡啤的出现非常大程度上改变了IPA是苦味啤酒风格代表的既有印象，酿酒师使用特定酵母或不同谷物如小麦或燕麦以让酒体浑浊浓郁，并通过比如二次投放啤酒花（Dry Hopping）大幅度提升热带水果鲜香带甜和柑橘风味表现的方式让传统印度淡啤那种有时候让新朋友误以为在喝苦茶的感受变成像是喝甜味带甘苦啤酒花果汁那样易喝，可说是让喝不了苦味为主轴啤酒的新朋友们打开了另一道可以尝试接受IPA啤酒花风味的通道，不过对喜欢传统印度淡啤纯粹苦味风味啤迷们来说，类果汁变奏只会是不受待见的旁支，而这也是craft beer有趣之处，众多不同类型风味啤酒任选，没有对错只有爱不爱。

WEEK 237--casual chat with Neil--Tokyo craft beer over the years( Part2/2)

 

Second & final part of a recent chat with Neil- the man visting & writting about Tokyo craft beer places via Tokyo Beer Drinker blog( turned website) since 2012.

继续和Neil的聊天记：-

6) What are some of your observations on imported craft beer scene in Japan over the years?
To be honest, it’s not something I pay a lot of attention to. I am a big Belgian beer fan, but I don’t drink that much Belgian beer in Japan as somehow it jut doesn’t feel as much fun. Of course, sometimes it’s a nice luxury, particularly if my football team has just smashed a local rival and we have an Orval to celebrate. The import scene is dominated by US beer and there are some great places to drink imports in Japan but I don’t go to them so often. I think a lot of people get caught up in the mindset that because it’s imported it must mean it’s delicious. In the course of my time living here there have been plenty of British breweries that have been imported that I would never have drunk in the UK. I think given that there is a lot of competition for imports now, the care people take when importing has improved. Long gone are the days when one unnamed importer’s motto was ‘I want this beer to be the most expensive beer in Japan’ and didn’t bother about bringing it over in a refrigerated container. The only concern was selling it at a high price. Perhaps not a shock they don’t import anymore!

6）这些年来对日本进口啤酒市场状况有什么样的观察？

虽然个人是比利时啤酒的拥趸但坦白说并不关注日本进口啤酒，也很少在日本喝比利时啤酒。进口市场最多的是美国酿坊作品，有不少人觉得既然是进口啤酒那就一定很好喝，实际上这些年来不少进口的英国酿坊啤酒是我在英国期间不会找来喝的。

总的来说近年日本进口啤酒情况比起最初大有改善，至少不会再出现像以前有一家进口商是以卖“全日本最贵啤酒” 为唯一目标而连啤酒需要冷链进口最基本需求都不懂。

7) Is there any particular overseas breweries which you wish available in Japan?

I think the import market is pretty full already so not sure there would be any room for any new breweries. And as I mentioned above pricing is becoming an issue recently so even if I thought about what brewery’s beers I’d love to be able to drink more, it’s unlikely that I’d be able to afford them.

7）有期待什么外国酿坊作品能出现在日本市场的？

感觉现在市场上进口啤酒已呈饱和状态，价格也开始变成一个难题，就算有个人想喝的价格也可能让情况变得无以为继。

8) What might be the Japanese breweries which you would recommend to those new to the local scene?

I guess it depends on what you’re looking for. Shiga Kogen and Minoh are well established breweries with solid reputations who combine their standard beers with some interesting and more experimental beers. I think they are always pretty consistent. When it comes to less well known breweries, I drink a lot of TK Brewing and wish I could drink more 2nd Story beers. I’m sure I’m forgetting some important names here, but those are the ones that are jumping out to me right now.
There are a few breweries who people love who seem to pretty much just make hazy IPAs and sell them for ridiculous prices. I won’t mention their names as they don’t need any more publicity and I’m sure most people know who I’m talking about anyway. But needless to say, as far as I’m concerned, don’t believe the hype!

8）对不熟悉日本市场新朋友有推荐的在地酿坊吗？

主要看想要找什么类型风格作品，志贺高原（Shiga Kogen/长野）和箕面(Minoh/大阪）是作品水准很稳定的两家早期成立酿坊，常态款之外也有些实验性作品。此外，个人喝过不少TK Brewing（川崎）作品，也希望能喝到更多2nd Story（德岛）啤酒，这些都是即时想到的几家，感觉肯定还有遗漏的。

日本酿坊中有几家是似乎都只在做类果汁印度淡啤 (Hazy IPA) 的，很受市场追捧，不过个人感觉有过誉和价位过高之嫌。

9) Is craft beer something easy to approach or one do need some study/ research to get closer to?

I think it would be a sad thing if you needed to study before drinking a beer so I’d say just jump right in. After all, reading about beer is a bit like dancing to a sculpture in that you might not be appreciating it in the way it was intended. And also there’s no need to study because in most bars there’s always someone ready to tell you how much they know about beer whether you asked them or not.

9）craft beer是平易近人还是需要做些功课才能接近？

如果喝啤酒需要先做功课的话那会有点让人伤感，直接开喝就是了，只是阅读不能让味蕾真正体会啤酒风味表现，况且有时在酒吧/瓶子店无论是不是提问总会遇到热情想要自动“倾力教学”的啤迷。

10) What would you say to those very new or trying craft beer for the first time?

Try as many different beers and styles as you can and make up your own mind about what you like. There are no right or wrong answers. Some beers which I think are horrible are loved by other people. No-one’s opinion is correct as it’s all subjective and a matter of taste. In Japan many people like to follow the buzz and drink things and go to places that are getting publicity. If this is interesting to you, go ahead and follow too. But at the same time, if you prefer going to somewhere that fashionable people don’t go to and drink something that has been available for years, you should do that.

10）对刚接触craft beer新人有什么要说的？

尽量多尝试不同类型风格後就能找到合适自己口味的啤酒，实际上没有对错，比如个人觉得糟糕的别人可能很喜欢，都是个人口味决定所以没有绝对。在日本不少人喜欢跟随风潮和社交媒体热度而去特定的“潮牌”酒吧，不过也有人反其道而行去存在已久不是潮流关注点的酒吧。

11) To those who think craft beer is no different from Macro ?

Clearly they’re wrong. Craft Beer is a lot more expensive! Hehe. I think people from both sides of the argument would both say that their preferred type of beer is more delicious / more skillfully made but I don’t think you can definitively say that about either macro or craft beer. For me the use of the phrase ‘Craft Beer’ is an important issue. I don’t think macro brewers should be allowed to use it as there is more to Craft Beer than the product being ‘crafted’. I don’t want to drink macro beer because I think it is important to support small businesses in these days where a few huge companies are dominating many aspects of our lives. I would never say that every craft beer will taste better than every macro beer because clearly that’s not going to be true. But I will say that if a craft beer is available I would probably drink it over a macro because I don’t think the macros need my support or business.

11） 对那些觉得craft beer和大厂啤酒没区别的人有什么说？

这看法肯定是错的，因为craft beer要贵得多！两者之间可能会各说各话觉得自己喝的比较对味。

个人觉得craft beer名称/定义是很重要的，大厂啤酒公司不应该被允许使用因为并不符合craft定义要求。个人不会选择喝大厂啤酒是觉得更应该支持小型酿坊/小生意，虽然并不是所有craft beer就一定更好喝但只要有得选就一定会喝 craft beer因为大厂不需要我的生意。

12) craft beer is still a business hence it's inevitable bars or bottle shop might ceased to exist, is there any particular ones which you are fond of (or otherwise)which no longer there?

I’ve just had a look through eight pages of places on my website that are now closed and to be honest, I don’t think that there’s anything in the list that makes me particularly sad that it’s gone. Like you said, it’s a business so it’s no surprise that places come and go. But it is sad when you consider that many closed places represent someone’s dream having gone up in smoke. I think in the past it was more significant as we didn’t have as much choice. But now you could probably drink in a different craft beer bar in Tokyo every day of the year without having to repeat. Maybe I’m lucky in that none of my real favourites have closed yet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.

12）craft beer也是一门生意，酿坊或酒吧会有来去，有没有哪家已结业店家是让人遗憾或怀念的？

刚看过8页已闭店的酒吧/品饮室，并没有特别让人觉得遗憾的，就像你说的，生意有来有去，不过如果一家店代表的是某人的理想破灭那就有点伤感。在以前酒吧瓶子店品饮室不多的年代一家店的结业会显得举足轻重，不过如今东京及周边酒吧多到可能换着喝一年都不必重复。或许是幸运的至今个人关注/喜欢的店家都在运行中，但也不知道是不是可以一直存在或是说不准哪一天就突然结业了。

WEEK 236--casual chat with Neil--Tokyo craft beer over the years (PART1/2)

 

This though is on the newspaper column but it's more of a casual chat with geek friend than any sort of "serious or in-depth talk" about Neil's view on what he has seen & felt over the past 12 years or so living/drinking/blogging about craft beer places in and around Tokyo.

Neil是2013年认识的第一位住东京陌生人啤迷，出发前想对当地craft beer状况找概念然后搜寻到了当时以blog形式运行的Tokyo Beer Drinker网站，就这样从陌生人变成每次到东京都会见面喝酒聊天的朋友，以下是近期和Neil的聊天概要：-(篇幅所限-分为上下篇）

*As usual--English is by Neil-Mandarin is my transcripts-due to limited space of the column-the chat will be in 2 parts.

1) How did Tokyo Beer Drinker came about?  Any particular trigger point which started this?
When I moved to Japan in 2012 there wasn’t much of an English language online presence when it came to Japanese Craft Beer. I can think of one site but it was inactive and after trying to visit yet another bar they recommended that had closed down, I thought I should try to do something myself. Obviously even then, there were lots of people who wrote or posted about beer, but I think that is something that is a bit too subjective to have much impact. Unless you know the person and their taste, the recommendation of or warning to avoid a certain beer isn’t that helpful. There weren’t many places to drink craft beer in those days so the idea of making some kind of resource to tell people where those few bars that did serve craft beer were seemed achievable. But once the scene started to boom it became clear that there was no way I was going to be able to keep the site fully up to date so now the focus has shifted slightly towards more interesting places and away from trying to be comprehensive.

1）什么情况下想到写东京craft beer博客？

2012年移居东京後发现网上很少英语撰写的日本craft beer资讯，当时发现的一个英文网站已不活跃，根据网站资讯去的一家酒吧也已经结业， 当时网上也有不少啤酒相关个人观点推荐或避雷贴文但都过于主观并不适合，于是就想不如自己来写。

那时的东京专卖吧并不多，设立一个集合相关资讯让人知道哪里哪几家有craft beer喝的想法是可行的，不过随着市场情况逐渐出现变化，专卖吧品饮室瓶子店数量大幅度增加後，一人之力明显已不可能做到巨细无遗，近年关注点偏向探访较有特质有趣味的酒吧，不再试图做到全方位探索/记录。

2) During the time were there any particular moment which make you think "why am I still writing?"
All the time! I’ve met some nice people who have reached out to me over the years and some people have been very generous when it came to buying me beers as a thank you for my site. But when I check the amount of people who are reading the posts but who don’t interact in any way it becomes a bit disheartening. I totally understand that nowadays everything has become devalued. We now live in a world where people expect music to be something they get for free for example, so I get it when people don’t use my donation button or even contact me to say thanks for the resource. But I think in the many years I have the PayPal donation button I’ve had not more than five donations. Obviously I don’t do it for the money, and have refused to put advertising on the site as I want it to be impartial, but although visiting bars is a lot of fun, it is a money and time intensive hobby, so sometimes when I visit a new brewery that I think is probably not going to be great just to put it on the site, I do wonder if I could be doing something more important instead!

2）从开始至今有没有过“为什么还在写”的想法？

这些年来遇到不少通过博客/网站联系的人，也有请喝酒以示谢意的人，不过有时候看到访问网站但从不互动的人数时会感到有点泄气。

我了解这是个很多东西都被低估甚至被视为免费的时代，比如很多人理所当然的觉得音乐是不用付费的，所以能理解一些网站使用者从不联系或致谢，实际上网站设置的“乐捐” 按钮这些年来只被按过5次，的确网站不是为了赚钱而做，为了保持中立也拒绝广告植入，不过要知道的是探访酒吧酿坊品饮室都是花钱花时间的事，所以有时探访新酿坊但预感很可能不会精彩时，会想是不是应该把时间花在其他更重要事物上。

3) It's been more than 10 years of writing about visits to craft beer places in Japan, what are some of your observations over the years?
Of course now there are A LOT more places! This seems like it would be a good thing, and I’d agree that mostly this is the case.  Certainly Craft Beer has become a lot easier to drink. At the same time, I think there are many bars that don’t offer anything new or original or even offer something with a little bit of soul. With its increasing popularity, Craft Beer has become a viable business opportunity for some people, and when I visit a bar and the overwhelming impression I get is that I’m getting rinsed for my money it’s quite depressing. At the same time though, there are many wonderful little places who might not offer anything out of the ordinary when it comes to beer selection but offer loads of atmosphere and finding one of these places makes everything worthwhile. Over the last two years I’ve been slowly making my way to all of the cities, towns and villages that make up Tokyo, (there are a lot!), and it has taken me to some places I never would have been to otherwise and some very unique bars. In the past I think if somewhere was a ‘Craft Beer Bar’ that would be enough for people to head in its direction. Now I think there has to be a bit more passion or consideration in what they are offering. Quite a lot of the old places that seemed very exciting when I started writing the blog seem to have not moved with the times and are getting left behind.

3）写了超过十年东京和日本其他地方的craft beer探寻文後有什么观察？

最明显的是酒吧瓶子店数量比以前多了很多，craft beer变得更容易接触到，这是好事。不过也意味着这是一门可行的生意，一些酒吧完全不提升酒单选择，也有酒吧让人感觉在设法让人掏更多钱，这是让人气馁的现象。

还好的是东京和周边地区还是能找到很有氛围/感觉的酒吧，近两年来去了不少归纳为东京周边地区的城镇乡区，也发现一些很有自家特色的小酒吧，如果说早期只要是专卖吧就值得一去，如今则需看酒吧对酒单的专注和热忱。实际上也有一些当初开始写博客时让人感觉惊喜的酒吧多年来停滞不前感觉已跟不上时代变化。

4) Is craft beer becoming more popular / commonly accepted with more noticeable Japanese locals breweries coming to the scene?
Yes, as I mentioned above, there is an ongoing explosion of new bars and breweries. Even the pandemic and lockdown period didn’t really stop the wave of new places opening. It did kill off quite a few bars though, which is obviously a shame. But I think it’s a lot easier to survive if you’re offering something different. With this increase in new breweries and places, I think the awareness of Craft Beer is also growing. Many of the major breweries in Japan have ‘Craft’ beer lines now and I wish they weren’t allowed to use that language to describe their products but I think this is something that bothers me more than it bothers most people. Also at the moment the yen is very weak so I guess this means it’s not as easy to import things to Japan. Imports have always been an important part of the beer scene here but I wonder if the prices of imports might be affecting their popularity. One slight problem I have is Japanese breweries who seem to think they should sell their beers at import prices because they are the same kind of beer styles. I tend to avoid these breweries as they just seem to be taking the piss.

4）近几年更多日本在地酿坊的出现意味着craft beer更为人知被更多人接受了？

的确，近期新酒吧和新酿坊涌现就说明了情况，就算是新冠疫情期间虽然有关闭的但也有新店开设，这些新开设的酒吧/瓶子店一定程度上让更多人认识craft beer。实际上日本一些大厂也看到这个趋势而开设自身的所谓craft品牌产品，个人来说觉得大厂不应该被允许使用上述字眼以免混淆视听。此外，日圆汇率的疲弱也可能在某些程度上影响进口外国酿坊啤酒的售价并导致销量受影响，个人也对一些日本在地酿坊以进口啤酒价格为自家同类型风格啤酒定等同价位的做法不认同。

5) As a craft beer drinker, what is it like drinking in Japan in terms of  beer styles /varieties /quality /price point?

In the first boom of craft beer in Japan, before I came here, plenty of breweries opened with a kind of German template. So it’s long been the case that Pilsners, Weizens, Alts etc. were everywhere. Plenty of these breweries still exist and are still doing the same thing. The quality of these places varies considerably but I have to say I always enjoy visiting them. And with some of these styles becoming more fashionable recently some of these breweries are finding themselves in a great position. Around the time I arrived more modern styles were becoming popular. Of course the US scene is so big that I think every country’s scene has been influenced by it. But I think plenty of Japanese breweries took on these imported styles and put their own twist on them which is something I’ve always been a fan of. I’m not a fan of hazies, so I’m slightly disappointed that the Japanese scene has embraced them so much and for so long, but I guess this is unavoidable. Nowadays, I’d say that there are plenty of styles available, with a decent amount of breweries who are trying to do something interesting, but plenty of other breweries who aren’t particularly. I think some foreign residents of Japan look down on Japanese beers and I think this is hugely patronising. On recent visits to the UK and to Belgium I’ve had beers by breweries that people had talked up and I thought they just weren’t as good as similar ones being made in Japan. Of course there are some dodgy beers being made here, but I think some people’s oversimplification of Japanese stuff automatically being inferior to imported stuff is nonsense.
As for price, I think this is starting to become a problem. Not a problem for visitors due to the weak yen, but for people who live here, Craft Beer is becoming even more of a luxury than it was before. I don’t know if the bubble is going to burst soon, but it’s definitely becoming more difficult for me to afford and justify the prices some places are asking. Sure, maybe your brewery spent a lot of money on the image and the labels and the decor of the taproom so you charge a lot, but if the beer isn’t very good, you’re just going to be shooting yourself in the foot as people will wise up sooner or later.

5）对日本在不同类型风格啤酒/质素/价格的感受是什么？

移居东京前，日本在地酿坊主要以德式啤酒风格为模仿对象，德式淡啤/小麦啤酒是主流，时至今日不少德式风格酿坊/酒吧还继续存在而且随着近年类似风格的流行让这些酿坊/酒吧重回焦点。

美式啤酒类型风格对craft beer界的影响毋庸置疑，不少日本酿坊也吸收了美式影响并化为己用，这是个人欣赏的，不过对近年非常流行的类果汁印度淡啤(Hazy IPA)也广受日本酿坊酒吧和喝酒人欢迎倒是觉得有点出乎意料。

日本不同类型风格作品很多但被有些常住的外国人轻视，这是相对偏见，不久前去了英国和比利时喝到一些被追捧的酿坊作品但感觉日本的相同类型作品更对味，所以一些认为进口啤酒一定比日本在地啤酒优秀是过于片面的错误看法，

至于价格方面，对游客来说由于日圆汇率疲弱这不是问题，但对常住当地的却是个难题，跟多年前对比craft beer已逐渐变成一种奢侈消费。