WEEK 168---the "Avengers" of craft beer--PART 1 of 2

Thanks(or no thanks?) to Hollywood movies---all of us who are not comics fans somehow knows that "Avengers" sort of represents an alliance of some of the best in the world ( or was it out of this world?) in whatever he/she is good at.....

不久前和啤迷朋友聊天，假设性的以一家酒吧或瓶子店当日清单自选心目中最想要<复仇者联盟>阵容的话会有哪些酿坊品牌入围。

漫威迷们喜欢把强强联手阵容称为<复仇者联盟>，虽然是不是真正意义上的世上最强者联盟是见仁见智的问题，但凡说是<复仇者联盟>组合的至少可以被理解为超凡高手的集合。

During a recent conversation with a beer geek friend---i was asked to name which might be some of the breweries that will make it to my "Avengers' list of the day---this is of course a hypothetical question with a "wishful" answer---though one thing is for sure--different people will have his/ her own list of 'craft beer Avengers"---the list will very likely look different---mostly influenced by what sort of beers one have tasted or can find so far( be it where they live or via beer mail) + one's palate appreciation level as well as personal taste preferences....

在craft beer界，什么样的阵容可被称为<复仇者联盟>当然没有定论，就像“顽啤主张”一路强调的，要确定一款酒（甚至是一家酿坊大部分作品）是Bad是低劣的并不难，但要定论哪一款酒哪一家酿坊是Best是世上最佳则会很难，不同啤迷心中都会有一把不太一样的尺，同意Best比同意Bad的评定基准考虑因素要复杂的多，这可以是关乎不同人所喝过/能找到啤酒水准高低，也会受到自身味蕾鉴赏力和口味倾向等因素影响，不同啤迷自选的<复仇者联盟>酿坊品牌阵容肯定不尽相同，这会是个有趣的观察。

个人的假设性自选酿坊品牌阵容当然只是理想中状态，要在本地同一时间看到/喝到这几家酿坊作品基本只能通过自己设法国外找来 ：-

To see these breweries all appearing at say a bottle shop or a bar in Asia will be quite a miracle to say the very least--for all 4 to appear here in craft desert KL will be impossible--except maybe through personal beer mail efforts by geek/s.....

Here's my "wishful" list :-

1) Russian River

I have said it before and will say it again--it was Pliny the Elder which reshape my understanding of what a delicious/balance IPA can taste like--it also saved me from the brink of wrongfully denouncing IPA as some sort of "only bitter no finesse" sort of one-dimensional beer---partly no thanks to my shallow world of IPAs in the early years of craft exploring.

以均衡美味IPA和美式桶陈酸啤享有盛名的美国加州酿坊，原本今年五月初会在比利时布鲁塞尔和绝对大师级天然发酵果酸啤酒酿坊Cantillon合办的好友酿坊活动因为疫情影响被迫取消，消息一出众多啤迷一片哀嚎，这家酿坊作品在啤迷心目中地位是毋庸置疑的。

或许除了多年来只限期内用从不外卖但今年首次破天荒装瓶首卖的三倍印度淡陴（Triple IPA）作品 Pliny The Younger算是稀有/特限量作品之外，这家酿坊更多被啤迷认可拥戴的例如Pliny The Elder或 Blind Pig常态款IPA作品，以及好几款也算常态的美式酸啤作品，都是高质优秀同时也平易近人让人想一喝再喝的作品。

But of course Russian River is not only about IPAs like PTE/PTYounger or Blind Pig---they are much more than just hops flavours brew---with wine making background--they have some really tasty American Sours--which are not one dimensional sour--in contrary these are well made, really balance and delicious American sours.

2) The Kernel

The UK craft scene have seen some new/newer names popping up in the last 3-4 years---among these new/newer breweries--The Kernel is kind like an "old new" name---perhaps this is one name which would not be mentioned instantly by some "newer' geeks since there are "newer/more famous" names--- in a wayThe Kernel is sort of like the "older big brother"---this is quite a low key brewery which have kept it going the way they like it---not chasing after trend( think NEIPA) but just do what they do best.

近年英国有不少表现出色的新晋酿坊，在这些新晋/新贵酿坊中，The Kernel可以被归类为英伦craft beer界的老大哥/有点年岁痕迹的 “老新派”酿坊品牌了，酿坊保持一贯低调作风，一路走来以扎实酿酒功力做好自己拿手酒款，不跟风起哄的抢着酿最新流行/大热酒款（比如NEIPA），反之只是保持好些自家做得好的“基本款/常态款”，比如“传统”IPA，比如Saison，比如Table Beer等等。

如果以食物菜肴形容The Kernel作品的话，就像是可以经常吃/吃不厌的家常菜，或许朴实无华但却是生活中会寻找的美味慰藉，虽然好像不会有什么大惊喜但基本可以肯定不会有惊吓。关于这家酿坊，真要说有什么问题的话，那就是由于主创酿酒师非常注重啤酒鲜活度，所以坚持不把啤酒送到亚洲来。

For years they keep brewing what they are good at---those 'traditional" IPAs---the saison---the table beers--- if  I were to describe what these beers seems like---they are kinda like home cook food---nothing fancy--likely not going to provide your taste bud with a big pleasant surprise but at the same time will never leave a bad taste in your mouth---the only problem with The Kernel? you can't find it here in Asia---NOT until the day the owner change his mind about beer-ecology of sending out to far far away places( which i highly doubt if that day will ever come).

3) Hill Farmstead

If we were to put aside the vanity factor of this brewery being named as the world's BEST brewery few years in a row by a seemingly "independent"(no more) beer ratings website---but purely basing on  quality of their beers tasted---then i would not hesitate at all to say this is one brewery where i would love to drink more of their brew( if fxxking possible at all).

先不说是不是因为几年前某评酒网站连续几年的“世界最佳酿坊”光环带来的虚荣感所致，就个人所喝过这家好些不同风格啤酒水平来说，绝对不介意一喝再喝这家酿坊更多其他不同作品，当然问题还是一样，那就是，平时除了去酿坊位于美国Vermont州偏远农场品饮室之外，要去哪里找到那么多Hill Farmstead不同作品？

这家酿坊过人之处在于很多不同类型风格啤酒都有出色作品，有被全球啤迷大力追捧炒卖非常稀有作品，也有平实美味常态作品，无论是可以大口喝的美式或德式浅色啤酒（Lager/ Pale Ale/ German Helles），或是比较注重展现啤酒花鲜香风味的IPA，易喝可口的Saison到美式酸啤或黑啤，这家都驾驭自如。

This is one brewery comfortable with many different beer styles--in fact not only comfortable but they have many outstanding ones---not just IPAs or Saison or Sours or Stouts or BA blends---but also seemingly very easy drinking Lagers/ German Helles/ Table Beer/ Pale Ale.....

Again--the question is if you don't live within the radar of that farmhouse brewery in Vermont---how do you quench your Hill Farmstead thirst?

4) Side Project

Had my first encounter with Side Project back in 2015 in Copenhagen during CBC---they were there pouring to people who were lining up( probably not as long as some big name brew would see but still there are constantly people who are asking for their beers).

2015年去哥本哈根啤酒庆典时第一次接触到这家美国密苏里州酿坊作品，在当时众多盛名酿坊云集会场中毫不逊色，排队领酒啤迷虽不至于像一些特受热捧限量啤酒那样长长人龙但也是不间断。就像酿坊品牌名称字面上意思那样，2013年开始时这只是主创酿酒师在另一家以大黑啤盛名酿坊打工空闲时，在得到许可情况下玩票酿造自己想要，以桶陈美式酸啤和农场风格啤酒（SAISON）为主的其他类型风格啤酒。

从“玩票副业”到开创自身品牌酿坊，Side Project用了很短时间就逐渐征服各地啤迷味蕾，虽然酿坊主要以富层次的美式酸啤和农场风格啤酒被啤迷称道，但这家其实也有被追捧的限量难寻大黑啤作品，问题只在于没机会通过美国在地首卖机会买到的啤迷们要在怎样的机缘下才有机会一尝究竟。

As the name suggested the whole thing started as a side project while the head brewer/owner was working with an established brewery who are famous for their big stouts---Side Project was mainly about barrel aged sours & saison---but of course they do have big stouts of their own which is proving hard to obtain during first release day---personally Derivation is one dark brew i would love to taste though generally speaking stouts priority been on the decline on my personal list of wanted beers.