WEEK 89--Chit Chat with LASZLO RAPHAEL of MOONZEN Brewery--on HK craft scene and more...

This week's column is about Hong Kong craft scene--and of course Moonzen.

Hong Kong has been missing from my list of places to visit for a very long time--for obvious reasons--no more work related trip needed--no "must visit" friends there--and until say last 4 or 5 years ago--no Craft Beer reasons to visit too since the scene there is not much better than say KL.

The craft scene in HK however did quicken the steps forward around 3 years ago(correct? HK geeks :) --a lot more different craft brands started to get imported--as well the emerging of Local breweries at about the same time.

大概五年前，香港CRAFT BEER市场基本还是一湖平静，不过，最近两三年的发展明显快步起来，除了不同酿坊/品牌进口啤酒不断涌现，也出现不少香港本土酿坊。

应香港狂热啤迷朋友邀请，最近去走走看看，除了到专卖吧和瓶子店坐坐喝喝，也去其中两家酿坊看看聊聊，包括这期写的由墨西哥酿酒师LASZLO RAPHAEL 和妻子MICHELE WONG 联手打造的MOONZEN/门神酿坊。

But still--HK as a craft city does not really appeal(surely can't say that on FOOD choices:) --i mean--with limited bank balance--personally Bangkok would always be my choice of city to go comparatively--That changed recently--in large part due to the power of Craft Beer and Social Media---through both i met a few Geeks from Hong Kong--and when beer geek friends in HK suggested/invited for a trip out to meet up and share some beers--i finally went on a short trip recently--visited some craft places including bars/bottle shop/ and 2 of the local breweries...

Hence this week's column --a chit chat with Laszlo:-

Q:  Home brewing and brewing as a business is obviously very different--or is it pretty much the same despite the big commitment in terms of business needs?

A: The main differences for us is maintaining consistent high quality in all our batches. Making a tasty homebrew beer is not difficult, making the same tasty beer over and over again and at a much larger scale is more challenging. 

Q: 玩自酿和开酿坊卖啤酒是很不同的事，还是说本质上是相同的？

A：最大分别在于，自酿时一次性酿造好喝啤酒并不难，不过，要一次又一次稳定的把同一个酒更大量的酿出高水准就不是那么容易。，

Q：开酿坊意味着资金投入，市场压力等等客观因素影响下，酿酒还是件有趣的事吗？

A：市场压力肯定有，更需要在啤酒品质，利润，是不是具备卖点和尝试挑战酿酒方向之间找到平衡点，更何况还有一班啤迷会对自己酿品指指点点？（笑）。面对各种考验，无论是推出新酿品还是跟想法一致朋友合酿都是有趣的，幸运的是香港市场一直鼓励和支持我们。

Q：在香港酿酒遇到的问题包括了什么？

A：所有酿酒原料都是入口货，如何保持成本竞争力和原料新鲜度是挑战。

Q: All those investment and big machine and at times business pressure aside---what about fun factor? Is it still very much a fun thing to do brewing commercially now that you have a market to look out for as compared to anything goes when home brewing? 

A: You've hit the right spot there too between the different between home brewing and brewing as a business. There is a market to look out for and that can be a big pressure and variable to consider when releasing a new beer. There has to be a balance with saleability, quality, profitability and yet continue to push the boundaries. 

(Not to mention there are a bunch of highly discerning beer geeks who will comment on your beers! :P)

AND yet, there is definitely still a fun factor that comes from releasing new beers or collaborating with like-minded individuals for cool craft projects. We are lucky in HK that the market and beer geek circle is very encouraging and supportive of new beers and experimentation, they help us to continue to improve. 

Q：跟你刚开始酿酒时比较，香港市场近年发展快速，有什么需要加强的？

A：现在的香港市场，再不能只是用一杯美式IPA就应付过去了，大家对不同风格/口味的啤酒更感兴趣。整体来说，市场需要更多的教育（什么是CRAFT BEER，怎么来的，跟普通大厂啤酒分别，为什么比较“贵”，为什么好喝，怎么良好储存，什么是适当的侍酒方式等等），也需要创造一个包含不同业者与饮客之间的良好生态环境，这会让香港的CRAFT永续经营而不是一阵风吹就过去了。

Q：对香港CRAFT 市场的期望/理想

A：希望香港能酿出独树一帜的啤酒风格，特别到世界上其他城市酿坊都想要复制酿造。

Q: What are some of the more delicate issue of brewing in Hong Kong? (any local issues or say getting supply of hops / malt / yeast & more….

A: Every raw material in HK needs to be imported, so there is a challenge in keep costs down whilst ensuring freshness.

Q: The craft beer scene in Hong Kong is obviously moving forward in comparison from when you first started—what do you think of the current market? What’s good and what’s needing more improvement---generally speaking.

A: The current market is increasingly interested in styles specific to the region, such as using local or unusual ingredients, no longer can you get by just by brewing an American IPA. In terms of improvement, we can continue educating on craft beer (what is craft beer, how it's made, the difference between craft and commercial, why it costs more, why it is so much better, and how to store and serve it). Basically continue to build the craft beer ecosystem of suppliers/drinkers/homebrewers/brewers/retailers -- this will help grow the craft beer scene in HK sustainably and not just as another passing fad. 

Q: What would be some of your wishes/vision for HK craft beer scene moving forward?

A: Having a HK beer style so unique and special, that many breweries around the world adopt it and brew their own iterations. 

Q：门神品牌定位自然包含了香港/中华文化，未来方向是会有更多适应本地市场口味啤酒出现还是会选择挑战市场口味，引领饮客？

A：个人觉得两者之间是不能分割的，现有不同酿品具备上述两极风格，有本地饮客接受度比较高的，也有比如YAMA（阎罗王）四川麻辣黑啤就不是很多人能接受。

Q：市场大部分饮客喜欢轻松易喝的，而啤迷要求更高层次高难度啤酒，你怎么看待，或者说怎么尝试找到中间点？

A：我们是夫妻档，老婆从市场要求着眼，我则比较想要挑战酿酒范畴，这是件不容易处理的事。过程中，我们学懂一个道理，不要也不应该尝试讨好全世界。新酿坊中还保留一个小型酿造容器可以尝试实验性新酒，大型容器就继续酿常态啤酒。

Q: The branding and positioning of your brewery/beers does reflect the HK elements --going forward --would it be more a case of adapting to local palate/market needs or more of trying to go forth with beer style/taste profile where consumers might need more time to adjust to/get familiar with? 

A: I don't think both ways are mutually exclusive. Our mission is to use our brewery/beers as a vehicle of not only excellent craft beer but also celebrating HK and Chinese culture. This could be in terms of adapting to local palate, or going forth with new beer styles which are new to consumers. Take the Yama Sichuan Porter for example, it uses a local Chinese ingredient, but the style is not one that consumers are familiar with and not everybody likes. 

Q: Getting balance between what majority drinkers demand (easy drinking-- usually also more saleable beers) and what Geeks seeking (bolder-more refined -more experimental beers) can be quite a delicate issue --what's your view on that?

A: This is a continuous discussion between Michele and I. Michele wears the sales hat, she considers what the masses want. Myself as a brewer I want to brew more bold and experimental beers. It can be delicate -- one thing we have learned with beer is that you cannot, and should not, want to please everybody. We are lucky that we have a pilot system of 100L that can brew more experimental beers, and our larger brewery system of 1000L that we use to brew our Year Round Menu. So we try to balance both. 

Q: What might be some immediate plan for your brewery/ brand of beers--say in the next 12-24 months?
A: We are on a journey to make unique and authentic craftbeer styles celebrating every province of China! Starting with Yama Sichuan Porter, Dragon King Fujian Radler . Our next destinations will be either, Yunnan, Hunan, or Tibet. 

Q：最近的未来有什么计划？

A：融汇中华文化，以啤酒体现中国大江南北各省文化美食是宗旨，接下来我们计划到云南，湖南或西藏走走看看。

Q：近期想酿什么啤酒？

A：想酿点限量发行，来自家乡文化影响的墨西哥龙舌酒浸泡凤梨口味IPA，

Q：最近有跟什么其他酿酒师合作？

A：在跟日本BAIRD酿坊合酿一支依据日本七福神中主掌五穀神为想像的“大黑天大福”小红豆啤酒。

Q: Any recent experiment brew in mind that you would love to try out? 

A: Would like to make a limited IPA with macerated pineapples in tequila, a Mexican twist from my own cultural heritage. 

Q: Any collaboration brewers/ breweries in mind or already in the pipe line ?

A: We are collaborating with Baird Brewery (Japan), to brew a red adzuki bean ale, called Daikoku Daifuku. (大黒天大福) One of the seven lucky gods (七福神) in Japan, Daikoku is the god of five cereals and commerce. May he grant you prosperity and wealth!

Q: Some of your personal favourites style of beers to drink? 

A: We love drinking lambics or spontaneous fermentation beers , we think these are fascinating natural occurrences that we would never be able to recreate in our brewery. 

Q：个人喜爱喝的啤酒风格类别？

A：比利时天然发酵果酸啤酒（LAMBIC），利用空气中野生菌类发酵，这是不可能在自己酿坊酿制的类别。

Q：对没喝过CRAFT BEER或刚接触新人的话？

A：试CRAFT会体验到，CRAFT是诚实的，用优质原材料，有更多选择，也会遇上更好的饮酒伙伴。

Q: Tell us some of your personal favourites cities to drink craft beer?  Asia or out of Asia

A: We appreciate cultural heritage whilst drinking, therefore drinking real ale from casks in pubs from Edinburgh or Dublin is definitely a must!

Q: What would you say to a newbie or someone never had craft beer before? (on why one should give craft beer a try)

A: Try craft beer for the experience, the choices, the better ingredients, the honesty and the better company!