我们常说啤酒是“鬼佬凉茶”。
单从色泽和“降火功能”来说，两者还蛮接近的。
跟凉茶一样，鬼佬凉茶也分浅色轻口味（pale）和深色比较苦口味（dark）。
单单这两种颜色区别就可以有很多很多种不同类型，口味，酿法的啤酒。。今天只说其中一种对CRAFT BEER发展很重要的IPA（INDIAN PALE ALE) 和BLACK IPA.
个人感觉，如果是CRAFT BEER初接触，IPA是不错选择。不过，不要以为IPA只是入门级别啤酒，完全不是那么一回事。IPA的质量高，也适合不同喝法，可以是你暖身的第一杯，可以是单喝着就一路带你上高阶梯的啤酒，也可以是喝了其他重口味啤酒之后需要中和，需要调整，更新（REFRESH）口感的“中间”啤酒。
IPA有分轻重，颜色可以用上面那两杯凉茶做例子，比较。
因为历史起源关系，IPA是啤酒花和酒精下手比较重的做法开始，不论是浅色还是深色，口感会比一般的“轻啤酒”更多层次，多甘苦的味道。发展到现在，IPA已经有更多变化的酿法，口感，味道。
在吉隆坡有机会尝味的IPA为数还不太多，个人比较喜欢的有：-
IPA--- Nogne IPA, Brewdog Punk IPA. Brewdog Hardcore IPA....
BLACK IPA--TO OL Black Maria, Mountain Goat Before the dawn, Brewdog LIbertine Black ale, Kooinda black ipa....
WHAT IS IPA? LINK/链接:-
http://www.ipabeer.com/ipa101
The Cantonese cheekily refer beer as "GUAILO LEONGCHA"
"Guailo" refers to white people, "Leongcha" refers to herbal tea.
The medicated herbal tea is for "reducing body heat" much in the same way of cooling down when in need of a pint or two or three of ice cold beer.
the "light color" and "heavy color" of herbal tea is very similar to the color tone of beers----in this case, let's just stick to IPA.
IPA is a beer suitable for new friends who are starting to discover the beauty of craft beer, but that is not to say IPA is an "entry level" beer, nope, not at all.
For me, IPA as well as Black IPA are so versatile, it can be your first drink for "warming up", it could be just IPA all the way til one called it a night, or it could be the "refresher"beer when you been having slightly heavier beers(stout, porter, scotch ale) and need to come down or refresh your palate a bit....at times, IPA can be a nice "go between" beer where it can be drank in rotating turns, --rotate drinks between a stout and black IPA, unlike when you have a "refresher", "rotating" keeps the palate, taste very closely matched all the while.( as in no big "step down", more like one or two step up down rather than 4,5 steps gap).
There's still too many good ones out there to be tasted, so far, as per whatever available in KL, some of my personal favorites are:-
IPA--- Nogne IPA, Brewdog Punk IPA. Brewdog Hardcore IPA....
BLACK IPA--TO OL Black Maria, Mountain Goat Before the dawn, Brewdog LIbertine Black ale, Kooinda black ipa....
herbal tea is here to stay....cheers!
是的，不知道的事（力宏。。借用一下旧歌名）
在比较深入认识CRAFT BEER 之前。。我所知道的啤酒只是类似没有色彩的世界。
我以为：-
1）啤酒只有那三。四种全世界（就是从BUKIT BINTANG到PJ）的酒吧/迪吧/餐厅/咖啡店有卖的那几个“世界名牌”啤酒。。。
后来知道了。。当然不只是那样啦。。。
2) 啤酒一定就是要ICE COLD，一定要很冷，然后要很快喝完。。因为等等下就不够冷，不够冷就不好喝啊。。
后来知道了。。不是那样的。。有些CRAFT BEER, 放了一下，没有那么ICE COLD 的时候，口感，味道会变化，会不一样，会更可口，会不同味道或不同层次感。
3）啤酒不是白皮就是黑皮。。基本就那样。
后来知道了。。。哦。。原来有那么多不同的颜色，口感，味道。。。选择!!!
4) 啤酒嘛，，就是要大口喝，快快喝，才够豪气，才够爽。
后来知道了。。啤酒，有时候，可以比贵价的WINE更慢喝，尝味才是真谛。牛饮？留给牛干吧。。。
Before entering the world of Craft Beer. it's almost like living in a mono color world...
I thought:-
1) The world( from bukit bintang to pj) of beer is only of those 3 or 4 types where all and sundry would care to sell.
and i found out.....of course not true la....
2) Beer MUST be ICE COLD---otherwise it's bad beer or not tasty.
and i found out...of course not true also la...some craft beer actually taste better, give another dimension, taste different( in a better way )when it gets WARMER.!!
3) Beer is only either white or black....
and i found out....there's so many varieties of colors, so many different styles, taste that it is almost like diving into a deep ocean, discovering a whole new world that never existed nor imagined before....
4) Beer is meant to be bottoms up..cheers..drink it up at quick one go....
and i found out....not true at all...craft beers meant to be drank slowly, some very good ones are best drink no less slower than drinking a vintage bottle from oh so pricey
Château Lafite Rothschild.
WELCOME to the world of craft beer, find your own magic potion....i have found some...join in...it's your turn to keep on finding....
这是名副其实的炸弹。
不是说高酒精度（12%）， 说的是味道，口感。
算是第一次喝到的咖啡/巧克力味啤酒。入口之前，怎么想像也体会不到怎么啤酒可以酿成这样，这么可口？
那次的体会像是有点气泡的美味巧克力咖啡在舌头喉咙之间爆发，完全香浓，可口。
Mocha Bomb是比利时顶级高手De Struise Brouwers精酿之一，他们还有很多很厉害的啤酒，包括2年前有幸尝味的限量版Panneport。
De Struise的啤酒在吉隆坡比较难找，所以这篇BLOG文也是有点找打的。只能想像喝过的味道。
关于MOCHA BOMB的ratebeer LINK：-
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/struise-black-damnation-ii--mocha-bomb/113777/
It's really a bomb.
One so rich in flavor it literally just exploded the moment you sip in.
It's the first coffee/chocolate beer i have tasted, and it really hit me! not because of the 12% Abv(you don't taste much alcohol at all) , but a lot more because of the taste, aroma...the delicious level makes one wonder how the hack a beer could taste so good...
De Struise is THE Belgian brewer for this one, for those who are in the known, you would know how ridiculously good some of their beers can be, especially another one of my All Time Favorites---Panneport. (another story on a later date on that)
A special thanks to Manu for sharing his private collection some 2 years ago, it was really a bomb!
Anyhow, De Struise beers is hard to come by in KL, while hoping and waiting for a new bottle/s to drop from the sky...( any chance guys?)...memory of the taste lingers on...
BLOG的题目有点自问自答的意思，也有被骂的可能。
不就是喝啤酒？还需要问怎样喝，喝什么？
会写这个是因为自己开始时候有疑问，也观察到一些很新，才接触CRAFT BEER的朋友有同样问题。
这里要说的只是个人经验，不是什么一定规律。
CRAFT BEER的种类繁多，不同口感，味道的选择也很多，如果才开始喝，我的方式是：-
1）先以最接近自己喜欢的口味开始，如果平时吃东西比较不喜欢酸味，那就先避开酸为主的啤酒。
2）如果是在有卖“试味小杯”的地方喝，可以先试试不同口味的啤酒，小口尝试之后再决定是不是要喝大杯。如果是瓶装，可以跟朋友分享SHARE SHARE喝，试味道。
3）除非决定只喝一杯就离开。如果三杯或以上的话，从比较浅口味开始喝，渐进式口感会比较顺。（浅口味啤酒不一定只是凭酒精度高低决定，更多的是口感，味道）
4）在酒量，情况容许下，开始喝的几个月就尽量尝试不同口味，风格的啤酒吧。一些新朋友可能需要“养胃口”，不管是不是需要“过渡期”，尽量尝试正是CRAFT BEER的好玩精神。
这是英国报纸写的CRAFT BEER简易初认识LINK;-
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/jun/13/craft-beer-guide-beginners
This is a blog title that could well get someone asking w.t.f?
isn't drinking beer is a straight forward matter?
thought of this in view of my own beginners experience as well as seeing some new friends hesitating, not knowing what to drink when face with selections...
Not a guide at all, just to share what i have done in the beginning:-
1) try to go with beer that is closer to own favorite taste, for examples if you don't like sour taste at all, then don't start with sour ale for first craft beer experience.
2) try a sampler with small quantity of different beers if you happened to be around a bar that serve it that way. If opening a bottle then get friend/s to share out, drink less try more...
3) when planning to drink a bit more, starts with lower/milder tasting beers, its almost like warming up, kind of like going smoothly up the ladder( coming down is another matter..)
4) some new friends may need a so called "build up the palates" time frame, could be few weeks could be few months or even more than a year, anyhow, the fun factor to craft beer drinking is to try as many different styles, tasting beers possible( NOT in one night...but over the drinking years ahead....)
happy filling up.....
photo courtesy( or should i say "stolen"?) from ales & lagers.
对于认识，喜欢丹麦酿酒魔术师Mikeller的朋友，10月17号星期四是个特别日子，因为其中一位魔术师Mikkel出现在吉隆坡。
Mikkeler是我很喜欢的其中一个CRAFT BEER巧手师，到现在为止，他们无数魔法中，BEER GEEK BREAKFAST是我最喜欢的咖啡+巧克力味黑啤。（之后的BLOG文会好好介绍一下）
配合Mikkel第一次来，TAPS BAR KL也介绍了一些平时不多见的Mikeller Collection, 其中包括用“猫屎”咖啡豆酿成的BEER GEEK BRUNCH WEASEL。。。
目前Mikeller直接参与的Mikeller bar/cafe 全世界只有三家，两家在哥本哈根，另一家在美国三藩市。不过，好消息是，很快的，亚洲第一家Mikeller cafe/bar就会出现了，在哪里？ 答案是SAWADIKRAP 曼谷。
想了解更多关于Mikeller的朋友可以上他们的BLOG。
Mikkeller Blog LINK/链接 ：http://mikkeller.dk/
The blog title says it all.
Yes, it was exciting time indeed last Thursday 17th October for craft beer people who loves Mikeller.
One of the magicians----Mikkel was in KL for the very first time had a "meet and greet" session( thank god no back stage passes needed!) .
Im a sucker for Beer Geek breakfast hence the "meet the rock star" title, as well because of Beer Geek Brunch Weasel. ( more on both the beer on a later date)
The good good news for those of us who enjoy Mikkeller beer but either too busy or too budget constraint to go either 2 of the bar in Copenhagen or only 1 in San Francisco, the first Mikkeller bar/cafe is opening soon much closer to us----we say Sawadikrap Bangkok.
I shall end this blog with a photo of the Rock Star with fans, this photo is courtesy of Manu(second from right).
Cheers.
在吉隆坡想喝CRAFT BEER还真不是那么容易的事情。
因为近年对CRAFT BEER开始有点轻微中毒，也因为认识了一些懂得CRAFT BEER, 喜欢CRAFT BEER的朋友，这些日子以来算是有点口福。
这个BLOG只是写来玩玩的，不是什么专业水准级别，有路过看到的朋友如果想可以留一下言，在KL的话偶尔也可以去城里那家CRAFT BEER沙漠中的绿洲喝一喝，聊一聊。
第一篇，不想说太多废话，就以个人很喜欢，算是很大程度上让自己开窍的比利时啤酒,
Rochefort Trappistes 8.
这是很有比利时传统的修道院酿啤酒，个人口感是“香滑。复杂”来形容，想知道更专业评论的请点击RATE BEER网页看看。
Rochefort 8 Link/链接：-
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/rochefort-trappistes-8/5400/
For my English reading friends( please bear with my limited understanding/usage of the language)...
It's kind of hard finding craft beer in KL.
Until recently.
This blog is not anything close to pro discussions/chat about craft beer, just kind of personal record of some beers i have had the opportunities to taste/tasted, as well would be nice to know new friends/ people who love craft beer along the way....
For the First posting, would like to start sharing a little bit about one of my favorites, this bottle kind of open up the appetite for more better beers.... as shown above---there is a link about Rochefort 8 on Rate Beer.com for more in depth discussion on the taste, style and so on...personally, Rochefort 8 is smooth, complex.
More beer chat soon...
Cheers.
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