Wednesday, May 15, 2019

WEEK 145---Seeking own beer--some more from the past( PART 1)


Having written 3 previous column articles remembering some nice ones which either tasted while overseas or brought back to share here in craft desert KL---there's obviously some more worth mentioning:-
在亚洲,特别是住在吉隆坡这样的craft beer沙漠,身为啤迷只能向外寻找自己想喝啤酒蜜酒是有点无奈但也是其他城市啤迷会同样面对的问题,对啤迷来说喝啤酒这件事更多的像是寻找不同美味体会,跟一般人观念中“喝酒”没什么直接关系。
之前三期“自己的酒自己找”,选酒方面约略挑了些,这几年下来外求啤酒蜜酒累积一定数量,这期再挑几支聊聊:-
1) Russian River Supplication
An American sour beer from the fame Cali brewery more famous for their ipas--including the once a year---local release only Pliny the Younger---as well the other hops beers such as Pliny the Elder or Blind Pig....
This is a beer aged in pinot noir oak barrel soaked with cherries--with wine background influence---the wild ales from Russian River is never in your face sour but showing delicate balance and obviously very delicious. 
这家美国加州酿坊盛名当然不是虚的,除了包括每年只发布一次只能在酒吧喝到(没有瓶装)的印度淡啤Pliny the Younger和其他款印度淡啤让人折服外,酿酒师的葡萄酒酿造背景经验让这家的美式酸啤层次余韵丰富精彩,是美式酸啤其中佼佼者。这支几年前在本地喝的是白葡萄酒木桶中加入樱桃浸泡熟成,美味不在话下。

2) B.Nektar Dragons are Real
Mentioned the word honey and quite naturally people will only think of  Sweet --same goes for Mead since it's primarily brewed using honey as base---but that's only a flawed perception---this one will definitely change that perception that Mead is only about sweetness---with smoked chipotle pepper, tart cherry juice, cacao nibs added and aged in dragons milk stouts barrel--the taste is much much more than just a honey brew---with taste profile of sour sweet spicy smoky--this is a complex one to savour.
提起蜜糖酿造的酒,理所当然一定想到甜,而且是很甜,这观念某个程度来说没有很错,蜜酒(MEAD)的确比较以甜味为主导,当然比印度淡啤或多数其他啤酒类型来得甜。但这只是片面印象,这支混合了蜜糖酸樱桃汁烟熏墨西哥辣椒碎可可豆并在黑啤木桶浸泡熟成作品就结合了辣味酸甜,绝对会让觉得蜜酒只是单调甜的改观。

3) The Veil + Cloud Water Chubbles
The rise of NEIPA( which at times taste more like fruit punch than a proper ipa) inevitably made some breweries stand out among the hundreds if not thousands of breweries jumping on the hazy cloudy fruity/juicy ipa bandwagon---This collab brew is from two such brewery who are well known at playing the NEIPA game---tasted really smooth and balance--no over fruity/juicy/sweet issues found with quite many NEIPAs---this is a nice one to sip.
当印度淡啤被一些酿酒师变奏为类果汁或易喝或甜腻版本後,NEIPA变奏版印度淡啤近年变成主流,无论欧美还是亚洲酿酒师都免不了推出自家版本,这股类果汁印度淡啤热潮让几家欧美酿坊乘势而起,包括合作酿造这款的美国酿坊The Veil和英国酿坊Cloud Water。类果汁印度淡啤有过于甜腻倾向,个人并没有很喜欢,这款酿得均衡好喝,没有过腻感,能在本地喝到外国朋友带来新鲜版更是难得。

4) Brasserie De Neve Gueuze 
This old bottle came as a total surprise---a gift bottle from a Belgium beer geek's personal collections---though the act of sharing among geeks are not uncommon--but to have received this bottle was truly special--shared here in KL--with the gone by years showing it's effect with a somewhat rotten cork---there is almost zero carbonation--unlike what usually a younger Gueuze would show---with a still body--this one tasted very elegant--almost a light smooth oaky wine like beer---certainly one of the best lambic tasted so far.
喝到这支现在已消失酿坊作品完全是意料之外,也体现了啤迷之间大方/割爱精神,是比利时啤迷朋友私藏无偿赠与,被誉为比利时类香槟天然发酵果酸啤酒的这支酒龄已20多年,从有点腐朽裂开的酒塞可以看出,入杯也没有那种较“年轻”Gueuze的活跃酒泡,入口感觉是陈酒,内敛美味,木桶香余韵环绕,是至今喝过最美好果酸啤酒前三。

5) Sahtipaja MeadMe
Was really happy to have tasted this and some other brew from this small brewery from Gothenburg ---This is the Ori version with another being Bourbon Vanilla version---  both are highly regarded --really well made--the varieties of berries added did more than  just balance out the sweetness of honey but added depth and dimensions to the mead. 
喝到这支现在已消失酿坊作品完全是意料之外,也体现了啤迷之间大方/割爱精神,是比利时啤迷朋友私藏无偿赠与,被誉为比利时类香槟天然发酵果酸啤酒的这支酒龄已20多年,从有点腐朽裂开的酒塞可以看出,入杯也没有那种较“年轻”Gueuze的活跃酒泡,入口感觉是陈酒,内敛美味,木桶香余韵环绕,是至今喝过最美好果酸啤酒前三。

6) Superstition Meadery Blueberry Spaceship Box
Mention the word Cider and people will say it's light sweet fizzy and not much else---well---some of my friends who are either wine or whisky connoisseurs had this---and some went with words such as " mind blown" " how can i find this"
提起Cider或苹果水果酒,一般基本观念就是轻松带甜易喝,没什么太复杂的。不过,这支来自美国顶级蜜酒酿坊的蓝莓加苹果轻度蜜酒让不少喝过或啤酒佳酿或威士忌佳酿或葡萄酒佳酿的朋友都感觉惊艳甚至用到“味蕾震撼”这样的字眼来形容美味程度。

7) Westbrook Mexican Cake( Apple Brandy BA)
Mexican Cake is a famous flagship stout from this South Carolina brewery with many different variants---be it using different barrels or with different food items added---had this Apple Brandy version while also having a few other variants of the same beer---this BA version while somehow tasted a little thin on body---the barrel effects just rounded up whatever shortcomings the base beer might have had--it was hands down the best BA Westbrook stouts i have had by far.
把酿好的啤酒放入不同使用过烈酒或葡萄酒或波特木桶陈放熟成让酒的味道更上一层楼(或几层楼)是很多酿酒师都在做的事,不同木桶特质会给啤酒带来不同影响,这家的同款黑啤使用了许多不同桶熟成,喝过几款不同桶,这款苹果白兰地桶陈版最美味最对味。

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