WEEK 132----A week in beer heaven---Part 1 of 2

Some of us geeks buddies were kinda half jokingly saying that if not because of craft beer, would not have thought of coming back to Copenhagen year after year or whenever possible--especially during THAT WEEK of the year.

哥本哈根是CRAFT BEER重点城市之一是毋庸置疑的事，当每年一次的哥本哈根啤酒庆典（MBCC）到来时，这城市更会在那星期变身为实质意义更上几层楼的“啤酒天堂”。

“顽啤主张”和几位本地啤迷今年再度去啤酒天堂走走喝喝，一周有那么多佳酿等着发现品嚐在亚洲是件只能想象的事，不过，在那一周一切都是真实的，除了星期五/六的啤酒庆典活动，这城市还有好多占领啤酒泵/新酒首卖会/品酒活动等着啤迷参与。

Copenhagen is undoubtedly one of the most happening craft beer cities in Europe---but come that week of the year when MBCC/ MBW is happening--CPH literally becomes a beer heaven(at least that's what some of us geeks agreed on).

So this year from craft desert KL there's the same 3 of us who went in 2016 did the same again--spending roughly a week in beer heaven---here's the First Part of what was seen/done/drank/visited...

MBCC 2018( 2 days 4 sessions)

The line during first day morning session was as usual--people were queuing up early to get in before 10am( if you hold a Gold ticket)--and 10am if you hold the Pink or Yellow ticket---i was lining up around 9.50am--it was stretching from entrance to main street and onto the side street--but the line was moving pretty fast---evidently the venue space being utilized this year is much bigger than during 2016 (the first year where the event was moved from the much smaller old gymnasium during when it was still being called CBC) 

#作为一周重头戏， 周五/六的2天4场次啤酒庆典（MBCC）吸引各路啤迷/酿酒师来聚，会场外一早排起人龙（人群疏散进场时间其实蛮快），场内到处人头攒动，不过因为安排得宜，有够多长桌子长凳子给啤迷坐着喝，也把100家酿坊按区分布在会场不同角落，大大舒缓了拥挤感，坐在场内感觉舒适，至于是要快节奏赶着喝更多不同款啤酒还是稍微慢点节奏喝都看个人决定。因为基本都跟两位同行的本地啤迷一起“分工合作”大家轮流去各酿坊摊位领酒分享喝，喝少（量）尝多（款）情况下，那么多不同类别风格啤酒/蜜酒选择情况下，还是喝的非常惬意。

There's a lot more long tables/chairs for drinkers to sit( unlike 2016 when space is smaller/ tables & chairs are limited and mainly "reserved" for "serious beer analysts"/tickers)--and a sensible arrangement of splitting up the hundred breweries into different corners of the venue---by doing this, though the crowd is big, there's still a relaxing mood within the busy hall---though i guess it's partly individual choices as well--in that whether you were in a hurry to keep chasing glass after glass or perhaps like the 3 of us( and many others) who sit as a group and takes turn to go pick up beer/mead/hard cider and share the load( which is more chill way of drinking less in volume but a lot more in varieties).

Will talk a little about some brews which really stood out for me during the 2 days 4 sessions( as well the whole week of drinking at different places) in Part 2 --for now--for this year's fest---these are some observations/ thoughts:-

The GOOD

1) nice touch of providing lots of long tables/chairs for people to sit/rest their glasses/legs/liver/ or to crash out.....:)

2) dividing the over 100 breweries into different corners of the hall--though some might complaint that it's time consuming/tiring to run from one end to another to get drinks--i'm all for it--it spread out the crowd--overall the hall felt a lot less congested than 2016. 

3) Choices a plenty--you gets to decide if you want to wait in a queue for a pour from names like The Veil/ Bokkereyder/Omnipollo and so on where there's always a long line of people waiting or go pick up something else

4) The Cheers---yes--every time you hear a loud cheers somewhere in the hall you know someone broke a glass(it also perhaps meaning 100 dkk for a new glass should you need one)--it's probably adding salt to wound for the guy/lady who broke the glass but it was good fun( if you don't happened to break yours).

The NOT so good

1) Going to the toilet inside hall can be too funky for anyone's liking--well-- we all understand the call of nature is irresistible but those cry of " stouts shit" perhaps could be avoided or lessen if those with "Lactose Intolerance" could somehow dump their load first before coming to the fest? ( no? :)

2) The temperature of pour---it's kinda standard temp for all( correct me if i'm wrong) regardless of varieties(it's perhaps something technically complicated to serve at different temp for so many varieties of styles during a fest) ---while some are nice to drink soon--some obviously needed some "hatching time " to get warmer to appreciate better.

3) Too many choices---it's a good point and yet also a not so good point---the argument is that if we were to spread out the few hundreds brews into say tap takeover at the local bars over few months--then people will be more relax( as in not rushing to tick ;) to appreciate better flavours of the brews--but in a crazy fest like this--within 4 hours to try and taste as many brew one could manage is at times a little too luxury an experience.

The 5TH SESSION

If you hold a Gold ticket--not only you will get a different color glass( obviously gold)--but also entitled for a limited to gold only 5th session on Sunday--it was basically a session where one can drink the left overs from the 2 days fest plus some new kegs.

It's certainly a very chill session--with very few geeks inside the perhaps 1/5 or 1/6 space used as compared to Fri/Sat--you can pour yourself too if you so wishes--it's kinda like a Sunday beer buffet--but a nice one where you can drink some fresh Monkish/Other Half/BisselBrother/BottleLogic or VietnameseSpeeway.....

#啤酒庆典门票都只能网上预购，除了分为单场票和四个场次都可去的粉红票之外，也有能比所有人提早20分钟进场先喝的金色门票选择。既是金色，当然更贵，除了有金杯子早进场之外，星期天更有只限金色门票持有人能去的“第五场”任意喝星期五/六两天庆典剩余的酒加一些新酒，因为人数明显少很多，会场变得像是朋友家开派对自助餐那样轻松自在，很多摊位啤酒泵都是转过来面向喝酒人，可以自己随意拿酒喝。对前两天已经喝过很多心头好的人来说，“第五场”的酒款依然不错，比如说在美国本土每次开售都排长龙的NEIPA新贵MONKISH有两款新鲜“类果汁印度淡啤”可随便喝，美国出名黑啤如SPEEDWAY STOUT有越南咖啡豆版本，还有啤迷追捧的美国酿坊BOTTLE LOGIC，BISSEL BROTHER等等。

BAGHAVEN

It's a little far from down town but very cozy since it's facing the water way--on the day we went--there's boxes upon boxes of The Alchemist variants waiting to be picked up--kinda like when you walk in a neighbourhood convenience store to pick up a regular can of beer---but hey--we are talking about the likes of Focal Banger--Heady Topper & Crusher--available right in front of us! and this is  exactly one of many reasons why this town can be such beer heaven during the week.

This place is essentially the barrel room for Baghaven beers--though there's also a taproom serving on tap not only their own beers but the likes of Jester King, as well bottles selections from Hillfarmstead and Side Project---with a few food trucks around on the day we visited---never mind that we needed taxi to get in out of here(though some cycled here)--- this is a cool place to sit and spend some time drinking awesome beers.

#THE ALCHEMIST是美国最具代表性的IPA（印度淡啤）酿坊之一，HEADY TOPPER更是经典代表作，因为产量不多，除非是在酿坊所在的VERMONT区，美国境内其他地方很难看到踪迹，虽说近年因为扩展开始有比较大供应量，但能在哥本哈根“米记”旗下藏酒仓库/酒吧BAGHAVEN（有点远但非常舒适的点）看到一箱箱HEADY TOPPER， FOCAL BANGER 和CRUSHER这三款鼓励“DRINK FROM CAN”的盛名罐装IPA等啤迷带走，笑说这简直就像街坊便利店买罐装啤酒那么垂手可得的同时，不得不赞叹这城市在这一周变身啤酒天堂的魅力，这种级别的罐装啤酒一箱箱摆着等啤迷带回家绝不是天天能有的事。

其实，就算没有这些盛名IPA罐子出售，BAGHAVEN也是值得啤迷来的点，因为面向河道流水，也有宽敞户外空间可坐着喝，当天也有几辆餐车卖不同食物佐酒，啤酒选择方面除了有自家同名酿品可喝之外，也包括美国酿坊JESTER KING不同酸啤，瓶子选择更有几款HILLFAMRSTEAD，SIDE PROJECT等盛名难寻美国酿坊瓶子可以现场开喝。

Mikkeller & Friends + Koelschip

When you are in Copenhagen--there's more than a few Mikkeller related bars to go for---those 2 mentioned above were the ones we spend the last evening in Copenhagen for a farewell session--and a damn good one too---it was the evening where The Veil was having a mini tap takeover at Mikkeller & Friends--and because there's always such a long queue for The Veil during Fri/Sat sessions--we did not get to drink much of what was available then--hence this mini tap takeover was an appropriate occasion to sample some--and what a pleasant surprise it was---i did bumped into one of most delicious stouts so far--The Veil Sleeping Forever BA Frederiksdal--a cherry wine barrel aged imperial stouts---felt as if sipping on condensed cherry juice with thick but pleasant(not overly sweet or bitter) liquefy dark chocolate---it's the kind of brew where after the first & second sip you go like "wooooo..."(for the record---while in the past 3 years or so i been so used to drinking small sharing portion--this one was so tasty that i decided to re-order a glass full for my own and sipping it away that night).

#啤酒庆典主办方MIKKELLER（简称“米记”）旗下有不少酒吧，除了本店，在城市另一头有“米记和朋友”和隔壁专攻酸啤的KOELSCHIP，这家酸啤酒吧除了好多比利时和美国酿坊酸啤选择之外，还有比利时酸啤混酒作坊新贵BOKKEREYDER专门提供只限店内开喝的不同款瓶子选择。告别哥本哈根前一夜，去了当天有美国炙手可热新酿坊THE VEIL迷你占领啤酒泵活动的“米记和朋友”喝些两天庆典中因为人太多放弃排队而没什么喝到的THE VEIL不同款啤酒，其中一款经过樱桃酒木桶陈放熟成的黑啤，一入口就让人惊艳不已，感觉像喝着醇香黑巧克力樱桃果液（结果少有的买多一杯再慢慢细味），两者之间相互融合却又层次分明，绝对是至今喝过最精彩黑啤之一。当天也少不了从隔壁酸啤酒吧开支MELANGE（不同酒桶陈放混合）版本BOKKEREYDER酸啤为这次啤酒天堂之旅圆上味蕾幸福一周句号。

The night (and the week in beer heaven) ended with a sharing bottle of Bokkereyder taken from next door Koelschip --*will be talking more about Koelschip and what we drank there in Part 2( as well some memorable ones + where else we went drinking)