One of the most common scenario faced by newbies when newly entering the world of craft beer is always the seemingly endless/ somewhat confusing(intimidating even some say) choices available, not just the thousands of different breweries out there but also the many different styles of brew available....
To the newbies---it's actually not that hard to get oneself slowly acquainted with the world of craft beer---finding info on internet is one way---having a seasoned drinker giving some guidance is another---or--starts reading beer labels.
Yes---beer labels---more than being the brand identity of a craft brewery--or somehow telling us via the label/logo designs what sort of culture influences( music/comics/movies/ or whatever sub culture or even faith) the owner/s been hit on---beer label is also giving us quite some basic/info about the brew( at times even personal info about brewery owner/s) apart from just ever differing styles of designs.
here's some Random Pick on a few brew's labeling:-
Black Tuesday by The Bruery
this is undoubtedly a "big beer"---a barrel aged imperial stout that's not shy on ABV though it's usually well hidden---hence that obvious line saying " contains alcohol" right in the middle of beer label is always amusing to read.( for a big beer always with around 18% to at times over 20% ABV --of course it contains alcohol)
reading the label---one of the most noticeable info is that the brewery is telling drinkers at which temperature the bottle should be kept at ---as well what shape of glass best recommended when enjoying this big dark brew.
The Breury 是美国加州一家以酿造将高酒精度收得非常好的“大酒/黑啤”受啤迷认可酿坊，Black Tuesday 就是盛名鼎鼎的周日系列其中一款。
The Bruery酒标非常显眼的将“含有酒精”字眼摆中间，这是个有趣的标志性做法，对像是Black Tuesday这款酒精度介于18-20多度的“大酒”来说，说“含有酒精”根本就像是黑色幽默。
细看瓶子前后酒标，除了告诉我们这是款经过波本烈酒桶陈的黑啤，也说明最好储存在摄氏13度阴暗处，开瓶喝的话最佳“冷度”也是13度，而且还说明最好用什么形状杯子品嚐。
Golden Blend by 3Fonteinen
For the uninitiated---this one is an old label---the new bottles of 3Fonteinen are a lot more simple/slick looking nowadays.
Looking at the label--it says this is a blended brew with different years of lambic( hence different complexity/nuances)---another interesting point to note is that if one is willing to or wanted to wait---it's good to consume 20 years later (provided the bottle is well kept).
对喜爱天然发酵果酸啤酒的啤迷来说，虽然不久前换了比较简约的酒标，这家比利时大师级酿坊作品水准毋庸置疑。
这支类香槟酸啤的旧酒标告诉我们，这是一支混合了一年，两年，三年不同年份酸啤（意味着不同层次不同复杂度）桶陈而成。另外，作为一支天然发酵啤酒，酒标也告诉我们，如果想的话，这支啤酒可以收20年才喝。
Blueberry Spaceship Box by Superstition Meadery
This is a blueberry cider but certainly a lot more than just any usual impression people might get from the word "cider".
As the name suggested--space is the theme of the design--hence the corresponding design---one interesting part of the design shows a line "Logan, time to wrap this space harvest back to base"(which is in direct reference to one of owners( jeff and jen)sons)---showing this movie like scenario on the label is not something alien to the craft community--after all free styles/free flowing creativity is an important part of what craft community is about.
这是一款混合了蓝莓苹果的轻度蜜酒，虽然英文用的是Cider，一般中译为苹果酒，但是，这很显然不止苹果酒那么简单。
酒名以太空为题材，酒标设计除了有基本资讯比如是款什么酒，酒精度5.5度之外，也加插酿坊主人儿子罗根上太空采摘梅果的情节对白，让整个酒标感觉更个人化，某种程度上也显现craft文化的天马行空。
Yorocco BA Saison
Personally i thought saison is one beer styles which at times get confused by some drinkers---often being dismissed as "small beer"/not much flavours and so on....which of course is a wrong perception.
Looking at the label of this brew from the town of Zhusi, Japan--the label reminds drinkers to always keep it cold stored--apart from brewing ingredients used---indication is that it's a beer brewed a year ago--and waited for barrel aging then only bottled for release. To a certain extent---this explained why craft beer is at times the labour of passion as more often than not--besides using real food items/spices to add flavours to a certain brew--time factor is also crucial for some styles of brew to get better before being released to the market( now you know why craft beer is more precious).
某种程度来说，Saison是款有时候让人
误解为“平平无奇/淡而无味”的啤酒类型，这当然是错误偏见。
像这款日本酿坊经过白葡萄酒木桶陈放作品就相当好喝，完全不会淡无味，看酒标的话会看到，除了有日文说明使用什么酿造原料之外，也提醒大家一定要冷藏保持啤酒的状态，另一个重要讯息是，这支酒是17年三月酿好，经过桶陈时间熟成後，于18年三月才装瓶。（这多少可以解释为什么除了真材实料酿造，很多时候也需要更长时间成本酝酿的craft beer比较矜贵）
IPA
being one of the most popular beer styles--it is not inaccurate/a little surprising to say that many drinkers actually do not care or don't even know about the importance of how freshness issue can make or break an IPA.
As IPA is a style showcasing flavours of hops---and the fact that time(which leads to oxidation of the beer) is the worse enemy of an IPA(even if the beer is well kept in cold-chain transport/cold stored)---IPA is generally a type of beer which is always at it's best when fresh---kinda like eating freshly baked bread---the deliciousness will go down as time goes by( generally speaking probably around 3-6 months time depending on transport/storage condition)--and of course eventually the beer will "die off" to become almost like a Barleywine which is NOT what it supposed to taste like. The next time when you drink an IPA--it's best to check when it's bottled/canned.
知道的人都知道，这是需要新鲜喝的酒款，因为是展现啤酒花特性的啤酒类型，一旦时间久了（一般来说超过三到六个月），酒花新鲜度减退度会大大影响IPA的好喝程度，这是自然定律，虽然全程冷藏得好有帮助，但时间依然是这类型啤酒最大敌人，所以在比如Tired Hands 的key lime ipa 罐子酒标上有非常显眼的字眼提醒大家要尽可能尽快（ASAP) 把酒喝掉。
下一次，不管你喝是罐装或瓶装IPA （或pale ale) ，记得要做的第一件事就是查看装罐/装瓶日期，这样你就会知道喝到的酒会是新鲜还是已经氧化到变成类似Barley Wine 的老化大麦酒。
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