WEEK 159---Some Impact Breweries/Brands from yesteryear

Again this is a back dated post as I jumped ahead with the Tokyo trip post earlier---but i guess no one really cares about sequences here.

“craft beer不同酿坊品牌那么多，有哪些是早期对个人较有影响，至今仍值得推的？"

这问题，如果问十个啤迷，大概可能会有几十个不同答案，会那样是很自然的，因为craft beer最大特点就是选择很多，除了不同风味类型选择多，不同酿坊品牌选择更是多不胜数。

全世界成千上万不同酿坊中要选出对个人比较有影响，值得推崇的几个品牌其实并不容易，虽然不同酿坊有作品水准高低之分，也有品牌是不是被热捧现象情况，但任何一位啤迷心目中值得推的很可能超过十个以上，也可能不同阶段会有不一样选择，就算只是选几个早期比较有影响的品牌出来有难度，也难免会有遗珠。

If i were to asked which might be some breweries/ brands that has impacted in a significant way during your early days and still remain relevant today---obviously a very subjective topic---the answers is likely to show some differences even among close drinking buddies.

This is a post about which are the few early days names still relevant personally---it is expected that some of the names mentioned here might get you nodding or shaking your head----that's totally understandable since craft beer is about varieties of choices. In fact if we were to conduct a survey or poll--say asking 10 geeks to pick out 10 names each---it is likely that out of 10 geeks--there could be 100 or close to 100 different names mentioned.

虽然我们活在一个弹指间可以买酒，千里之外也可以送到的时代，但是在一定程度上，对啤迷个人有影响力的酿坊品牌还是会受到所住地方市场上能买到喝到酿坊品牌选择的影响，这现象在亚洲更是明显，毕竟不是每个啤迷都会每次劳心伤财的从欧美或亚洲其他城市自行找渴望的酒喝。

以个人早期喝craft经历来说，品牌选择的确受到本地市场当时能接触到品牌影响，以此为据，以下是一些个人至今仍觉得值得推的酿坊品牌：-

While individual preferences will play a part---the result also will be very different from area to area/ cities to cities since what's available in the market will have a big say---unless you only drink own beer mail.

Here's some of breweries which have impacted and still relevant to me:-

The Belgium influence

The first bar( more of a restaurant than bar) i was visiting frequently during the early days was a place serving nice Belgian food with own imported Belgian beers---De La Senne/was a constant here--with occasional Rochefort + Struise making waves with my early days palate.

Of course many years after---Lambic has a big big place among my most preferred Belgian beer styles---but those 3 early impact names would still have a place---don't mind drinking any of those 3 again. 

比利时帮

最早期在吉隆坡出现的比利时啤酒中，Struise，Rochefort，De La Senne可以说是启蒙时期喝得比较多的比利时啤酒，3个不同酿坊品牌各有不同风格深浅不一的作品，既有合适新朋友探索的易喝型，也有需要一定程度理解力鉴赏力的复杂类型，

一定程度上，相对于天然发酵果酸啤酒（LAMBIC）可能比较需要时间适应，上述四家啤酒类型（无论是 stouts，trappist，double，triple，golden ale，belgian wit或belgian ipa）算比较容易接受类型，也是新朋友跨门槛适用的几个酿坊品牌。

The Scandinavian influence

Many years ago--when the first proper dedicated craft beer bar was born here in craft desert KL---it was the names like Mikkeller, To Ol( with then still independent Nogne, plus some Amager) that was most exciting to look forward to.

While the influences of those two are lesser on the preference nowadays---it is no denying Mikkeller still remain one of the most important names though the years til now---in particular what they have done with the awesome CBC or now MBCC---a craft beer festivals which will be eyes/mind/palate opener to any newbies. Also their way of having many interesting/awesome guests beers at their bars(notably during Copenhagen beer week--as well usually seen at Bangkok/ Tokyo and so on) is way more interesting than some bars which only focus on own house brew or a few regularly seen imported brew. 

北欧帮

北欧酿坊品牌大约六年前就在本地专卖吧出现，其中以Mikeller和To Ol(那时候也还有Nogne和Amager)最让人期待，多样化的酿品和抢眼的酒标设计都让人印象深刻。

除了高水准酿品，Mikkeller至今已办了好些年的哥本哈根啤酒庆典(MBCC)也是让人推崇的主因之一，套句做生意人说的“哪有把厉害对手都引来跟自家啤酒竞争的道理？"，可是Mikkeller品牌的过人之处就是跟很多不同酿坊品牌合作，除了每年都办的当今世上最好craft beet“啤酒节”（之一）外，自家酒吧更是常会有别家酿坊作品出现，并没有那种关起门来只是硬销自家啤酒那种生意手法。

The US influence

It is hard to pick since there was hardly any really outstanding names in the local market( i know some might disagree--but it's about individual preferences anyway)---personally i would point to Three Floyds( during tap takeover in Bangkok as well bottles from a bar in Tokyo), The Lost Abbey & Hair of The Dog( though friend's sharing as well when travelling mainly to Tokyo)---as well Modern Times & Priarie( via small batch import from Singapore or when travelling to Spore/Bangkok/Tokyo)

美国派

美国的厉害酿坊，被追捧品牌真的很多，要取舍有难度，个人来说，要以较早期在曼谷东京等地喝的Three Flyods, The Lost Abbey，Hair of The Dog 为主，还有就是通过新加坡进来本地昙花一现过的Modern Times和Prairie等美国酿坊。这几个品牌都有高水准作品，也各有所长，从易喝性高的pale ale到ipa到stouts到barley wine到old ale到saison到sour都有水准之作。

某种程度来说，会被啤迷无私推崇的酿坊品牌一定有水准之作，这也意味着酿坊品牌可以是作品水准高低指南针，不过，享有盛名并不意味着就一定永远厉害，有时候酿坊作品水准会随着不同因素而波动，比如卖给其他投资者（包括大厂）後下跌，有时因为主要酿酒师不玩了或跳槽或自立门户，有时因为变更酿酒方式等等不一而足，简而言之，确保一个盛名酿坊作品是不是一直保持高水平的方法还是需要每隔一段时间再喝喝看才能知道。

浩瀚啤酒海中，不同酿坊品牌代表着选择，虽然会有盛名酿坊和默默无闻之分，但重点还是不能一味“以貌取人”，酿品水准高低，不能只是靠品牌名声断定，酒始终必须喝过尝味过才能了解个中滋味。