在亚洲，Craft Beer对绝大多数人是陌生名词，到底所谓的Craft跟大家“认识”的啤酒有什么不同？以下是一些基本概念。
The column started with weekly writing--then turning to bi-weekly since 2015 and have now breached the 100 articles mark--perhaps it's good to reboot--to try and talk to some more newbies who have zero idea about craft beer with this and subsequent REBOOT from ZERO articles....
1) WHAT IS Craft Beer?
the key word--CHOICES.
Craft Beer is full of varieties/different styles/flavours --it's what shattered the BEER IS BORING perception in spectacular fashion.
If you think of food--what everyone know as BEER(MACRO BEER) is like a bowl of plain noodles---Craft Beer is where you will find all kinds of varieties/flavours.
1) 什么是Craft Beer
口味选择变化多端，打破啤酒只是单调无趣没选择死板印象的很多很多不同类别啤酒。
如果用吃来比喻，大家认识的大厂啤酒是阳春面，Craft Beer世界有各种各样不同口味面食等你发掘。
2) WHAT's so special about Craft Beer?
Think of all the flacours you can find in daily food items--the basic of sweet/sour/bitter/spicy/umami---those you can find in fruits/ dessert/spices/beverages and so on---you can find all the flavours in a beer form--and in real taste--not those artificial fake chemical flavours.
2) Craft有什么厉害？
可以这样说，日常食物\甜点\水果\香料\零食中能品尝到的味道，都能在啤酒中找到，更重要的，不是人工香精那种"假味道"，优质Craft Beer都是真材实料酿造的。
3) Where can I find Craft Beer?
Generally-craft in Asia is still developing or in very early stage of development:-
in Malaysia--it's mainly and almost only in Klang Valley--there's 3 bars + 1 bottle shop around town--and words that there's 1 more bar likely opening up north in Penang soon.
down south in Singapore--there's quite some bars/bottle shops worth going to--at least 6-7-and if you home brew--this is 1 city you can get your brewing materials from.
up north in Thailand--personally my fav city for beers--mainly because Mikkeller Bangkok is there, there's also a strong "Thai brew" movement going on--meaning you can sit in a bar and not just drink imported beers but drink "technically outlawed" beers(with some legal ones) from the Thai Geeks who brew.
3) 哪里喝得到？
吉隆坡有3家专卖吧1家瓶子店，据说檳城很快会有1家专卖吧。
新加坡有至少六，七家值得去的专卖吧瓶子店。
曼谷有亚洲最佳专卖吧"米吧"和不少过7家其他专卖吧瓶子店可去。
日本应该是全亚洲最多选择，东京大阪等地都有本地酿品和众多欧美进口啤酒。
韩国近两年也热络起来，首尔釜山等地都有本地酿坊，进口啤酒类别品牌开始多起来。
香港台湾都有自己本土酿坊和入口啤酒选择，专卖吧瓶子店不少。
近年热闹起来的中国市场，很多城市都有酿吧，也有入口啤酒专卖吧瓶子店，不过，滥竽充数和水货现象让市场比较龙蛇混杂，酒的储存管理，保鲜期以致输酒管保养等都是必须注意的事。
Japan--Tokyo probably has got the widest selection in ASIA as far as varieties is concern--you have choices of local Jap brew and imported variants not only in and around Tokyo but many other areas of Japan too.
Korea--the craft movement been gaining momentum--with local and imported craft choices developing steadily over the last 2 years.
HK and Taiwan--both cities been moving kinda fast since the last 3 years--more imported variants can be found--there's bars and bottle shop--as well local breweries of which some are slowly gaining international attention.
China--the craft market potential is huge--however the market is still on very early developing stage--there's plenty of imported beers--but the one thing anyone drinking in China needs to be aware of is--quite a lot of imported beers are via grey importing--and that could also mean the beer could be well and truly dead before it gets on your glass/belly due to various handling issues.
4) Can I find craft beer at Supermarket or Convenient Store?
In Asia--it's not too common to be able to find craft beer like how one can easily find MACRO BEER in a supermarket or convenient store--the reason being craft beer is NOT something you just display and it will sell on it's own like how MACRO do...
4) 超市或便利店找得到？
在亚洲，Craft文化还在起步中，随意在超市或便利店找到Craft Beer的几率不高，也因为Craft的独特性(种类繁多，需要一定知识才能有效推介)，一般超市便利店没卖。
如果找到卖Craft的超市便利店，不用太高兴，除了可能货量不够多元化，也必须注意是不是储存得当，一些类别啤酒更要注意保鲜期。
Craft Beer--due to varieties/different styles/taste profile--would need someone who is a bit more "knowledgeable" to explain to customers what is what--hence not many supermarket-convenient store owners would stock craft beer...
Anyway--even if you could find craft beer in a supermarket or convenient store in ASIA--don't get too excited--it's best to check the drink by date--or is there any storage/handling issues?
5) WHAT you mean-" drink by date"? or storage/handling issues?
The best part about craft beer is varieties of choices
Hence--there are beers which would taste the best or better--when it's consumed fresh or the ealier from 'drink by date" the better--for examples any pale ale/IPA which emphasis on hops freshness--or say any porter/stouts which emphasis on freshness of spices or beans used.
5) 什么保鲜期？什么储存得当？
Craft Beer 好玩的就是不同类别风格繁多，打个比喻就像一条鱼可煮，煎，炸，焖，蒸，炒，腌制或做生鱼片，啤酒也可以玩出很多不同口味。
那么多不同类别啤酒，有强调趁啤酒花气息新鲜时候喝的Pale Ale/IPA，又或是咖啡豆/香料气息比较强时候喝的Porter/Stout等。这就是啤酒的"尝鲜期"，时限内尽快喝的版本会比过期的好喝。
同样重要的是储存过程，任何不当行为比如被阳光直接照射，存放在高温闷热房间，又或是强烈灯光直射下都会让啤酒变质变坏。
On the other hand--a beer will taste awful--no matter how fresh it might be--if the handling side gone wrong--A bottle or can of perfectly fine brew can go very wrong if it's infected during bottling or canning process--or say exposed under direct sunlight-or light struck- or stored in a hot and humid environment.
6) Beer on tap would always better than bottles/can version?
NOPE--it depends on what type of beer.
But most importantly--drinking from tap-system DO NOT always guarantee the freshness or quality of beer--tap system needs cleaning consistently--a perfectly tasting beer would go bad if the tap-line is dirty/infected.
A tap-line which is not clean--is something like if you have some left over Chili on a bowl --you know what will happen if you pour some soup into.....
6) 都说Draft Beer比较新鲜好喝，上啤酒泵版本比瓶子罐装好喝吗？
没有绝对 ，要看啤酒类型而定。
一般认为，上了啤酒泵版本比较新鲜所以比较好喝，其实要看一些因素决定，除了不同啤酒类别风格，最关键的是，酒吧输酒管是不是有定期经常清理，就像吃饭那样，如果用装了麻辣酱没洗的碟子去装饭，饭自然会有麻辣味。
同样的，如果输酒管没清理得宜，肮脏管子很大可能会让啤酒变质变臭，会变成大问题，
7) Beer ONLY taste best when drank FRESH?
Again--the answer is NOPE--it depends on what style of beer
There are beers which no doubt would taste best when drank fresher--but there's also quite a lot which is best to let it age and drank after a period of time/few years/many years after....
The reason being --some beers can have secondary fermentation inside bottles and would aged beautifully as compared to drinking fresh which can be deemed as 'waste of beer".
7) 啤酒一定要新鲜才好喝？
不完全是。
看什么类型风格啤酒而定。
一些啤酒比如Pale Ale, IPA, 甚至是一些Porter, Stouts强调趁新鲜喝，不过也有不少强调陈放一段时间或好多年後才喝。
因为酿造方式和用料的不同，一些啤酒比如Stouts,比如Lambic,甚至是特定的IPA会在陈放後酒体味道更成熟圆润，太早喝反而不能完全领略酿品风味，浪费酒。
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