WEEK 136----2018 Most Memorable Beer & Mead---by ct (Malaysia) Part 1 of 2

It's that time of the year----looking back at some most memorable ones drank since beginning of the year---this is part 1 of 2.

2018年已到尾声，至今喝过一些酿坊作品来说，是很不错的一年，长期身在craft beer沙漠偶尔有机会通过外出或朋友分享喝到好些精彩酿品是啤迷乐事。

 今年最有印象酒单如下：-

Living here in craft desert KL with limited choices--it is inevitable all of the chosen ones were found outside of  KL or brought back from overseas with geeks friends help---some might think this is going too far fetch for "beer"---but is only natural for geeks who are seeking to explore a deeper depth/wider width/new horizon of craft beer/mead world out there

here's the list:-

1) 3 Fonteinen Zen Y Frontera

Undoubtedly the one which hit the palate real hard with first sip( in an incredible nice way)---the width and depth of this one is just mind blowing--influence of sherry wine barrel/only adds to the beauty of this one--nothing overpowering---with first two sips it's already gone straight up to personal TOP 3 list of Lambic ever tasted (amid a limited number of lambic/ sours so far but this one is just awesome tasty).

毫无疑问是至今喝过这家酿坊作品中个人最喜欢的，通过两款不同风味陈年雪莉酒桶（一较干，一较甜）熟陈而成，这款天然发酵果酸啤酒的美味层次是至今喝过所有酸啤三甲之一，美好层次是超乎想象的深沉宽阔。

2) 3 Sons BA Scoop

Hands down the best stouts for me during MBCC 2018---this is one which does not show the at times very overpowering influence of bourbon barrels---it's rich and smooth---chocolaty/light sweet---easy drinking & pleasing( if only the pour is much BIGGER:) ---who says BA imperial stouts would mostly be in your face overpowering?

波本桶陈版本黑啤，醇香甜美得很，完全没有一些桶陈黑啤会出现被烈酒气息沾染掩盖问题，就算刚倒入杯比较冷酒体风味还未回温所以没能完全发挥展现所有风味还是能让人喝前面一两口就感觉惊艳，完全是高手出招就知有没有。

3) Bokkereyder Mutana Gueuze

If you like dark coffee---and you love lambic---this one is a perfect one----with neither covering another up but nicely blending yet showing each characteristics---sipping this during MBCC 2018 ---perhaps the only thing missing is to drink it with a freshly baked croissant and some salted butter.

喜欢手冲咖啡又爱比利时天然发酵果酸啤酒啤迷绝对不会拒绝的实验性酿品，喝起来咖啡果酸啤酒相互融和，谁也没有掩盖谁的特色，如果说配个热腾腾刚出炉面包当早餐，会是美味有趣的一次配餐经验。

4) The Veil Sleeping Forever BA Frederiksdal Cherrywine

Totally surprised by how delicious this one was---had a small sip from a shared glass and was very pleasantly called to attention---it's basically sipping on liquid cherry chocolate--it's rich/ it's thick but not to the extent of few sips and you want to stop---in fact it was so delicious that for once in a long long while i ordered a full glass to slowly enjoy it all by myself.

美国新贵酿坊The Veil利用丹麦樱桃酒木桶陈放熟成的黑啤，喝第一口就能感受到香浓甜美黑巧克力和樱桃酒桶气息，风味口感接近让人觉得是在享受低糖甜点，完全不像喝着高酒精度黑啤，因为很对味，少有的要多一杯慢慢细味。

5) Side Project Pulling Nials (batch 7)

The easier way of saying this is --it's a sour beer which is very chardonnay---since it's a blend of different beers aged in chardonnay barrel and soaked with Missouri Chardonnay grapes---but in truth this is not just a beer resembling or trying to be a Chardonnay wine like beer---it's a beer with it's own character and elegantly easy drinking well balanced "not so sour" beer.

美国密苏里州酿坊Side Project名作（之一），本质上是美国酸啤，通过混合自家不同桶陈酸啤，再倒入白葡萄酒(Chardonnay)橡木桶加入美国本土白葡萄浸泡桶陈，让时间把酒变得更圆润更富有层次，是易喝性高的优雅作品。

6) Tired Hands Communication is The Key Lime Pie

This is a Double IPA which tasted more like a key lime pie---it's unlike the hard hitting ---hops in your face types of ipa most people would imagine---with interesting food items added including vanilla beans and graham crackers---this one is a pleasant surprise knowing it's an ipa but not knowing how it has been playfully  twisted.

喝起来完全不像刻板印象中的双份印度淡陴（double ipa)，就像啤酒名称说的，这比较像是个柠檬派啤酒，在使用啤酒花酿出ipa啤酒基础上加入柠檬皮，柠檬汁，马达加斯香草豆以及全麦饼干浸泡添加不同风味，是会让人觉得有意外惊喜的一款另类印度淡陴。

7) Jester King Spon Peach & Apricot (2016)

The ode to lambic series from Jester King---this one is obvious from the name---the influences of the fruits is evident---yes the 'lambic" part is unlike the Belgium ones( which of course is expected and understandable)---but this is a sour beer which is quite different from the usual American sours for sure--smooth and easy with width and depth---a nice one to enjoy.  

Spon系列是这家以低度易喝美式酸啤/SAISON/TABLE BEER为人知的美国德州酿坊向比利时天然发酵果酸啤酒（LAMBIC）致意的作品，这系列的啤酒效仿比利时做法通过天然发酵方式并加入大量水果让啤酒在橡木桶浸泡熟成。因为区域地理环境的不同，美国天然发酵啤酒缺乏比利时酸啤那种明显的发酵带来特有风味，以美国式酸啤来说这是支均衡美味作品，雅致酒味中散发桃子杏子果香。

Some more tasty ones to come in Part 2 of 2 --including some mead too-cheers

2018 Most Memorable Beer & Mead---by Samuel(Singapore)

It's end of another year---as always there will be friends invited to share their list for the year's most memorable beer & mead list ---we start off with Samuel from the other side of the causeway---I have known Samuel since 2016 MBCC in Copenhagen and met again earlier this year during the fest in CPH---it is no wonder some of his bottles picked were from there during that "beer haven on earth" week in May.

很快又到年底了，今年的最有印象啤酒蜜酒清单一样请来一些不同城市啤酒朋友聊聊今年内喝过个人最记得的酒，第一位是新加坡的朋友SAMUEL，自2016年在哥本哈根啤酒庆典认识，今年五月也在同个庆典再见到，以下是SAMUEL的个人清单：

In his own words (except Chinese version)---this year Samuel has picked these 7 as his most memorable ones:-

Cantillon  Lou Pepe Kriek (2015) 

smells of deep tart cherries, some metallic oxidation, tastes of alot of cherry skin, tart cherries, very slight cherry funk, cherry pith, cherry tart acidity aftertaste

比利时天然发酵果酸啤酒大师级酿坊作品------充满酸樱桃果香美味。

Side Project Brewing  Tete' Cuvee (2015)  

smells peach, apricot pith, toasted peanuts, tastes of clean tart nectarine, subtle peach, peach pit and nectarine pit into the back

充满桃/杏和烤花生香气，入口微酸,更多是桃子风味.

3Sons Brewing  BA Scoop  

rich chocolate milkshake, melted chocolate ice-cream

浓郁巧克力奶昔，液化巧克力冰淇淋

Bottle Logic Fundamental Observation  

chocolate, big vanilla, dark chocolate

巧克力,大量香草,和巧克力

Side Project Brewing  Rose Du Ble (blend 1)

smells floral funky, tastes clean floral funk, rosé-ish wine character, white grape skin, funky grape

酸啤特有花香发酵味, 类似玫瑰花酒口感特质,白葡萄皮, 发酵葡萄.  

Tommiesjef Wild Ale  Wijnig  

smells tart berry-grape wine-ish, tastes very burgundy, tart grapes, some tart red currants, mineral, very grape piths and plum piths 

闻香类葡萄酒,口感风味接近勃艮第葡萄酒,带酸,介于葡萄和梅果之间.

Narrow Gauge Brewing  Fallen Flag

huge dank grapefruit and mango, fibrous unripe mango  

大量柚子和芒果气息，口感更接近芒果特质

WEEK 135----When Bitter Hoppy Ones becomes Fruit Juice-like

By now the assumption is that even newbies would have known/ tasted some juicy/fruit juice like NEIPA---it is so popular for the past 1-2 years that almost every breweries which has produced Ipas at any one time would have their own version of hazy/cloudy/juicy NEIPA--which is the short form for New England IPA.

对很多无论是刚接触craft beer或是已喝一段时间啤迷来说，简称IPA(India Pale Ale）的印度淡陴可说是大家一定有喝过类型风格（之一）。某种程度上，说IPA（特别是美国风格IPA)在较早期对craft beer的崛起有着相当大影响，无论是销量和普及程度来说，IPA一直都名列前茅。

不过，近年最热门的IPA不再只是传统意义上的苦哈哈印度淡陴，而是喝起来更接近果汁口味感觉的变奏版---NEIPA (New England IPA)，译成新英伦印度淡啤的话，听起来好像不伦不类，简单说就是酒体浑浊，风味类似果汁版本的IPA，不强调啤酒花苦味而是花果鲜香，绝对程度上扭转了IPA就是大量投放啤酒花加强苦涩口感升级版淡啤的旧观念。

Both NEIPA and your regular IPAs are basically HOPs forward style of beer, the aim is to demonstrate what a particular OR a mixed of few Hops can do to the nose/ taste profile of a beer ---while generally speaking hops in IPA is more about showcasing the hoppy/bitter side of things----NEIPA is more about showing the fruity/floral side of hops.

从最开始只有少数酿坊玩票式酿造类果汁NEIPA到近年几乎所有会酿IPA的都来插上一脚推出自家NEIPA，这个有时候喝起来甜而腻，一点都不像认知中印度淡陴的变奏款无可否认的已自成一格，也造就了比如美国Monkish或Tree House或英国Cloud Water等好多家以酿造类果汁IPA出名酿坊，也让一些听到苦味就远离印度淡啤的饮客有了从另一个不同角度认识不同类型啤酒花特质的机会。

如果要问两者之间分别，最片面说法是，IPA用的是比较浓郁苦味比较厚的啤酒花酿造，而NEIPA则是使用花果香味浓苦味低的啤酒花，加上其他酿造因素差异，造成不单止风味口感喝起来不同，酒体颜色也不一样，看起来酒体浑浊颜色比较鲜艳丰韵就是NEIPA特色之一。

简单来说，两者之间较明显分别是：

some obvious differences between ipa and neipa would be:-

 Taste 

Ipa can be about in your face bitterness

NEIPA is about easy drinking--almost fruit juices like

1）口感

IPA虽公认是苦味代表，但也有比较注重大量投放啤酒花强调苦味和适当投放强调易喝性之分，所以并不是一提到印度淡啤就一定苦哈哈而是会有均衡易喝类型选择。

NEIPA最主要特点表现在一喝就能感受到类似果汁味道/较浓郁鲜明花果气息，偏向展现一些类型啤酒花自身特有花果鲜香味多过凸显传统意义上的啤酒花苦味。

Color/appearance

Genrally Ipa are more about singular color of "thicker" pale ale 

NEIPA would always be more cloudy/hazy--at times looking like fruit juice.

2）酒体颜色

IPA相对来说看起来会比较浅显，当然是比一般PILSNER更厚色些但基本还是属于较清爽浅色系。

NEIPA最大特点就是酒体或轻度或重度浑浊，颜色较鲜艳，有时看起来比较像鲜榨果汁甚至是奶昔多过啤酒，所以也有人以HAZY/CLOUDY称之。

Drinkability

It could be a case of love it or hate it for newbies when trying out a bitter IPA for the first time.

Comparatively---due to it's easier to drink juicy nature--NEIPA  cold be a relatively easier route to craft beer for newbies.

3易喝性

比较起来很多人都会觉得倾向强调凸显啤酒花甘苦味的传统IPA不是那么平易近人，有时苦味会吓跑一些新朋友。但是，如果喝到真正高水准新鲜酿品就会发觉，其实并不一定苦苦的，而会是鲜美甘香。

因为是凸显啤酒花的花果鲜香风味，NEIPA相对来说比较讨喜易喝，但也不是人人都爱，因为会有感觉又甜又腻喝不多问题。

There are opinions out there which thought NEIPA is some form of ANTI-IPA with non-bitter among some of it's main characteristics--which in theory is very unlike traditional IPAs---but since craft beer is about innovation---about choices--about varieties---there is no right or wrong so to speak about NEIPA being ipa or anti-ipa.

在craft beer社区中有意见认为NEIPA的出现其实是反IPA，虽然两者都是展现啤酒花特色，但具体呈现出来的风味口感在一定程度上两极化，一个强调甘苦，一个强调类果汁鲜甜，对很多新朋友来说，如果不是酒标上写着IPA字眼很大可能完全不会把类果汁类型啤酒跟印度淡啤联想到一起。

至今喝过不同酿坊作品来说，NEIPA的确少了那种会让味蕾没准备好新朋友一喝就大皱眉头苦涩味，比较接近果汁风味的特质平易近人，比较不会吓跑第一次尝试craft beer新朋友。不过，严格来说，类果汁NEIPA无论是风味口感都跟大家认知中的IPA有很大不同，加上一些酿品有过于甜腻浓郁果汁感问题，难怪会被认为是反IPA。

Perhaps the one complaint i would have about NEIPA is that some are so juicy/fruity it makes you "dizzy"--wondering what's going on---is it a beer or bloody fruit juice disguising as ipa?

虽是听起来像是两个不同世界的啤酒，NEIPA风味口感也类果汁，但骨子里还是属于强调啤酒花鲜香度啤酒类型，所以跟传统IPA一样需要越新鲜喝越好，对缺乏高水准在地酿坊只能靠进口美国欧洲酿坊作品的好些亚洲城市啤迷来说，怎样才能喝到真正新鲜美味高水平酿品始终是个难解的习题。