This is not about the cliche type of "xxx must drink/ xxx must visit or xxx must eat BEFORE YOU DIE" kind of "guide"-- but rather a play on those type of titles---it started when a newbie friend asked "with so many different breweries---as well so many different beer styles---what would be some of your preferred ones / recommended ones?"
This is in fact not an easy question to answer simply because more often than not a newbie's choice of beer will always be subjected or limited by what's available in the market--i.e. the city/town he or she is currently residing---but in this piece i have decided to throw that concern out of the window since if someone want a beer badly enough---he or she will somehow find a way to seek out.
有新朋友问， 说craft beer世界那么多不同啤酒类别风格，那么多不同酿坊品牌，有哪些是个人比较推荐的？
这是不太容易回答的问题，主要因为一般来说新朋友的选择会绝大程度上受所住地方市场供应限制，不过，既然问的是个人推荐，那就把亚洲市场是不是有酿坊直接供应这件事抛开不管，反正有心的话总有办法可想看怎么去找酒。
那么多不同类型风格啤酒，就从新朋友一般都会接触到的印度淡啤（IPA)说起，而说到IPA就一定免不了要提美国酿坊，虽说从欧洲到亚洲或澳洲纽西兰都有不同酿坊在酿造不同品牌的印度淡啤又或是近年大行其道的类果汁印度淡陴（NEIPA），但美国有好多以酿造突出啤酒花风味类型啤酒的高手酿酒师是事实，更何况在很大程度上大量投放尽情发挥啤酒花鲜香的美国酿法是早期让IPA在市场发扬光大的主要推动因素。
Let's start with the most commonly accepted/available/consumed style of beer---IPA( as well NEIPA since it is the in-thing)
US Breweries:-
Russian River
there is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that when talking about American IPA---Pliny the Elder immediately comes to mind--this is personally a "palate changing" ipa for me---especially when having this few years back during a period where i was really in a state of feeling sick and tired of those over hoppy( + already not fresh) type of American ipas---with the balance and tasty Pliny--the perception of ipa is only about hop attacks totally changed---this is one hell of a balance ipa if you have yet to try one.
*of course there's also Blind Pig---and the soon to be bottled for the very first time Pliny the Younger.
Russian River
在全球成千上万家不同酿坊品牌印度淡陴中，美国加州这家酿坊的Pliny The Elder可以说是就算最挑剔的啤迷也不能不承认的均衡美味型经典款，在早期众多美国酿坊都大多倾向于推出强调啤酒花苦涩或甘涩攻击力印度淡陴时，这家的IPA是以呈现啤酒花鲜香甘美的均衡性为主轴，是让人耳目一新几时都想喝的佳酿。当然除了这款之外还有Blind Pig以及每年限量发售只能在当地特定专卖吧喝到的Pliny The Younger。
The Alchemist
While Pliny is tasting all smooth and easy---if hop attacks is what you think an ipa should be---then heady topper is a fine examples from this brewery---you get the hop attacks--but in a way which has a nice balance between hops bitterness and malt flavours---comparatively this is the heavy version of Pliny with a bigger punch of hops attack--but in a nice way---way more nicer than the average in your face type of American hoppy ipas.....
* of course there's a lighter-easier version with Focal Banger too.
The Alchemist
在早期一众强调啤酒花苦涩甘香的美国印度淡陴中，这家的Heady
Topper是这类比较强调啤酒花攻击IPA的经典款，虽然有着强烈的啤酒花甘涩口感但也很明显的比其他一般作品更均衡，虽然味蕾会被啤酒花甘涩味”攻击”但一点也不是那种只有苦涩的单调无趣，相反的是会让人在甘涩味中感受到啤酒花鲜香结合麦芽酵母的美味。此外，这家的另一款比较温顺美味的Focal Banger也是非常高水平作品。
Tree House
NEIPA is the in-thing---almost 8 or 9 out of 10 breweries would somehow have their own version of NEIPA---among the many top names famous for their NEIPA--Tree House of course is one famous name---of course there are some other famous ones out there( think Monkish/ Trillium/ Other Half/ and many more)--the reason why i have picked out Tree House is simply because i have drank many more of their brews than other famous ones (considering the fact that it's hard to obtain fresh ones from these breweries this part of the world).
Tree House
美国酿坊中较早期以类果汁印度淡陴（NEIPA）打响名号的不少，除了这家，同期当然还有其他盛名赫赫的好几家，比如说Trillium，Monkish，Other Half 等等，选择这家并不是因为觉得他们是最好的（因为好几家不同酿坊作品都会有各自精彩或有时候不那么精彩之处），主要是因为个人之前喝得稍微多不同款式作品的就是来自这家，所以就挑了这家，以好几年前NEIPA还没有现如今那么泛滥情况来说，这家的好几款不同作品都各有亮点，数NEIPA高手酿坊的话少不了这家。
BRITISH Breweries
The Kernel
During a time when NEIPA is the trend---and the fact that this is quite an "old-school" brewery which keep brewing the same beers over the years---some might not think highly of The Kernel for being a modest brewery which don't do crazy/trendy brews( so to speak)--but for me personally it is the unassuming way of this brewery which keep some of their brew clean and simple which actually showcased their strength of doing what's fundamentally nice---and yes--they do have some nice IPAs though perhaps some drinkers might think it is a tad lighter than what he/she are used to.
The Kernel
这是非常朴实无华的一家英伦酿坊，从农村风格啤酒到"淡如水"的低度易喝的Table Beer都有高水准作品，其中当然也少不了很不错的印度淡陴作品。或许一些对喝惯强调啤酒花攻击力道的美国IPA饮客来说The Kernel的IPA作品会喝起来感觉淡了些甚至觉得平平无奇，但适中均衡才是这家酿造的印度淡啤特色，强烈苦味攻击并不是这家的风格。
Cloud Water
there are mixed opinions about this brewery from Manchester---some think very highly of them---some not so highly or thought their magic been waning with new found fame---whatever your opinion might be---to me this is one British brewery which is synonymous with NEIPA ---like it or not Cloud Water is famous for their cloudy/juicy/fruity ipas---and having had the chance to sample quite a many fresh cans from this brewery---they are good with what they do--that's quite certain.
Cloud Water
近年能把类果汁印度淡陴（NEIPA）玩得好的新晋英伦酿坊并不少，不过要说最先引起国际啤迷注意然后至今仍然继续有高水准作品出现的英国酿坊则不能不提这家来自曼彻斯特的新贵。虽然严格来说这家的一些类果汁印度淡啤酿品也有过腻过甜或过度投放啤酒花造成刹口感觉问题，不过整体来说如果能喝到保鲜良好装罐三个月鲜美期内的作品，好些作品还是具有一定程度高水平。
Of Course---the world of IPA/NEIPA is not only about the 5 mentioned above---be it the old-er school of American IPA where the likes of Hillfarmstead, Bell's, Toppling Goliath, Maine Beer.Co or say the British new wave of breweries such as Northen Monk, Verdant, Deya, Neon Raptor, Wylam----there are many awesome/ outstanding ones out there---you just need to seek them out if you have yet to find a really good one......
以上提到酿坊的确各有出众之处，但必须说的是，值得尝味的印度淡啤作品当然远远不只这5家，能把IPA或NEIPA酿得精彩的美国或英国酿坊还有相当多，其中包括比如早期就已盛名在外的美国Hillfarnstead, Bell’s, Toppling Goliath, Maine Beer Co.等等， 又或是比如 Northen Monk,
Verdant, Deya, Neon Raptor, Wylam等等近年冒起英国新锐酿坊都有各自精彩之作。
浩瀚啤海中，这5家虽然对个人是具有重要指标意义的酿坊，但也只是沧海一粟做为参考，跟一些网上爱用的“一生必试”/“死前必吃/喝”之类的“绝对权威推荐”没关系。
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