WEEK 131---Beer can be Fun/Breathing/Gone in a sec/Queuing overnight....

The highly anticipated #MBCC2018 (Mikeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen) is over---instead of doing a fest report--it will be a sort of 3 parts articles for the newspaper column talking about smaller things either officially related to #MBW(Mikkeller Beer Week) or other activities held during that week by bars which is outside of the organizer's official activities.

众多啤迷期待的哥本哈根啤酒庆典在两周前结束了，作为Craft Beer界最有代表性啤酒庆典的一周，这几个事情是有点趣味的：-

For the uninitiated(look away if you are an expert or old time geeks)--this first article touch on things non-craft beer drinkers or perhaps newbies would not expect of a beer:-

1) Getting all "slush-up" by "slushie" fun version 

Anyone who attended beerfest with the presence of  Omnipollo would notice that these guys don't usually serve their beers from a regular kegerator--there's always a twist to how they serve the beers--and yes--they are fond of using a 'slushie-machine"--like those at convenience store---this "slushie"version beer is very different from those straight out of a tap, or from a bottle--it has that extra layer of smoothness/silkiness/creamy mouth feel that would make a good beer that much more better. In fact it was so nice that some of us geeks were jokingly calling this "slushie" version a "fraud/cheat"( in a nice way--of course we don't mind) because one seems to only be able to get this version during the fest---go drink the same beer from a regular bar or from bottle and you will NOT be able to get that extra layer of creamy "slushieness" ---as for if this is the way Omnipollo is trying to tell people that "if you want that special"slushie"version--come to a fest"?  I did not ask Henok or any of the Omnipollo guys--but very much welcome to point out if i have gotten the wrong impression or if they do indeed serve that version regularly at the bar in Stockholm.

*啤酒也可以有回旋雪冰机SLUSHIE特效版本

在哥本哈根啤酒庆典中，来自瑞典的盛名酿坊Omnipollo并不是“正正经经”的只用大家都用的啤酒泵，而是采用一般卖沙冰或雪泥饮料才看到的回旋雪冰机来为自家的啤酒增添“特效”口感。

这是个相当有趣的做法，因为回旋雪冰机有类似“速冻泡泡/软冰淇淋”效果，能让啤酒多了一种顺滑溜的丰富口感，这让啤酒喝起来多了一种平时无论是开瓶子或酒吧啤酒泵提取所喝不到的口感层次，也能把本来就已经醇厚香滑的佳酿提升到更美味层次，这让我们几个啤迷笑说有点好像是是某种程度的 “美味欺诈”（当然我们一点都不介意这样的趣味“欺诈”），会笑说“欺诈”是因为只能在啤酒庆典喝到这样版本，同一款啤酒之后无论是瓶子或酒吧版本再喝就会少了特效口感，嚐不到同样层次。

TWO HOUR BEFORE DECANTING

2) Beers do uses Decanter at times( it's not limited to wine only)

OK--using a decanter for certain beers might be news/unheard of for non-craft beer drinkers or some newbies---but it's certainly NOT exclusive to bars/fest in Copenhagen only--in fact we geeks in craft desert KL did tried using it for a few beers(mead too)--the fact is that while the use of Decanter for beers is not often/usually needed--but for certain style of beers(examples certain lambic/stouts/barley wine/mead and so on..)---the use of decanter would help open up/let the beer breath/warm up/become more rounded/full body compared to say drinking right away once opened....

The thing is--some beers really would benefit with some patience/waiting time before being consumed, it's kinda like an athelete needs warming up before going into a match----same for CERTAIN styles of beers----for examples---try drink and finish a stouts quickly say within 10-15 minutes--and drink that same stouts slowly say only starting to drink 5-10 minutes after opening and slowly sip within 1 hour or so--a really good stouts will show the differences/nuances with change of temperature/as it warm up)

TWO HOURS AFTER

 *啤酒也用的，醒酒器并不是只有葡萄酒专属

在哥本哈根啤酒庆典活动会场内，或酒吧中，用醒酒器装一些特醸级别比利时天然发酵果酸啤酒是不稀奇的事。（当然也不是说用醒酒器只能在哥本哈根看到，一些啤迷本身喝某些比较有年岁或比较醇厚层次啤酒时也会那样做）

跟葡萄酒先倒进醒酒器原理一样，一些酒体层次比较复杂的果酸啤酒也需要一些时间先在容器内呼吸，让啤酒稍微暖和，酒体更圆润後才能更好的体现酿酒师本意和酒质的丰富层次。

当然，不是所有啤酒都需要倒进醒酒器，不过，跟大多数较复杂黑啤开瓶倒进杯子後需要时间回温才能真正体现啤酒味道口感层次一样，有时候，一些啤酒是可以或者说需要醒酒器铺佐一下才能更好呈现一支酒的美味境界。

3) Gone in Seconds

There's no denying that after 2016 fest in Copenhagen, the fame( ok- there are some who called it HYPE) and "in demand' level of Bokkereyder has gone off the roof---love it or loathe it---the fact is that the few ticketing tasting sessions with Raf at Koelschip were literally gone in seconds---a friend of mine got a ticket to the event because he was clever/impatience enough to start clicking the keyboard half a minute or so before online sale started....

If you are a non-craft drinker--or a newbies still---yes---sometimes a ticketing beer event can go crazy like a mega rock star concerts--it's almost impossible to grab a ticket online.

“门票完全被秒杀的品酒会

自2016年第一次参与啤酒庆典以来，比利时酸啤混酒作坊新贵BOKKEREYDER可说是爆红，因为产量很少，市面上根本买不到，至今也只能在欧洲4个城市（包括哥本哈根）的四家特定酒吧喝到。今年的啤酒庆典周其中一天是这家酸啤作坊的特设品酒会，除了有不同风味的限量酸啤喝，作坊主人RAF也会在场跟啤迷讲解互动，因为门票供应量有限，品酒会场地座位也不多，所以当天品酒会分开几个不同时间段，可就算那样，几个不同场次（不同场次不同款酸啤）的门票根本是网上一开卖就完全被秒杀，“顽啤主张”和啤迷朋友在开票几分钟前就守在电脑前等开票，结果只有开票前40-50秒就一直不停按键盘的朋友成功买到。

4) Queuing overnight just for ONE bottle of beer

Yes--you heard it right--people do that--in fact in Copenhagen--people do that every year for a particular beer.

What beer is that ? to cut a long story short--it's a blueberry lambic called Cantillon Blabaer--why it's so special? well--because it's specially brewed yearly for a bottle shop(Olbutikken) which the owner/s closed down not long ago and operates a bar (Himmeriget) the other side of town but nothing changes as far as this specially dedicated brew is concerned---Cantillon Blabaer is only available in Copenhagen(not even in Brussels where it's brewed), so every year there will be geeks who wanted this brew lining up for hours rain or shine just to be able to obtain one.

This year---there's a total of 300 bottles of Cantillon Blabaer( half in 750ml size/half 375ml) up for grabs during that week when we were in town---anyone want one--very easy--just line up--make sure you are in the first 300 people in the queue.

*为一支啤酒可以通宵达旦露宿街头排队等

是的，你没看错，的确有这样的事，而且基本是每年都会发生。

到底是什么样的啤酒需要搞到这么夸张？

事情是这样的，比利时大师级天然发酵果酸啤酒酿坊Cantillon每年会为哥本哈根一家瓶子店OLBUTIKEN专门酿造一支蓝莓版本酸啤（不过前两年因为瓶子店主人开了酒吧，在把瓶子店结业後蓝莓酸啤改为HIMMERIGET专酿），特别之处是这支啤酒只能在哥本哈根这家买到，别无分店，甚至在比利时酿坊本身也不能买到，物以稀为贵原理下，这支蓝莓酸啤成为很多啤迷的追逐目标。这次适逢啤酒庆典周众多啤迷聚集哥本哈根，店家决定提前限量首卖三百支2018版本（大小支装各一半）的蓝莓酸啤，结果，来自巴西的啤迷一共四位正式开卖前一晚就露宿街头排队等候，大概等了18个小时左右终于各自买到一支。

至于如果要问说等那么久就为一支啤酒是不是值得或是不是浪费生命之类的，某种程度上，这事情其实就像有人可以为了吃一顿好的开几小时车去特定餐厅那样，因人而异，没定论。

And so there's 4 Brazilians geeks (who i do know some of them) who waited in line outside the bar the night before sale started at 12pm noon the next day---i went the next day around 10.45 to check on the scenes--there's a long queue as expected--and there's empty bottles and cans along the queue---those are what the geeks in line been sharing--from some nice lambics to some American stouts to cans of NEIPAs----these people surely know how to enjoy/share while waiting in line---according to what the Brazilian guys posted after securing a bottle each--it was around 18 hours wait to be the first 4 in line---if you would asked was it worth the wait then it's really a million dollar question----no one can say for sure--it's like some people don't mind driving hours for a meal at a particular restaurant--while some are too lazy to even go anywhere within half an hour journey.

WEEK 130---Drink Beer for Taste/Flavours---NOT ALCOHOL

This piece started with a conversation with a geek friend who not too long ago had a beer at a craft beer bar which was already way past it's best.

那天和朋友聊天，说起他最近在某家专卖吧喝到明显过了“能接受美味期”的一支，喝了两口就摆一边不喝了，店员看到问怎么回事，朋友说啤酒花已经氧化老化变难喝，结果店员回答让朋友有点啼笑皆非，说“是吗？不太了解为什么这样，瓶子上可饮用日期还是有效的”。

It's not unusual--from Shanghai to here in KL--we hear geeks complaining at times about encounters with either badly kept beer or beers which already past it's prime(due to whatever reasons it might be but the fact is these people still sell to drinkers these subpar beers)--especially those which emphasis on hops freshness such as IPAs or Pale Ale.....(yes--we are talking about imported beers here)

这里有三大要点：-

1）朋友说的是“能接受美味期”，这跟一般人印象中的超市罐头/瓶装食品或饮料“可食用/饮用期限”概念有别，在Craft Beer世界里，如果一支啤酒是属于强调啤酒花鲜味类型，特别是IPA或Pale Ale类的话，就算瓶子/罐子上印着一年内可饮用，这也只是“可饮用”期限，绝对不是“美味期限”，打个比喻，如果说面包新鲜出炉一小时内最好吃的话，强调啤酒花鲜味类型啤酒也一样，要是说面包每多一小时新鲜度/好吃程度就逐渐直线下降的话，可以说，面包的一小时就类似等于这类啤酒的一个星期美味度，放得越久，美味度越低。

What happened to my friend was that he went to a bar--ordered a certain ipa( or was it pale ale?)--had two sips and told the guy at the bar "the beer taste off--it's smelling/tasting died hops and old malt"--the "funny" part was the staff at the bar look a little surprised/puzzled--pointing to the label on the bottle and said "oh, but the beer is still within expiry date"......

2）店员说可饮用期限仍然有效并没错，“技术上”来说这支啤酒并没有崩坏掉，可是，对强调啤酒花鲜味类型啤酒来说，仍处于可饮用期限并不意味着啤酒仍然好喝，用新鲜出炉面包概念来比喻的话，如果面包可食用期限是72小时，美味期限实际上很可能只有不到12个小时时间，以这个概念估计的话，朋友喝的那支啤酒是已经过了至少50多个小时的面包，虽没坏掉，但距离美味两个字已很远。

For the uninitiated---it is true a beer( be it bottle or can) would be deemed drinkable within a certain "expiry date"---BUT---if we are talking about certain beer styles which give first priority to FRESHNESS of the beer--in particular hops---examples IPAs or Pale Ale--then the term "expiry date" does not really come into play here--in short--the "expiry date" is a USELESS term because UNLIKE canned food items from supermarket---a beer which emphasis on Freshness is only as good as a freshly baked bread/bun--the deliciousness goes down by the hour( in beer case--by the week/month)

3）虽然啤酒仍是在“可饮用期限“内，说白一点，一般喝酒人绝大可能也喝不出/不会觉得那支啤酒有什么问题，可是对啤迷来说，如果专卖吧店员不很清楚店里啤酒有什么问题的话，那就是个大问题，这意味着店家很可能只把Craft Beer 当一般商品看待，也意味着去这家喝的新人朋友在还不太懂得分辨珍珠还是稻草阶段时要喝到高质素啤酒机会将减低，Craft Beer 并不像卖大厂啤酒那样简单，店家没有一定程度热爱/了解/正确态度的话，分分钟可能误导着饮客还不自知。

Let's assume that if a freshly baked bread/bun with no additive is good for 72 hours( read--expiry date)---the truth may well be this particular bread/bun is only tasty within the first 12 hours---same goes for a freshness emphasis beer like ipa or pale ale---the longer it wait in the storage place( there better be a cold room)---the less tasty the beer become--hence--let's say THAT beer my friend had has a 12 month expiry date---and it was kept in cold storage( rather than warm room temp)--the deliciousness of the beer would diminish by the week goes by---and according to what my friend described--that bottle of beer though might still be within "expiry date" but it's certainly past it's 'delicious hour"--if we could use a bread/bun hours to describe--that bottle of beer is like a bread already over 50 hours--still not expired but you would prefer not to eat.....

或许，这样听起来喝Craft Beer好像是件有点麻烦有点需要基本知识的事情，其实也没想象中那么复杂，就像吃东西那样，比如说吃过十多二十家不同店家做的云吞面/鸡饭/汉堡包就会有点基本概念说什么是用料好坏差别，什么是有真功夫或学艺未精就敢开门做生意的，喝酒基本也是这样，比如说喝多些不同酿坊但同类型风格啤酒就会对酿品高下有点了解，又比如说那种强调啤酒花鲜味的啤酒可以通过喝同一酿坊但不同日期版本来了解什么是啤酒花鲜味退减影响等等。

The main issue here is that ---expiry date is not really important---unless what you wanted to drink is only alcohol--if you drink for the many different taste and flavours beers can bring and especially when drinking a beer style emphasizing on deliciousness due mainly to freshness of hops--then one should always look for the "delicious date"(read the shorter the kept date the better) of a beer rather than paying attention to expiry date.

如果说你是个求知欲比较强的好奇宝宝，那很好，除了可以自己从品饮经验中学习之外，书店和网上有很多啤酒专门知识等着发掘，喝Craft很麻烦？一点都不，那只是不懂得啤酒能有不同美味层次这回事人才会说的藉口。

后记：基本概念，Craft Beer不同类别风格非常多，不是所有啤酒都需要第一时间新鲜喝，有不少类别风格比如比利时修道院啤酒(Trappist)，天然发酵果酸啤酒(Lambic)，大黑啤(Imperial Stout)，大麦酒(Barley Wine)等都适合收藏，很多时候，收藏得好的话，时间能让酿品变更有层次更好喝。如果要问什么类型啤酒能收什么需要新鲜喝的详细，网上资料很多，可以自己上网查看。

If you need to understand what are some beer styles need to drink fresh and what are some actually needing longer time of keeping( for beer to mature/become more rounded/complex)--there's plenty of info in the WWW to explore--there's also some books you could read on for that particular knowledge......

The next time when you find an ipa or pale ale tasting weird but still within expiry date--you might want to read the label of the bottle again to see if the brewer/brewery actually said--"drink as fresh it can be....."

WEEK 129----Drink as if going to WORK in a Beerfest

And so its happening Next Week, the much anticipated event of the year--Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen(#MBCC2018) .

Well, to most people, it's just a beer festivals---but for geeks like us who lives in craft-desert, the activities lined up for next week is a big big deal, it would be a week which would quench our thirst for awesome brew for a year's worth--the joke among some of us here is that a week or even few days in Copenhagen during MBCC week is way way better than drinking everyday here(and nope, drinking everyday is NOT what i need).

下个星期就是CRAFT BEER界年度盛事，哥本哈根啤酒庆典的到来，主办方在周中宣布了部份参与酿坊酒单，虽还不是全部100家，却已让啤迷朋友大呼“让人疯狂的清单”，然后说“真的需要研究下会场各酿坊位置图，看怎样才能有效率品尝想喝酒款，节省场内不同角落来回跑领酒喝时间”。

听起来像不像需要“完成任务”之类的比赛型电视真人秀感觉？

啤酒庆典，听起来就只是个让大家轻松把杯同欢共乐的“啤酒节”，不过，对很多啤迷来说，某些时候更像是去“工作”或类似“完成任务”那样，从最“基本准备”来说，人还没到哥本哈根，啤迷已经开始着手研究两天四场次好几百款酒有什么是自己觉得重点一定要喝的。话说回来，虽然可以什么都不研究场内走到哪随性喝，不过，面对那么多选择，有经验啤迷一般都会先把功课做了，

So, the big week is coming, but looking at what's coming from the day i set foot in Copenhagen come next week is quite hectic to say the least---there's not only various tap takeover/tasting events/bottle release/meet the brewer and such by bars/restaurants directly related to Mikkeller--but also many other bars that would have other activities during that same week. And that's only what's available to drink before the 2 days 4 sessions beerfest starts. Come Friday/Saturday of 11th & 12th---the "work load" is even more daunting--the first question is --where do you start or how do you pick what to drink/what not to drink from hundreds of beer/mead/hard cider from no less than 100 breweries inside Oksnehallen?

到啤酒节那两天，啤迷在场内面对的是几百种不同款啤酒/蜜酒选择，情况就像小孩子进到玩具店+糖果店，如何保持高度自制力是件很考人的事。与此同时，加上之前几天就已开始的“啤酒周”活动，啤迷最需要做好的是吃饱睡好，特别是“啤酒节”那两天，早上进场前和中场休息等4点那场时一定要先吃好，还好的是，对离不开麵饭类亚洲啤迷来说，会场不远处的中餐厅热乎乎饺子汤饭或日本拉面或泰国餐厅都有身心疗愈功能。

如果要问为什么啤迷花时间精力千里迢迢飞去一个“啤酒节”却搞到好像去“工作”那样？情况是这样的：-

Let's take for examples some of what's happening on Thursday 10th of May alone:-

from the Mikkeller official participating bars/venues :-

1)Tap takeover by Other Half & Finback & Kane at mikkeller bar

2)Arizona Wilderness Tap takeover at Warpigs

3)Jester King bottle release at Torvehallerne bottle shop

4)Hoof Hearted event at Mikropolis

5)Bokkereyder Tasting at Koelschip

6)Jester King taptakeover at Baghaven + bottle release of Baghaven

7) Scandinavia taptakeover at Mikkeller & Fiends.....

and then there's also non mikkeller related bars having:-

1) Cantillon Blabaer limited Release plus tap takeover of Cantillon & Equilibrium --where pop up bar starts as early as 8am!!--at Himmeriget

2) Another new bar in town 1420 will also be having a Cantillon event.

3) A Verdant & Buxton tap takeover at Fermentoren...

There's probably more activities but these 10 events are some i have noticed and it's already too many to pick/try to attend.....

and then onto the 2 days 4 sessions beerfest on Friday & Saturday--looking at the beer list for Friday Morning yellow session alone is already very challenging-- if you are going for just 1 particular session and call it a fest then it's likely easier--but if you are like some of us who would go for ALL 4 sessions--then it will be much more tricky.

1）选择太多但时间和个人酒精抗力都有限

“啤酒节”分两天进行，每天早上10点到2点和下午4点到8点两个不同时段场次，每场4个小时任你自由选择想喝什么就喝什么，问题是，场地不小，人也多，一些“热门”“必喝”酒款也要排队才能领取，在时间有限，也考量个人酒精抗力情况下，怎样才能比较有效率选择场内100家酿坊超过200款各式类别风格啤酒/蜜酒中最想喝的就变成一个需要解决的问题，

打个简单比喻，如果说4小时内有200款可喝，意味着每小时要喝50款，即不到1分半钟就喝一款，这是要超人才能做到的事，综合过去参与经验来说，4小时内可以喝上30-40款不同类别啤酒/蜜酒是不错/合理额度（以参与全部四个场次的个人和啤迷朋友经验为准，当然会有喝上更多的人，但这并不是比谁喝得多的庆典）。

Let's look at some of the Big Stouts lined up for FRIDAY Morning( 10am-2pm) sessions alone, where do one starts and how do you manage efficiency issue by not wasting too much time running from different corners of the hall trying to pick up drinks?(granted some big ones will see people lining up), as well as managing alcohol tolerance issue( there's another session to go from 4-8pm).

Personally i have tried the pre-event preparations in one year--only to Not bothered following the "drinking plan" when inside hall--and one year i was really going totally unprepared and just pick as i walk and drink--but that Friday Morning beer list for this year kinda made me wanted to try and "cherry pick" a list of brew i would like to taste(as shown below one of few pages)--and i actually did went through the whole morning session brew--picked some --and guess what--that list of mine contains some 50+ breweries, some with 2 brew some with 1, meaning my list is having at least 100 beer/mead/hard cider which i'm either curious about or really wanted to have a sip-but that's not gonna happen as i know from previous experiences that i will not be able to sample a 100 brew--actually not even 50....( *there's another session to go in the afternoon --and no point drinking until you don't actually know what you are drinking coz your palate already damn fxxked or alcohol has taken over your mind and body).

2）独乐乐不如众乐乐

会场内，很多时候会看到一大班人坐一起，像是做研究/考试那样认真拿着本子/手机记录尝味心得（TASTING NOTE），他她们不是什么研究机构人员，就只是啤迷，是比一般啤迷更致力于参与评酒网站/手机程式评酒的一群，这群人会更像完成“工作报告”那样更致力于品尝更多款的目标。至于不是“研究员”的啤迷们，因为想要尝味/评估/记录的不同酒款实在很多。有些啤迷也会或三两人或更多人的分工合作，同时间去不同酿坊摊位领酒然后分享，不同酒款都喝些，即能喝少尝多，也节省个别跑来跑去领酒时间，快乐的工作着大概是这样解释吧

It's true going to a craft beer festivals the level of MBCC is something geeks looking forward to--i missed out last year so i know how it feels when friends were rejoicing/enjoying some awesome brews in CPH---but looking at it from another angle--it's true Copenhagen is the best beer heaven to be come next week--but with so many activities all going on almost at the same time during that particular week--it felt as if too many good things coming in all at once(how nice if say all those activities can be split into weekly events and happen this part of the world throughout the year :)--and half jokingly half seriously--the coming week in CPH would be like going to work for some of us geeks--you kinda need a plan or so to tackle that many activities/so much to drink...

2）独乐乐不如众乐乐

会场内，很多时候会看到一大班人坐一起，像是做研究/考试那样认真拿着本子/手机记录尝味心得（TASTING NOTE），他她们不是什么研究机构人员，就只是啤迷，是比一般啤迷更致力于参与评酒网站/手机程式评酒的一群，这群人会更像完成“工作报告”那样更致力于品尝更多款的目标。至于不是“研究员”的啤迷们，因为想要尝味/评估/记录的不同酒款实在很多。有些啤迷也会或三两人或更多人的分工合作，同时间去不同酿坊摊位领酒然后分享，不同酒款都喝些，即能喝少尝多，也节省个别跑来跑去领酒时间，快乐的工作着大概是这样解释吧

后记：如果你不了解什么是哥本哈根啤酒庆典（Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen简称MBCC），基本概念就像是一个两天四个场次的顶级美食飨宴那样的啤酒/蜜酒盛宴，受邀前来参与的酿坊都不会是泛泛之辈，从大师级别到火热新贵到蓄势待发实力新人都有。

It would be interesting to see if my so called "cherry picked" beer list would work inside hall come Friday Morning session--as for the weekdays leading up to the fest--- i guess having some rice/soup/Chinese/Thai food or perhaps Ramen and good enough sleep would be vital to being able to really enjoying what's coming.

See you guys in Copenhagen soon.