Monday, March 19, 2018

WEEK 126---Drink Craft Chat Beer

Someone asked recently "what's so interesting about craft beer?"--while the answer could be different for everyone, mine was faily simple --" choices--it's about the varieties of beer styles choices".

The vast varieties/choices available also meaning some geeks( if not all geeks) would somehow have a tasting group/buddies of their own since that's the best way to share the load/drink lesser quantity but taste more. No exception here in KL for myself and the tasting group guys---though unlike some geeks who prefer/like to do vertical tasting of the same breweries same style but of different bottling dates/years/variants--we are very much the group preferring to do different styles/varieties in a single sharing session for the pure pleasure of varying taste profile/twist and turn different brewing ideas could bring.
有新朋友问,Craft Beer的吸引力是什么?或许不同人会有不同答案,个人的答案很简单,选择,很多不同风格类别啤酒选择
对啤迷来说,这些不同选择可以是相同风格酒款但不同酿坊作品,更可以是完全不同类别风格不同酿坊作品,因为喝Craft乐趣在于尝试在不同啤酒中寻找细味不同风味呈现,在这过程中,有时候只喝本身所在城市酒吧或瓶子店买得到啤酒已不能满足味蕾尝鲜探索需求,所以不少啤迷都会有自己的品酒会伙伴或乐于参与一些其他啤迷邀请的品酒会。
品酒会其实就像美食分享会那样,方式很简单,啤迷朋友各自拿对等数量/风评的瓶子大家每一款少量分着喝,以品尝啤酒味道为主,有的啤迷喜欢同一风格同一酿坊啤酒不同年份瓶子排列喝,也有喜欢不同风格跳着喝的,比如说<顽啤主张>和几位本地啤迷朋友就喜欢每次品酒会上一定要有不同类别风格选择,喝起来有很显著味蕾起伏转折感觉。
以下是随意挑选的近几个月在本地品酒会分享过的一些不同类别风格瓶子:-
Here's some randomly selected bottles of different styles beer/hard cider shared during the past few months here in KL:-
Baladin Xyauyu Barley Wine
For the uninitiated--though there's that "wine" word--this is 100% a beer--generally a higher alcohol content/more intense/sweeter beer.
This one is quite nice after the beer warm up--the dark fruits/caramel coming out is obvious/delicious--in a small way it felt like sipping a beer that's a little similar to something in between a very light pot wine/red wine.
虽然酒款名称英文字眼中有Wine ,这绝对是不折不扣的啤酒,一般来说是酒体比较浓郁,口感比较倾向甜味的高酒精度啤酒类别。
这支来自意大利酿坊的作品喝起来有明显的黑色果实,焦糖味道,有点像是喝着介于餐后甜酒/葡萄酒之间的醇香啤酒,,层次相当丰富,完全不像一般酿坊同类型作品那样喝起来只有甜味和麦芽味那样单调,适合慢慢小口喝体验从开瓶时比较冷到回温过程中酒体口感变化。

B.Nektar Zombie Killer
Most people know what a BEER is--some would know what a cider is--but not that many would know what's a hard cider (much more than just fermented apple juice)--or say a session or heavier mead( fermented with honey but much much more than just honey sweet).
This hard cider is a really nice one suitable either as opening/mid way through or end of session drink during a tasting/sharing session--it's refreshing/layered/never dull--very drinkable--the honey and cherries added certainly turned this apple cider into something whole lot more interesting/tasty.
一般来说,大家知道什么是BEER,也有些人知道什么是Cider(苹果酒),不过说到Hard Cider(不止苹果那么简单) Mead(蜜糖发酵多变化多口味蜜酒) 就不是那么多人知道是什么。
这是款高水准的Hard Cider,,加入蜜糖和樱桃果汁将苹果酒华丽转变为层次分明的清爽易喝轻度水果蜜酒,在品酒会中,这支可以是开场,中场或终场都适合喝的一支。

New Glarus Serendipity
This is one fruit beer not commonly available in Asia--if you are curious about how fruits would taste in a beer form--go find some of their fruits based beers--they are really good at this game.
Had this not too long ago and still remember the first thing that came striking the nose was this very obvious raw apricot kernel like smell--and that's a smell/taste i'm not fond of personally speaking--took a while to get used to but apart from that the beer is tasting fine--NOTE---the beer did not use any apricot kernel/almond--only apples/cranberries & cherries were added--to call it a lovely light sweet sour/tart fruits punch in a beer is quite an understatement.
用蔬菜水果酿造美味啤酒是好些酿坊的拿手好戏,这家来自美国中西部威斯康辛州的酿坊就是佼佼者,基本所有来自这家的受关注不同风味啤酒都是以水果为主要味道表现题材。与之前喝过另一支让大家惊艳不已强调类似浓郁草莓酱水果啤酒不同,这支加入了苹果小红莓和樱桃酿造,好玩的是,开瓶倒入杯中传来的是类似杏仁的青涩味,如果你并不喜欢杏仁特有的味道这可能需要一点时间让味觉适应,这之外,酒本身喝起来是带果酸的但不是过度那种,是舒适的,属于可饮性高的水果啤酒。

Three Floyd's Dark Lord
for those who know--this is one beer needing no introduction--for the uninitiated--it's one of the few Big stouts around with a dedicated annual event day where people would need to buy tickets in advance to go in --much like going to a rock concert.
OK--this maybe deemed a "has been" beer by some--some even jokingly calling it a "diabetic" beer--whatever it is--this has been our group's Xmas beer for the past 3 years--be it drinking it as it is--or last year's Triple Vanilla Ice-Cream Float or the year before last's french press with roasted coconut version--this is still a stout worth it's salt no matter how many other big stout/bigger stouts has since emerged.  
美国黑啤中指标性的一款,是每年各方啤迷前去芝加哥出席类似摇滚演唱会那样售票入场首卖会的盛名黑啤。
虽然随着时间流逝和其他酿坊名作出现让一些啤迷觉得黑魔王不再那么炙手可热,也有些啤迷觉得味偏甜而戏称这是糖尿病黑啤,这依然是我们每年圣诞节聚餐时会喝的黑啤,无论是从一开始的老老实实原味喝,或者说前年的倒一半加入现烤椰子压榨增添香味,又或是去年底的加入香草冰淇淋黑啤版本,个人觉得这是喜欢浓郁黑啤喝酒人需要试一试的一款。

Upright Flora Rustica
Saison can be something a little confusing at times--it would seems everyone has got their own interpretation of what a saison might taste like--including brewers who would have own vision/version of how a certain saison might become.
Personally--i prefer a saison to be:-
1/ low abv--likely  3-6%
2/ not just easy drinking but with some layering/body
3/ balance/nothing decidedly sour or bitter or too fizzy( just saying)
This one from Upright is quite nice--the intention was clear to see--the use of flower&yarrow gave it a certain plants influenced aroma blending nicely with the malt/yeast/hops used.
SAISON最基本认知是,这是以前农场工作人员在过冬时候用农场蔬果酿造准备夏天季节解渴喝的低酒精轻松易喝啤酒。
到了Craft世界中,虽然不同酿坊对什么是农场风格啤酒有各自的诠释,也有一些喝起来四不像的版本出现,不过,酿得好的农场风格啤酒基本少不了三大要数,其一低酒精度,基本不超过4-5% 其二清爽易喝中带一定程度层次感,其三酒体味道体现高均衡度,不会有过酸或过苦现象。
这支美国酿坊作品单从酒名可看出酿酒师想强调花草影响本意,加入金盏花和西洋蓍草酿造,是喝起来清爽又能感受到花草结合啤酒花麦芽的均衡酿品。

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