After 3 years of not travelling overseas--finally made my first trip early May--the same week when MBCC 2023 was happening in Copenhagen--It was more of a casual-almost spontaneous decision to visit HK rather than a purposeful-beer activities driven trip (if were to compare to landing in Copenhagen)
五月初去了趟香港，身为啤迷没有去同一时间进行的craft beer年度重头活动哥本哈根啤酒庆典而是没有任何相关活动的香港，某种程度上可说显示了心态转变，去香港只是纯粹出去走走见见人，虽然事先有啤迷朋友安排了瓶子分享会，但基本也就那样其他时候没有安排，换句话说并不是一次目标明确行程密集的啤酒之旅。
Yes--a meet up with old & new HK geek friends bottle sharing session was pre-arranged--other than that single session the few days in HK was really a "go as your mood takes you" sort of casual move about--did went to a few HK craft beer bars/bottle shop--all in all it was just a chill trip to see friends--eat some local delicacies--and of course drink some beers.
Here's the bottles/can written in the recent column:-
Definitely the most eye catching bottles of the trip--had 1 of the bottles previously at Himmeriget some years ago while attending MBCC week--that palate mind blown feeling instanatly came back even before bottles were cracked open that evening in HK--it was truly a lambic geek's moment to savour--having not 1 but 2 of these beauties in a sharing session.
Personally--batch 2 instantly reminded my palate memories how good this beer was few years ago when first had in Copenhagen--Batch 1 was more mellow--deeper in every sense--not as obvious or direct( still in a very layered/nuance way)as Batch 2 but once you settled into--Batch 1 will take you to a deeper end of the spectrum--strictly basing on that evening's personal taste I would say Batch 2 is slightly more to my personal taste though honestly there is nothing to compare here--just bloody enjoy and thanking 3F for making these 2 outstanding ones. ( of course also thanking a newly met HK beer geek friend for kindly sharing)
比利时天然发酵酸啤大师级酿坊的绝版旧款作品，是早期版本的雪梨酒桶陈放作品（近些年酿坊作品不再使用旧式纸质酒标），市场上基本难寻，这次能在香港喝到而且还是两款一次过，个人几年前在哥本哈根喝过其中一款，当时味蕾震撼记忆犹新，这次有幸再次品尝，啤迷快乐时刻莫过于此。平心而论，无论是批次1还是2，能喝到任何一款已经是幸福的事，本地啤迷朋友问我说两者要怎么选其一，在香港一起品酒的大多数啤迷朋友都认为批次1更内敛深厚整体感知更好，不过也有比较喜欢批次2的，个人认同批次1更完整，硬要选其一的话，当时味蕾倾向批次2。(说真的面对两款如此高水平作品有什么好选的？需要做的只是好好品味然后感谢3F酿出这般好酒--当然也要多谢不吝分享好酒的啤迷新朋友）
oThis is the Canadian brewery i was looking forward to sampling--it's quite amazing to be able to sample 1 of their works in HK when the impression is that they are a hard to get brewery even inside Canada.
Farmhouse-Saison would always be welcome for my palate enjoyment--this one with some lime/green apple-ish taste & aroma is an easy drinking one--finishing with a dry note--nice for a hot summer evening in HK.
对喜爱农场风格啤酒作品啤迷来说，这家魁北克酿坊肯定位列想喝到清单中的，不过因为量少所以在加拿大本土也难以买到，虽然事前啤迷朋友有告知说手上有非常少量这家的作品，不过能在香港喝到还是有点惊喜，这是款易喝类型的低酒精作品，带点柠檬青苹果微酸气息尾韵带干，夏天气候喝起来更舒适。
At 2% abv--this is quite something (of course it's being regarded as one of the best or probably the best low abv easy drinking beer by quite some geeks)--it is said what really test a top chef's ability is not the most complex dishes but the simple ones--this is one such example in beer brewing where it is meant to be an easy drinking-straight forward beer--it is but not that straight forward--certainly not dull or 'taste like water; as some "heavy drinkers" might think--in fact very very far from it.
只有2%酒精度的超低度易喝型啤酒，如果说做一道最简单直接的菜才是最考厨师功力的事，这款听起来浅白易喝但实际上要做出这样有层次高水平的低度啤酒一点也不简单，有不少啤迷认为这是非常低酒精啤酒中的天花板级别作品，个人没喝过很多其他作品所以并不能定论，不过以当天喝到感受来说肯定是平实中见功力的作品。
Had the other one of tribute collab by Side Project--For Phil here in KL earlier this year(imperial stouts tribute to Perennial brewer)--this one is a blend of barley wine & stouts in tribute to Anchorage brewer in Alaska. Certainly a big name bottle--full of bourbon barrels influences with dark sugar tone--bit of heat coming through but got better after warmer--quite nice but not a mind blowing one.
酿坊致意二部曲的另一款，之前在本地分享会喝了致意Parennial 酿酒师的黑啤作品For Phil，这款致意阿拉斯加酿坊Anchorage主创酿酒师的则是混合黑啤和大麦酒桶陈作品，毫无疑问是酿坊近期作品中备受啤迷关注的一款，作为当天分享会中唯一的重口味黑啤，入口是满满的波本酒桶影响，黑糖气息，回温後酒体更富润，很不错不过并不惊艳。
Personally NEIPA can be rather annoying at times with it's overly sweet-cloying-or in your face thick cloudy body--but this small brewery from NJ has been on the curious list for months ever since hearing good words about them---thankful to have finally sampled one from the brewery--looking at the canned date--it's not the freshest--roughly 6 weeks has passed by---but upon sipping it's confirmed the recent hype--they are fine & nice--and yes--this 1 is probably not the best yet from Troon but it has already affirmed why they are being chased after by those who know.
对只闻盛名但难以寻觅的类果汁印度淡啤爱喝者来说，这家纽泽西新贵酿坊的极小量作品是首选的追寻目标。多得香港朋友分享酿坊直送的作品，一个月半前入罐，理论上不是最新鲜但一入口就知道为什么被啤迷追捧，啤酒花气息鲜明口感舒适完全不呛。
Two Meter Tall Sparkling Mead
Had this in a bar--the same evening upon arriving in HK--thanks to geek friends who arranged a casual meet up--heard of this Autralian smalll brewery quite some years ago from an Aussie geek friend who used to live in KL--looking at the bottle the first thought would be "hmmm--sweet sparkling honey water"---one sip and you will realize how wrong that first thought can be--it was actually lighly sourish with some funk--certainly an interesting one. (thanks to fellow Malaysian geek friend who spotted this one)
在一家新酒吧喝到的澳洲小酿坊作品，只看酒名称感觉就是一款气泡类型的蜜酒，不过一入口就知道完全不是想象那样甜蜜的气泡酒而是微酸中带异香气息有层次的易喝好酒。
