Saturday, October 28, 2017

WEEK 116---Craft Appreciation---go jumping or vertical?

It's quite interesting at times here at KL---when me and the tasting group guys would be having some bottle share, usually at a friend's craft beer bar--that we would inadvertently attract some curious looks from some who happens to be at the bar--some would just give that "what's going on" look, while occasionally some would walk to us and ask....
Bottle share is something geeks do all over the world especially those living in US/EUROPE where supplies of awesome varieties /big names brew/fresher beers are a lot more accessible than here in ASIA, though having said that, bottle sharing session is still something geeks in ASIA quite often do.
瓶子分享会是Craft 文化中常见动作,算是品酒会的代名词,也是让Craft Beer 变得更有趣,更接近一种分享文化感觉的动作。
在啤迷聚集的社交网络中可以看到很多关于#bottleshare 的图文,重点都是喝了分享了什么瓶子多少瓶子,有些欧美啤迷其中一个惯用词是#killshot,干掉多少瓶子意思。
瓶子分享会出发点当然不在于一次能干掉无限多瓶子,这其实是独乐乐不如众乐乐的延伸动作,就像一个人上餐馆,能一下子吃的不同菜式有限,倒不如叫上几个人,大家可以点满一桌子菜色分享。
在亚洲不同城市,不同啤迷群体都会有自己的瓶子分享会,虽然形式不一,也不管是分享本地或进口酿坊瓶子,有一点是肯定的,分享让大家可以在喝少尝多情况下认识/享受到更多样化不同类型啤酒。
Yes, bottle sharing is quite common really for geeks within the craft community, but it's something very new to newbies, even more curious looking in the eyes of non-craft drinkers.
To all you newbies/non-craft drinkers--here's the basic idea of bottle share session--it's like going to a restaurant alone--that's only so much you could order/eat all by yourself--but having a few friends sitting around the same table, you could order/try out a lot more varieties, and eat in smaller portion.
Is there any rules/set format for a bottle share session? i guess apart from making sure what everyone bring to the session is "not far off or of equal standards/same level of hype"( i know--it's so subjective--but geeks would know how to figure that part out--and sooner or later newbies who care to elevate palate profile would too)---how one likes to do it, be it jumping/mixing it up or vertical, a bottle share session can be quite flexible really.
JUMPING/MIXING it up
this is like going to a restaurant and making sure the dishes ordered are a mix of different flavours profile--you want a mix of taste rather than 1 dimensional, put it in a beer tasting/bottle share session, it's like making sure you have varieties of at least 3 or 4 distinctively different styles, in fact if we were to linked this to say a 10 course dinner, it would be like having your appetizers/main/dessert/s--with palate cleanser/s in between. 

Though it is quite natural to start the sharing session in the order of lightest( in terms of abv/style of beer/body and such) to biggest hitters(or biggest hyped/names) like a step ladder style of drinking, where there's a certain concern that if one were to drink a "heavier"beer( say a double ipa) and then only a pale ale---then our palate would not make a fair judgement of the taste profile of the supposedly "lighter" pale ale, that it might just taste less flavourful than it should be or even plain bland.
不同类型风格品酒会
如果以上餐厅点菜比喻,这就像是汇聚了苦辣甜酸咸鲜等不同味道的丰富一餐,啤迷可以一次过让味蕾经历不同啤酒风味感受,有趣的是,如果用西餐的前菜主菜甜品再加之间的清爽味蕾点缀品方式来看,瓶子分享会方式还真的可以蛮相似。
虽然每个人喜欢的方式可能不一样,不过在分享会中一般会从口感酒体或酒精度比较轻量的瓶子开始,比如说瓶子选择中有ipa, double ipa的话,会先从比较轻的ipa 喝起,又或者说有porter, stouts 的时候,会从比较轻的porter 喝起,这样做是有点道理的,因为一开始喝口味比较重的再喝同类型比较轻的就可能会对比较轻体那支觉得太淡太轻,味蕾有欠公平对待。
虽然那样说,实际上,瓶子分享会并没有硬性规定的尝味进程需要遵循,大家可以跟着各自喜好安排不同风格啤酒的先后顺序,只要味蕾感官应付得当,就算不管轻重顺序之分,随意跳着喝也无不可。
Having said that, a "jumping/mix it up" tasting session really can be quite flexible, if you are not having a dead serious tasting notes related or say BJCP exam style tasting--then it can be more relax, though the "light to heavy rules" kinda relevant, but sometimes a little reversing of the rules could work too as long as your palate stays alert (don't drink much more if your palate has gone to sleep--it's a waste of good brew!)
Vertical Tasting
This is quite popular too with some geeks.
if we were to put it in layman's terms, it's like buying the same brand/same taste profile of a particular cheese--say maybe all 10 or 20 of them--the only different would be the year the cheese made.
Yup--you got the idea, vertical tasting is basically SAME brand, styles of beers but brewed and bottled in different years.
Essentially, vertical tasting is about trying to find out what TIME can do to a beer when cellar/kept properly, it's an interesting way of trying to find out what changes can TIME and cellar conditioning/weather and other external factors could caused to a beer though it's by definition the same brand/style of beer.
相同类型啤酒直线品饮
Vertical tasting 是不少啤迷会做的事。
放在吃东西概念来说,就像是把同一家品牌但不同年份的芝士聚在一起品尝,意思是,在瓶子分享会中可能会有十多支同一家酿坊,同一个品牌,同一个风格类型啤酒,不同的就只是年份,有啤迷喜欢这样喝,想探寻不同年份会有什么细微或比较大风味差异表现,这样品饮的基本动机是想知道时间会可以带来什么影响。
当然不是每个人都喜欢这样做,有啤迷觉得一次过和那么多同样风格不同年份的啤酒是浪费,因为味蕾会麻木或感觉像在做研究,有点应付不来。

另一个接近直线品饮的方式是同类型啤酒但不同酿坊,不同品牌,用吃东西概念来说,就像是同时间品尝好几家不同餐厅的烧腊饭/云吞面之类。
这是像探索同类型啤酒经过不同酿酒师傅诠释能有什么差异的方式,这中间其实是有点功夫要做的,比如说IPA品尝分享会,听起来虽然是同类型啤酒,不过,因为IPA可以是很多不同啤酒花功能的展现(就先不说不同麦芽酵母能带来的影响),不同啤酒花之间的表现可以是苹果和橙子的差异,放在其他类型啤酒也一样,所以这样的所谓同类型啤酒品饮其实很难做到所有同类型但不同品牌啤酒能在同一个起跑点上做比较。
Personally i would think vertical tasting is not for newbies/ if you are not fond of a certain beer style OR don't have a certain understanding of that style of beer as it could become a little overwhelming drinking say 6 to 10 or 15 of the same beer at one session though it might be in smaller pour size.
不管你是喜欢跳着喝还是研究心比较重的直线品饮,说到底,CRAFT文化讲究的其实是品饮和分享,如果有身边新朋友还不是那么了解瓶子分享会概念,那就麻烦把这文化散播出去吧。
END of the day, no matter which style of bottle sharing you prefer, the key to a bottle sharing session is NOT about how many bottles were shared/killed--or how many Whalez were slayed( the "joke" is that this is more of a First World Problem in the states and yeah i hear you saying it does matter on social media post)---the fun of a bottle sharing session should be about sharing--drink less in volume--let palate stays alert longer to taste better/taste more--and make some friends if you will.....

Sunday, October 1, 2017

WEEK 115-----Beer -Camera Phone & CAMERA

'i recently realized that the journey of craft beer exploring is very similar to photography" 
It was a casual chat with a photographer friend who is starting to know a bit more about craft beer:-
"i used to think craft beer is only beer, why the fuss, or why you keep saying there's such thing as palate building" (looking at me, shaking his head a bit while saying)
"then slowly i get it--it's a process of discovering, letting palate explore new flavours/combination of flavours---kinda like learning how to shoot photos---from a hand phone camera user(drinking MACRO) to learning how to use a proper camera..."
“原来喝啤酒跟摄影是可以很相似的。”
说这话的是一位开始了解Craft Beer美妙之处的摄影师朋友。
他说“一开始完全不理解为什么有喝啤酒需要时间历练味蕾说法,觉得不就是啤酒嘛,直接喝就对啦,干嘛还需要这么麻烦?”
“然后慢慢的开始懂了,原来喝Craft是需要一个过程的,情况就像是一个一路来只是拿着手机用自动对焦功能拍照的人,如果把摄影机交给他/她,没经过时间锻炼很难拍出什么像样照片。”
这样子比喻的话,还真的蛮相似。
That was quite a reference--with probably 9 out of 10( if not 10 out of 10) people nowadays happily snapping away with whatever phone camera they hold--it's all about convenience/accessibility--kinda like beer too--i mean--how many of us would carry a DSLR camera/lenses/tripod while going out( if it's not passion driven /work required?)
and then he asked "while i kinda understand how the technical indicators/pointers of photography works--in the world of craft beer--how do i know what is a really nice brew /and what is not? i mean looking at the bottle label don't give much clue unlike a camera specs"

That is a valid point--indeed there's NO clear cut indications showing HOW GOOD or HOW BAD a beer gonna taste like--until you drink it--and then again that's also subject to many factors such as:-
1) personal preferences 
2) palate appreciation level
3) condition of the beer( examples -if it's fresh enough if it's a hop beer--if it's well kept--if the tap line is properly cleaned and so on)
4) mood and physical condition of the drinker on that day
喝啤酒是需要培养一定程度味蕾鉴赏力的,Craft Beer 世界迥异多变的众多风味选择意味着喝酒人需要能辨别不同类型风格啤酒的变化,只喝大厂啤酒或固定一两各个风味类型的话肯定无法领略个中奥秘。

那要怎样从手机自动对焦照相者变身厉害使用照相机的人?摄影师朋友答案“基本就是多学多用多观察,再吸收使用。”
放在啤酒的世界,也一样,多尝味多了解,多些尝试高手酿酒师的不同类别啤酒,慢慢就会领悟

在摄影的世界,有一些技术要诀作为指南,不过,在Craft的世界,要怎么区别什么是上佳或劣作?这是很难也可以说是没有100%公认的事,就算是要举例说哪一支啤酒是必喝也是不容易的事,因为同一款啤酒可能会有几千支不同品牌选择,大家又因为地理位置不同,有的酒喝得到,有的因为没人带来亚洲不容易喝到,单是不同城市能喝到什么或喝不到就可以有很多差异之处。

“可是不少新朋友都想知道说什么啤酒是值得尝试的,喝了会领略那类型啤酒美妙的”摄影师朋友的好奇提问,因为那样,就从亚洲城市最普遍被接受的不同类别啤酒说起:-
It's true there's NO DEFINITE GUIDE about what is a good beer or bad beer until one drink it--- no one can say with absolute certainty that THIS IS THE BEST BEER IN THE WORLD--nope NOT even ratebeer/beer advocate and/or untappd combined can say it's absolute--in fact NO ONE CAN--that's probably why craft beer is fun, as basically there's only one way to find out if a beer is good or bad--- by drinking it.

'But surely there must be some guide/reference beers for newbies to get a feel of what's the benchmark of a nicely brew style of beer?" he opined and then pop that question--" say for examples what would be a few porter/stouts/ipas you would refer to always when asked?"

and so i obliged with these few--reference point is made with regards to what's available in KL in those early days of drinking craft and felt in awe/or fell in love with(for sure people in different cities in and around ASIA would have different favourites due to different supply from importers)
PORTER
by modern day beer terms/theory--porter is the "thinner/weaker" cousins of Stouts--that a porter is usually lighter in taste/lower in abv/ which personally it could also mean watery/not rich enough for a tasty black brew.
NOT this one--black ball was one of the very early days porter which still remain a personal choice now--it maybe only a porter but it's rich and tasty enough to overshadow many supposedly richer/thicker/"bigger" stouts.
Porter /Stouts 
大众认知的黑啤,两者之间是有些不同的,以近代历史说法演变来看,stout 是理论上要比porter 来得更浓郁,更香醇,酒精度更高的黑啤,虽然实际上在天马行空的Craft 世界里这个理论未必时常被酿酒师遵守。
黑啤风味虽然被认为离不开烤香麦芽,咖啡,巧克力,香草,草本,类醋味等基本风味,但是当然其中变化还是可以玩到很大差异的,比如可以有带水果酸香味的黑啤,也可以有酒体类白色的黑啤!
以吉隆坡较早期喝得到的黑啤来看,达到一定水平的摄影机级别黑啤有以下几支
To Ol  Black Ball 
北欧品牌porter, 虽然理论上酒体较浅,不过口感一点都不输很多牌面上更浓的stouts

STOUTS
Personally--any stouts under 9% abv would get a "???" mark as i have very seldom found a stout rich/thick/aromatic enough for my liking.
Well--this breakfast bottle broke that perception--it was really nice for a stouts with lower than 9%abv.
Mikkeller  Beer Geek Breakfast 
只看酒精度的话,会觉得低过9%酒精度的黑啤会不够香醇浓郁,这支丹麦名牌黑啤是好喝的低度”stout
For "bigger'/richer/bolder stouts--these 2 would still work for me, Bomb is the one with chili/pepper spiciness along with the dark chocolate/roasted malt/vanilla influences.
Prairie  Bomb 
美国酿坊的带辣味香浓黑巧克力咖啡香草黑啤,超过10%酒精度却不是那种会让人感觉带酒精味的佳酿。
while Black Albert is a stand out to those who think Belgium don't have any good stouts--try one and you shall be blown away.
captured with phone camera
IPA
personally don't really have much to say about what's available locally since IPA is something you need to drink real fresh--with KL being a prohibited zone for home brewing/no brewpub it's hard to pick an outstanding one though there are some which is quite all right to start with.
with my photographer friend's insistence--here's what i told him" if you live in ASIA-with accessibility issues especially pertaining to those big IPAs from USA---no matter what ipas you might have had via local importers--personally i would think everyone should try to get hold of these 2--they are NOT THE BEST( which many would tell you)--but these 2 for me are the ones which saves me from ipa fatigue( from the same old grassy grassy thops attack) of almost giving up drinking any more ipas.
capture with CAMERA
或许对一些新朋友来说,从大厂啤酒直接尝试喝比较苦涩浓郁的ipa 会是个味蕾系统震撼,不过,只要不是喝到过期变质的ipa ,一旦味觉可以逐渐接受这类啤酒强调的啤酒花柑橘类苦涩甘香就可以领略到个中美妙。
一般情况来说,除非有上佳的在地酿坊,因为运输时间处理等关系,在亚洲喝进口ipa 都很难是最佳状况,比较难喝得到啤酒花保持上佳新鲜度的啤酒,或许因为那样,有一些朋友觉得只要是苦到够力就是好喝ipa,实际上并不那样。
以吉隆坡本土能喝到ipa 为例,选择不是很多,近期开始热起来的类果汁NEIPA也没什么机会在本地酒吧出现,就不举例了。
硬要举例的话,或许可以这样说,无论在亚洲喝过多少不同品牌的欧美进口Ipa ,还是应该想方设法从美国找来这两支/罐最具代表性的酿品,只有喝过了才能领略什么是摄影机级别啤酒。
Russian River  Pilny the elder 
美国加州酿坊的名作,让觉得ipa 只是强调苦涩的人们开始了解什么是啤酒花麦芽酵母均衡结合的美妙。
The Alchemist  Heady Topper 
绝对的经典作之一,罐装上有一行字说"drink from can "鼓励从罐口直接喝,当然也可以一分为二,倒些在杯子,留点在罐中,味蕾能感受不同程度啤酒花冲击表现。