Monday, September 18, 2017

WEEK 114---ENJOY Beer Festivals--DON'T GET SLAMMED

A little mixed feelings writing this post--while the post is a basic "don't drink yourself to the ground" kinda piece about all sorts of beerfest in and around Asia--the news just came in that the Only mini craft beer fest in KL has been shoot down by the authority due to "sensitivity concern".
To a large extent--in Asia it's not surprising that mere mentioning of the word "alcoholic beverages" would trigger images of drunken loud/rowdy crowd--and that would extend to imaginary images of a beerfest generally to people who can't differentiate what is binge drinking and what is tasting/savoring/enjoying.
说起啤酒节三个字,你会想到什么?大杯大口尽情喝?有免费酒喝的好日子?只怕喝不够, 不醉无归?
在亚洲,最为一般消费者知道的啤酒节大概就是源自慕尼黑的十月啤酒节,多得大厂啤酒公司促销策略,不管是不是跟德国或慕尼黑有任何关联,,亚洲很多城市十月都会有大大小小各式各样啤酒促销活动或啤酒节出现。
craft beer的世界,啤酒节的确是推动craft文化所需方式之一,理由很简单,与其等消费者自发自动到专卖吧或瓶子店发现什么是另一个崭新的啤酒世界,通过更多人可以接触到的啤酒节把craft文化散播出去未尝不是好方法。
目前来说,亚洲不同城市大大小小的craft啤酒节不少,从北京上海到东京首尔到台湾香港再到曼谷新加坡,每年都有不同形式不同名堂啤酒节在进行,虽然不能跟一些顶级欧美啤酒节相比,至少有起到推介craft作用。
Generally speaking most people in Asia would have heard of Oktoberfest--along with images of large beer mug filled with seemingly endless volume of beers---that's quite typically the perception of the general public when the word beerfest is mentioned---of course they won't think or know that there can be really huge different levels of beerfest--depending on the intention/objectives of the organizer.

In Asia--most of the beerfest is either organized/run by event organizer who aim to sell space/booth or importers/local breweries keen to promote their brands( be it MACRO or craft) to a larger audience--while everyone need to sell more for business sake--there can be a different pertaining to how a beerfest is organized/run--there are fest which aim to only sell and sell--there's also fest which aim to spread out the craft cultures....

While generally going to a beerfest is seen as a good day to get slammed--drink to the ground--it really does not have to go that direction, beerfest can be quite an enjoyable affair if one take it nice and slow regardless if you are going for the very first time or been there and always end up face down on the ground....
亚洲craft啤酒节来说,多的有上百不同品牌类别啤酒等着品尝,少的也有几十种,怎么在一天或半天时间内好好品味而不是走着进去歪着或抬着出来是有简单小窍门的。
here's a few simple tips that would help one to enjoy a beerfest better:-
1) DON'T ever go in EMPTY STOMACH
Quite some people thought it's really natural/ok to go into a beerfest and starts enjoying some food & beer at the same time--meaning no food consumed PRIOR going into a beerfest--though it seems innocuous --the reality is that the body system will definitely go under attack by alcohol influences while the food is waiting to get digested.
Unless you plan to make a mockery of the meaning of enjoying one self at a beerfest--you would not want to do this--ever.
1) 绝对不要空腹喝酒
啤酒,无论是多么低度易喝(36%)都是带酒精饮料,的确在啤酒节一边喝啤酒一边吃东西是享受,所以空腹去好像很合理,这个观念听起来没问题,实际上,空腹去啤酒节一边喝一边吃,再继续喝,你觉得是酒精会先发挥醉人影响,还是食物可以比酒精先一步消化起到"压肚子"作用?
答案是很明显的,空腹喝酒明摆着就是在找自己麻烦,不但不能好好享受不同风味啤酒乐趣,分分钟还会让自己难堪。
2) less is MORE
Forget about the photos/video/images you have seen about that event in Munich--beerfest does not have to be only about drinking in huge beer mug or drink yourself to death---while it is true that generally all beerfest in ASIA is selling beer in a rather big serving-it does not mean you have to finish the beer all by yourself--you can always share with friends--just drink say 25-150ml of a particular beer and move onto other beers since a beerfest would have atleast tens of hundreds of different beers to choose from--if you really like a particular beer you can go slow and finish it--if a particular beer taste awful/not your liking--you could try ask if your friends/ or new found stranger friends wanted to try and share it--otherwise just leave it/pour it....
The key is--beerfest can be like a larger scale tasting session--with different choices to pick--why not just drink/sip in small volume, that way you could try a lot more different styles/brands of beers and enjoy/savour each taste profile better.
2) 少即是多 (Less is More)
如果你去的啤酒节有几十种甚至上百不同类别风格品牌等待品尝,假设有8小时喝酒时间,是要大杯大口喝够本还是说要小杯小啜慢慢品味?
一般亚洲人酒量来说,喝上10330毫升小瓶装啤酒算"厉害"的了,以此推算,怎样可以从容的在啤酒节细味享受超过几十或更多款不同风味啤酒而不是勉强喝\拼命喝\喝到挂是重点。
抛开个人酒精承受力,体质不一样,当天身心状态等因素不说,最简单的喝酒方式是<积少成多>,意思是想试的每款啤酒都尽量只要一点,比如25100毫升之间,也不需要每杯喝完,个人很喜欢的可以慢慢喝完,感觉一般或不对味的可以看下身边朋友是不是想试,可以分享,再不然就放一旁或干脆倒掉,再去试其他的。
啤酒节可以是一个放慢来品尝不同风格啤酒的地方,就像在餐厅享受美食那样,狼吞虎咽会少了很多乐趣,细味才是重点。
3) Get "time out"--go for intervals
Going to a beerfest can be like playing a ball game--you do need to take a break in between drinking--drink some water/eat some food/ go for coffee if that's your thing--it is true everyone has got different level of alcohol tolerance--but it's always good to take a short interval--let the palate/body system freshen up a little before continuing.
3) 喝酒也有休息时间
像去运动打球那样,在啤酒节只是一直不停喝也不对,应该给身体机能一些调适时间,喝酒的同时也喝水,间中吃点东西,只要不是太重口味比如辣或麻辣到令味蕾失调的就好,喝喝停停,停停喝喝,聊聊天聊聊啤酒经,新旧朋友间交换下心得,啤酒节会变得有趣。
The craft culture/ craft beer movement in Asia is still in early developing stage--while various beerfest is happening more often in and around different cities in Asia--the majority drinkers are still very much influenced by the binge-drinking culture--that beerfest is about price factor/value for money/drink til you drop kinda perception--which of course can be avoided if more people starts to realize that just like there are awesome beer and really bad beer, a beerfest can also go that direction of making a different.
在亚洲,很多人觉得啤酒节就只是个很多酒喝的节目,基本都一样,啤酒节基本元素是“共聚一堂把酒言欢”,说白了就是喝喝酒说说话吃吃东西,这原理放在鼓励大家开怀畅饮(或者牛饮)的大厂啤酒节,或是更鼓励慢喝细味的craft啤酒节听起来好像没差别,因为理论上啤酒节只是个把喜欢喝啤酒或喜欢热闹人们聚在一起的节目。
实际上,在craft的世界,一个啤酒节的规模大小,是不是有什么明星艺人出现不是重点,真正重要的是啤酒阵容,有什么酿坊什么类别啤酒出现才是关注点。
亚洲啤酒节现阶段来说,在一般消费者比较关心价格,是不是可以喝到饱喝到卦,不是很了解craft文化情况下,说这样的话可能会让人觉得困惑,去啤酒节需要关注有什么啤酒喝?不过,如果你觉得疑惑,很好,至少现在你已知道不是所有啤酒节都一样的。
YES--it's completely unfair/incomparable to mention about the level of #MBCC #CBC has set for a beerfest to what Asia can envisage to achieve---it can be a sky high benchmark Asia beerfest can look up to and see what mini version can be done here in ASIA--in simple word--a day when you announce a beerfest which would only serve between 25-100ml per pour and people who paid for the beerfest ticket wold have to line up for 1 small keg of each beer and  won't question "why so little/why so expensive/why so stupid to have only 1 keg why can't be 10 keg of the same"?

That would be the ultimate challenges for beerfest in and around Asia --though i honestly don't think there would be many out there who would share that thought or agree with.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

WEEK 113---Beer really can be DELICIOUS

Let's talk about beer in the simplest form/terms possible.
What is beer? the simplest answer is alcoholic beverages brewed using 1.Water 2.Malt 3.Yeast 4.Hops
If you have heard of a law in Germany(purity law or Reinheitsgebot)  which insist that beer can only be brewed using those 4 ingredients and thought all along beer must ONLY be brewed that way--then you know perhaps only half the story of what beer can be.
啤酒基本是水,麦芽,啤酒花和酵母的融汇结合酿品。
这样的组合,听起来看起来都简单得很,能有什么样多样化的味道变化吗?
大家那么长久以来所喝到啤酒味道来说,确实没什么变化好说的,啤酒就只是那样,酒精冷饮一枚,跟美味一点都扯不上关系。
以上只是大众对啤酒的片面认知,啤酒当然不只是酒精冷饮一枚,而是可以变化多端,以各种不同风格类别出现的美味选择。
Craft Beer的出现彻底打破了水,麦芽,啤酒花和酵母只能酿出单调味道啤酒的错误看法,最简单说法是,除开大家都知道的不同水质问题外,麦芽,啤酒花和酵母其实有很多不同味道类别,个别不同组合会带来很多不同风味层次变化,再加上不同处理手法,比如Adjunct, 比如Blending, 比如Barrel Aging等等,让啤酒的玩味变得更浓更有趣。

Someone actually questioned "with only 4 ingredients--how beer can become complex or delicious even?"---can't blame this perception since majority "BEER" drinkers only know of 1 or 2 'taste' profile(for lack of proper vocab) ingrained by years of MACRO drinking/campaign effects.

Truth is--even with only 4 main ingredients--because of the hundreds of varieties of malt-yeast-hops, as well different quality of water--when the craft brewers turn on their creative minds--beer can become a totally whole new thing never imaginable by MACRO drinkers--and that's the single biggest reason why geeks go gaga over craft beer.

In the world of craft beer--brewers obviously don't give a shit about limiting oneself to brewing only with water-malt-yeast-hops since it's almost anything goes for some crazy ass brewers, here's a very basic/simplest look into what other things craft brewers do to increase the deliciousness/complexity of a given beer(and mead):-
ADJUNCT
if one were to check the definition of this word with any beer glossary--it's actually a Negative word describing low act of replacing malt-hops-yeast with cheaper alternatives/artificial flavoring agents with the intention of cutting cost--end up bringing down quality/flavours of beer.
BUT just like a coin with 2 sides--in craft beer ADJUNCT can be a good thing--a Positive thing when brewers starts adding at times ridiculous amount/types of REAL food/fruits/spices etc with 1 aim--to make that beer delicious--or crazy delicious.
In this commercial/profit first world--it's not uncommon for some food producers to find much cheaper/at times even harmful chemicals/artificial flavours to cut cost just to maximize profits--in the world of beer--the truth is ADJUNCT can become a good thing which enhances flavours and deliciousness of a beer--not downgrading or destroying it.
Adjunct(添加物)
根据Craft的定义,利用添加物酿酒原意是贬义词,意指不能用例如粟米或大米或人工香精之类的廉价代替品意图减低酿酒成本导致啤酒风味变低变质变次。
不过,转个念,这个原本的贬义词其实也能变成褒义词。

在德国,为保持啤酒的固定味道,有"纯酿法"的存在,列明啤酒只能以4种原料,即水,麦芽,啤酒花和酵母酿造,不能有任何其他食材或添加物,从另外一个角度看,这也可以是固步自封,Craft Beer 酿造手法中的Adjunt(添加食材如咖啡豆茶叶巧克力胡椒辣椒蔬果等等)就证明了正面的使用添加物是可以大大提高啤酒风味层次,而不是减低或破坏。

BARREL-AGING
It is common knowledge that certain food items needed time to give it another dimension(or more)--think cheese/vineger/kimchi /soy sauce/smoked beef/sausages and so on...

In the world of craft beer--there are lots of BA or barrel-aged version--in simple word--putting beer into barrels to let it rest/ferment/evolve--barrels can be from the hard liqour kind of whisky-bourbon-brandy-tequila to wine/port wine barrels--the latest is that mead barrels are in for some delicious beer soaking/resting too.

Of course not all BA beer would turned out way better/complex than the base beer--but at the very least--barrel aging is a way craft brewers like to try add complexity/layers of nuances to some already delicious base beer--the thoughts the efforts the intention that goes into a barrel is all there for drinkers to feel.
Barrel Aging(桶陈)
一般认知来说,桶陈就像是把酱油或泡菜放进缸熟成,又或是把蔬果食材腌制成另一个层次食物那种原理。
在啤酒的世界,桶陈的目标没变,也是为了让酿好的啤酒变得更有层次,更有不同风味,基本做法是把啤酒倒进使用过的不同烈酒木桶比如威士忌,波本,白兰地,伏特加酒桶等又或者是葡萄酒桶熟成,很多不同风格啤酒如Stouts, Porter, Saison, Lambic, 甚至是Ipa都会玩桶陈,最新情况是,有啤酒酿坊开始使用蜜酒(Mead)桶来熟成提味。
虽然不是所有经过桶陈处理的啤酒一定比没桶陈原版美味好喝,至少说明啤酒不是只有平铺直叙那么简单,啤酒也有多工序多心思的一面。

实际上,好些Craft酿坊玩起桶陈游戏是不惜工本,为了提升味道层次,很多时候不单只是桶陈,更多时候是加入食材蔬果浸泡,目的只有一个,让啤酒变得更美味。



BLENDING
Not everyone is a brewer--including some very sought after craft brew/names(think Bokkereyder-Casey-Tilquin and such)--there are some who do not brew their own beer yet they are not gypsy brewers--these guys are the Blenders--they buy wort from others and do their own things through "blending-adjunct-barrel aging"--whatever means that would make the brew the way they envisage/imagine or hope it to be.
Blending can be a fun thing even for us drinkers in a small way--by trying to find a nicely blended one through mixing different styles/variants of beers during a tasting/sharing session --the key is different styles/variants of beer though no one stops you from blending ipa A with ipa B or stouts A with stouts B if you so wishes.
Blending(混酒)
烹饪的概念就是如何把不同食材香料调味料融合好,比如酸辣汤强调酸味和辣味,比如咕噜肉就要是甜酸适中,啤酒的Blending基本概念大约如此,通过混合不同类别/年份啤酒寻找心目中想要的味道层次。
Craft Beer的世界,有Brewer(酿酒师),也有不酿酒只混酒的Blender(混酒师),当中包括一些炙手可热的比利时天然发酵果酸啤酒品牌比如Tilquin,比如Bokkereyder
Blender的出现让啤酒的风味变化多了可能性,除了通过混合不同类别风格啤酒,又或是相同类别不同年份啤酒之外,也利用桶陈+添加物方式让啤酒酝酿出不同层次风味。
啤迷或喝酒人有时候其实也可自己试试玩一下混酒,可以是不同类型啤酒混合,比如稍苦的黑啤加稍甜的黑啤,也可以是完全不同类别如黑啤混合酸啤酒或SAISON之类的,混对了会意料之外的很美味,没找对混合方案也没问题,下次再试,反正自由发挥是乐趣。