Monday, November 21, 2016

WEEK 91---And you thought Beer is just BEER? ---(but not knowing the varieties available)

It is a fact that majority of paying customers/consumers only know beer as what MACRO BEER portrayed it to be.
Majority never heard of the term Craft Beer--and obviously do not know differences between a Craft and a MACRO.
提起啤酒,你会想到什么?绝大多数人只会想到啤酒就只是冷飕飕喝的单调无趣大厂啤酒(MACRO BEER)。在消费者脑海中,绝大多数人不知道,没听说过CRAFT BEER的存在,更不了解跟大厂啤酒有什么不同。
吃过很多美食和说话口无遮拦出名的电视节目主持人ANTHONY BOURDAIN最近接受访问时说,他在节目中所喝啤酒是最被一些观众批评的画面,因为“我只会在最方便喝到冷啤酒的地方随意喝,而不是喝最好的啤酒”,批评TONY的人觉得既然对食物味道那么有要求,怎可以对啤酒味道没要求?
And so when Anthony Bourdain( yeah--that popular TV food and travel show host) was captured by UK news outlet The Telegraph with a headline saying "CRAFT BEER IS TURNING PEOPLE INTO ZOMBIES"--it's bound to stir up some ripples....

Anyone who kinda follow Tony's show would know--this is a guy who sort of talk trash at times--be it what he felt strongly about or just a way of expressing himself-seriously or half jokingly-i mean--he can be funny at times(while not actually being funny).

In that full interview with Thrillist where he talked mainly about food/wine/TV show--there's this few questions about craft beer--where he mentioned he was mostly slammed for his choice of beer in the show, because " I'm drinking whatever convenient cold beer is available in a particular place, and not drinking the best beer out there."
AND " I haven't made the effort to walk down the street 10 blocks to the microbrewery where they're making some f---ing Mumford and Sons IPA. People get all bent about it."
It is quite clear that Tony is NOT a beer geek--though i have seen him drinking an IPA or American Pale Ale in the show. The fact that a famous TV host who love his food fine/finest is NOT fussy about his choice of beer certainly sounds peculiar to beer geeks--though this is really not just an isolated case of"Tony Syndrome" ( if i may put it this way)---but much more of a general perception issue where beer is NOT seen as flavourful enough or worthy companion like wine or certain hard liquor does.

看过TONY节目的会知道,他其实也喝过IPA,只不过,他对啤酒质素要求并不高,换句话说,他喝过CRAFT BEER,不过不是啤迷。
对于啤迷的世界,TONY不了解,他在访谈中提起一次因为很口渴就近走入三藩市一家CRAFT BEER专卖吧经验,“酒吧内有很多我完全不知道是什么的啤酒选择,这很不错,不过,当我发现不少人对着面前五个(尝味)杯子不同啤酒研究味道,写尝味心得时,我觉得这是错的,这不是酒吧,比较像僵尸电影画面。。。”
TONY 来说,酒吧应该是“比较喧闹互动的”,不是“坐着分析啤酒味道”的地方。
To beer geek--especially those who would slammed Tony on his choice of convenient rather than insistence on high quality of beer is simple--When you are seen as having high expectation for food--that's saying you have high expectation for flavours---and not being fussy about beer flavour/quality is just like saying ALL BURGERS served the same purpose--why bother eating a particular gourmet burger from a particular shop?
I would go as far to say wine and liqour food pairing is OVERRATED--while food pairing with beer--especially fine dining--is way way underrated. (Go try Upstairs Mikkeller Bangkok if you ever in Bangkok for instance--and see what you think after a meal and lots of good beer)

CRAFT BEER的世界到底是什么?跟一般只卖大厂啤酒/酒精饮料《酒吧》有什么区别?
很简单,最关键区别就是啤酒选择。
以大家耳熟能详的很多大厂啤酒品牌来说,你能说的出有哪一家有卖比如说“奇异果”或“黑/白巧克力”或“樱桃”或“烟熏培根”口味啤酒的?在CRAFT BEER的世界里,只要是你能说出口的真正食材/味道(人工/化学香精绝对不在考虑范围),就会有人酿造那个口味啤酒几率是很高的。
换句话说,只要是各种食材能提供的美味,在CRAFT BEER的世界里都有可能从《啤酒》形态中找到。
很可惜,这是绝大数人想都没想过的事,包括对美食/食物味道很有要求的人也那样。
可笑的是,当美食配搭葡萄酒是公认的“品味”动作,配搭一些烈酒也被认可的同时,很多对食物味道有要求的人们并不知道,不同类别风格CRAFT BEER所能给予的味蕾享受绝对变化多端到超乎想象,完全适合配搭美食。
有喝过不少“高级”葡萄酒的米其林星级厨师这么说过“葡萄酒,说到底用的只是一种食材--葡萄,风味变化始终有限。要是对比CRAFT BEER可用的各式各样酿酒食材选择,啤酒怎么会被认为没味道没变化,不适合配搭美食?
But the ripples don't just end there about Tony's choice of beer--there's another interesting point he observed:-
"I was in San Francisco, and I was desperate for beer, and I walked into this place...and I noticed there was a wide selection of beers I'd never heard of,"
"Which is fine...But I looked around: the entire place was filled with people sitting there with five small glasses in front of them, filled with different beers, taking notes.
"This is not a bar. This is f---ing Invasion of the Body Snatchers. This is wrong. This is not what a bar is about."

From a beer geek point of view--It's quite hilarious to hear all those words--in kinda very "Tony-ish" style (that's why he can be funny while not actually trying to be funny)--because it's nothing weird for geeks to do what they do--taking pics of bottles/savouring tasting flight --the list goes on....
Take those words and look from another side of coin--it's also quite relevant--because a drinking place a pub/ a beer bar has always been perceived as--in Tony's words "the entire point of a bar is to "get a little bit buzzed" and not "sit there f---ing analyzing beer."

既然CRAFT BEER那么厉害,那么多不同口味选择,干嘛还是那么多消费者完全不知道,没听说过,不懂哪里找?
这大概也是TONY之所以被一些观众骂的原因,因为“我不会特意走十个路口到某家酿坊只为了喝啤酒”。
在亚洲,相比财力雄厚,通过各种行销手法围绕市场,抢占销售点主攻两三种畅销货的大厂啤酒,CRAFT BEER文化只依靠为数不多的专卖吧/瓶子店在默默耕耘,情况有点像传统小店对抗国际连锁集团那样,不是随便去超市或便利店就能随手买到,卖的地方不多意味着不容易普及,也间接解释了为什么那么多人完全不知道啤酒可以是美味选择。
WHAT is so different about craft beer bar than a usual watering hole?
The answer is simple--CHOICE of beers--plenty--much more choices of flavourful beers. That's the most important different between the average drinking places and a craft beer place.

For those of you who until now only know your easy to obtain MACRO BEER--maybe you can try imagine these and ask if any of your favourite MACRO brands ever given you choices of say KIWI fruits beer? Dark/White Chocolate beer? Cherries beer? Smoked Bacon beer? the list of beer flavours can be endless---and please take note that there's NO Artificial flavouring here--we are talking about REAL FOOD items / Real Flavours.
In Asia--where beer market is always surrounded by Big companies cornering all major point of sale with big marketing budget and at times misleading advertising campaign/promo activities--craft beer bars/bottle shop in Asia are kind like very small houses next to sky scraper--barely noticeable at times but is there for you to discover.
The "Tony Syndrome" (where people are fussy about food but not about beer) is quite a funny scenario really--in the context of ASIA where many people in different cities pride themselves as FOODIE-- it is very common to find at least 9 out of 10 of these self-pride either DO NOT KNOW what Craft Beer is all about--or DO NOT THINK beer is something worthy of their time to explore further...
It might take many discussion/pages to talk about the technicality/ differences of Craft Beer vs MACRO BEER--i like this simple way of saying :-
"Drinking a MACRO BEER is like drinking a hastily boiled soup with lots of artificial flavouring--it makes you even more Thirsty.
A well made Craft Beer is like home cooked soup with lots of fresh ingredients/invested with time and patience--just a few sip would bring pleasure/gratification. 
要具体说MACRO BEERCRAFT BEER之间的区别可能需要长篇大论,我喜欢这个说法“一般大厂啤酒就像是喝省时省料加入很多味精的汤,让人越喝越口渴。好啤酒比较像用足材料用时间用心思熬出来的爱心汤,喝上几口已感觉幸福满足。”

Sunday, November 6, 2016

WEEK 90---of HK craft beer scene & more--chit chat with Rohit Dugar of Young Master Ales

This week we stay in HK --continuing from last column's chat--this time with Rohit of Young Master Ales
香港CRAFT市场近两三年来很显著的活跃着,除了众多不同品牌类别进口啤酒冒现,玩自酿或只想喝各式佳酿的啤迷也多了起来,市场转变中,香港本土酿坊涌现也是关注点。

继上期门神酿坊後,“顽啤主张”跟另一家起步早的香港酿坊,少爷啤酒(YOUNG MASTER) 创办人ROHIT聊聊,
The Newspaper Column (Chinese version) is done differently with another format --however the Original Chat version(in English) as shown here would still be in Q&A format:-
*Craft movement in HK
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.

Hong Kong has made incredible progress in a short amount of time. There is something to be said about the entrepreneurial spirit of this city. I believe the next stage is for a lot of newer local breweries to more clearly define their identity and express a point of view beyond just making good beer. 
I also think critical appreciation of beer has come a long way but has further to go. As you expect, you first see “beer geeks” interested in certain beers primarily due to its brand recognition or ratings and over time developing an ability to appreciate a broad range of styles, understanding brewers’ intent and judging beer properly in a blind tasting. 
Lastly I think storage and handling, particularly of imported beer has a lot of room for improvement. We do see a lot of beer from high quality breweries coming in to Hong Kong and is served for high prices in a less than desirable condition.
Overall though Hong Kong has all the ingredients in place for a dynamic, world-class beer scene – active home brewing community, craft focused beer festivals, high quality taprooms, imported craft beer from all over the world and a number of high quality local breweries.
对香港市场见闻感受/ 期望
“香港的CRAFT 市场可以用突飞猛进来形容,这个城市的创业精神是有目共睹的,下一步相信会有更多香港本土酿坊思考如何突出自身品牌观点,而不只是着眼于酿酒而已。与此同时,市场的整体鉴赏力虽然已有提升,不过还是有很大进步空间。一般来说,“啤迷”起点是从对某个酿坊品牌的欣赏或参考高评分啤酒开始,慢慢扩大到有足够味蕾鉴赏力品饮/欣赏很多不同类别风格啤酒,甚至是达到具备”盲饮”测试能力阶段。”
“另外,市场至今所看到的啤酒储藏/处理方式还是需要提升,特别是一些进口啤酒的不当处理会导致酒质变差,付出一定价格喝到的出名酿坊进口啤酒很可惜的并没有处于应有水平/状态中。”
“整体来说,香港具备了成为一流CRAFT市场条件,这里有活跃的自酿群体,专注CRAFT的啤酒节/活动,来自世上不同角落进口啤酒,还有一些很不错的本地酿坊。”
“希望市场,无论是酒吧,餐厅,酿坊,啤酒节活动,自酿玩家或进口商都更放开手脚的把整体水平再往上提升。”

What would be some of your wishes/vision for HK craft beer scene moving forward?
I would like to see bolder expressions of craft beer in every segment – bars / restaurants, local breweries, beer festivals, homebrewing, imports etc. than we already do. I believe everybody involved should have a drive to constantly improve and take things up a notch.
*Home Brewing vs Running a Brewery 
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?

Brewing fundamentals don’t really change between homebrewing and commercial brewing but the execution of the same ideas is quite different. Most of our team is comprised of former award-winning homebrewers and we very much keep that spirit of experimentation alive on a commercial scale. The learning curve to transition from homebrewing to commercial brewing is steep and over the years we believe we have learnt a lot about how to keep experimenting with one-off beers and deliver precise consistency in our core beers.

关于玩自酿和开酿坊/供应市场的区别
“无论是自酿还是正式酿坊,酿酒基本要点是一致的,分别在怎么执行/把酒酿好。从自酿过渡到能面对市场是个很有难度的学习过程,几年下来,至今所学让我们在试酿季节性/一次过酿品之余,也能酿出水准一致性高的常态啤酒。”
“如果酿酒不再有趣,只是为了应付市场需求的话,我们应该早已关门不干了,思考和实验新酿品是我们的信条,是动力,也是乐趣。”
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?
We would probably shut shop if it stops being fun and all business. If we were to optimize our operations purely for business we would make a couple of core beers and not take any risks with the beers we make. Constant thoughtful experimentation is very much what defines us and our brewing philosophy, inspires us to work hard and at the same time makes it fun.

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….
The single biggest challenge with brewing in Hong Kong is an obvious one – space. Real estate costs are high and more importantly suitable sites where you could setup a small to mid-scale brewery are scarce. Ingredient supply is not a problem at all given Hong Kong’s open ports and robust infrastructure. Regulations are relatively predictable and reasonably easy to navigate despite some bureaucracy that is natural when dealing with governments.
*Brewing Philosophy & Young Master
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?
We are a Hong Kong brewery and naturally our brand identity reflects the same. Specifically we are inspired by mid-century industrial Hong Kong given we are in a factory building making something, which was common place a few decades ago but has since died down. In terms of beer styles though, we completely reject the idea of adapting to the mythical notion of a “local palate”. We make beers we believe in and want to bring to the local brewing scene. We don’t believe in dumbing down our beers under any circumstance.

少爷品牌来由/酿酒信条/现在未来
“品牌是受到早期香港工业时代启发,酿坊也是位于工业大厦,在以前这是到处可见的景象,可是这些年以来已经很少见了。”
“我们完全不相信啤酒要符合“本地口味”说法,而是只会酿我们相信的,想让市场喝到的啤酒。“
CRAFT 文化成熟的环境中,啤迷会欣赏酿得好的所谓“易喝”啤酒,而新朋友也能接受所谓比较“复杂”/实验性酿品。对我们来说,不同风格类别众多就是CRAFT精髓,也是CRAFTMACRO(大厂啤酒)最明显区别。少爷至今不同酿品展示了这点,换句话说,我们唯一不考虑的饮客群就只是那些死脑筋不愿意试新口味的人们。”
“跟上海拳击猫有着进行中的合酿,每六个月会酿柑橘浓度不同,使用不同啤酒花的IPA。自家酿品方面,不久前酿坊新添了“葡萄酒木桶”,我们会把现有的酸啤酒再提升到另一个高度,尝试酿造天然发酵果酸啤酒。同时,酿坊也有包括龙舌酒,白兰地和美国波本等其他桶陈啤酒计划进行中,期待着好些独特啤酒面世。”
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?
I disagree that craft brewers need to look at beer drinkers in categories like you describe. While on the one hand by definition, some beer styles call for a special occasion while others are designed to enjoy multiple pints in a session. However, in a truly evolved beer culture, true “beer geeks” should be able to appreciate a very well made sessionable beer and in a similar vein, presented the right way in the right context a bold experimental beer can be appealing to a novice. To us, variety is a defining characteristic of craft beer and makes it distinct from mass produced beer. For that very reason we always make sure our portfolio reflects a vibrant variety at all times. In other words the only group of drinkers we don’t really cater to are the ones who are not open minded and perhaps set in their ways.
+ Note--on hindsight--that question did kinda suggesting Geeks don't appreciate seemingly more session/lighter beers( such as low abv Table Beer and more)--which is kinda misleading--that's not what i intended to say--but i did put the question out and it sounded like that--so a sort of correction here :) 

What might be some immediate plan for your brewery/ brand of beers--say in the next 12-24 months?--do tell us what you have in mind with all those barrel in place.....
We always keep a pipeline of unique beers coming and see it almost as a responsibility to introduce new and unique styles to the local brewing scene in Hong Kong. We recently purchased a foeder that we are very excited about. We have a sour beer program in place already but we are taking it up several notches by doing lambic style wild yeast fermentations in our foeder. Likewise we have had a barrel aging program since we were three months old and now we have acquired a larger variety and quantity of barrels – including chardonnay, tequila, brandy and bourbon barrels. Expect some very unique beer styles coming out of them.
Any recent experiment brew in mind that you would love to try out?
Too many to list, but in the near future we are most excited about the beer we will make in our newly installed foeder.

Any collaboration brewers/ breweries in mind or already in the pipe line ?
We have an ongoing collaboration with Boxing Cat Brewery in Shanghai. We make a citrus infused IPA every 6 months with changing citrus element and hops every time. We are planning more collaborations in 2017 once we are more settled into our new brewery. Stay tuned.
*Personally Speaking
Some of your personal favourites style of beers to drink?
I really don’t have a favorite style. In the right setting, I can appreciate any well-made beer that is in great condition.

Tell us some of your personal favourites cities to drink craft beer?  Asia or out of Asia
Outside of Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York City come to mind, partly because I have spent a lot of time in both places. Both cities have a nice variety in their bar scene and it helps that they are incredibly food cities to pair with the brews.
如何让新朋友尝试CRAFT
“对口味有要求的人就懂得欣赏CRAFT BEER。我会试着了解新朋友心情状态来推介合适的啤酒,也鼓励喝几个不同风格类别啤酒组成的“试味拼盘”来找出喜欢的款式。不过,如果是死脑筋不愿意尝试不熟悉口味的,那就不期望他们会欣赏了。”
What would you say to a newbie or someone never had craft beer before? (on why one should give craft beer a try)
Anyone who appreciate flavor should be able to appreciate craft beer. I would try to learn about the mood they are in and recommend something suitable. I would also encourage them to sample tasters of several distinct beers to figure out what they like. If however they are not an open minded person or someone that doesn’t enjoy flavorful things, I wouldn’t expect them to get interested in craft beer.