WEEK 152----Of course Beer-Fest are NOT THE SAME

What will be the first image that pop-up when mentioning the word "beer festivals" ?

To majority drinkers/consumers---the word beer-fest is almost synonymous to scene where BIG BEER MUG is flowing with beers while chewing on sausages at the same time. It is fairly common for the public to ONLY associate beer fest with Oktoberfest or some form of one price drink till you full sort of beer buffet promotional "fest".

提起啤酒节三个字会让人即时联想到什么关键词？

对很多人来说，或许最先想到的会是一边吃香肠一边大杯喝酒的德国啤酒节，又或许是能以一个价钱喝到饱喝到倒那种自助餐式“啤酒节”。某种程度上来说，在一般消费者眼中很多时候跟啤酒节联系在一起的字眼大概离不开“酒鬼”，“狂欢”，“醉酒”等负面印象。

事实当然不是那样的，至少在啤酒世界另一端，特别是以分享craft beer文化为出发点的啤酒节就有宣扬品饮/品嚐/慢喝细味不同类型啤酒美味层次的作用，参与的酿酒师/啤迷之间互动都是围绕探讨啤酒不同风味展现，拼命喝饱喝倒完全不适用。

While beer fest is generally perceived as some form of party/drink till you drop boozing activities by some---of course NOT ALL beer fest are the same--of course NOT. At least, in the world of craft beer---there are many beer festivals that focus on exploring deliciousness of a beer--sharing of craft culture as well as knowledge---yes, beer fest can be such rather than an excuse to drop face down.

While it's evidently clear that some of the best craft beer festivals are being held in US-Europe---there are fortunately some craft people who are working on getting the standards of Asia craft beer festivals up to mark---we have already seen efforts being made in cities like Tokyo/Shanghai/Beijing/Hong Kong just to name a few...

虽说craft beer界每年最重点最精彩的啤酒节都在欧美地区举办，不过亚洲还是有一些不错的选择，基本来说，亚洲的”精酿啤酒节”会以三种面貌出现：-

In Asia--generally speaking beer fest can be divided into 3 categories:-

1) MIX of MACRO BEER & craft beer
Obviously the best selling beers which has long been dominating the market are the few household Macro Beer brands from international MACRO giants---these are what the general public know as BEER( and sadly how a beer should taste)--with such high public acceptance and brand recognition----it is no wonder sometime we see a MIX beer fest where MACRO BEER are being served in the same event/venue as craft beer---the thinking behind is simple---since these are beers where majority public already recognized---it's much easier to promote the event with very low risks---there's always a choice of trying something strange(craft beer) or just go back to drinking something very familiar(MACRO).
This type of MIX beer fest do not appeal to beer geeks though some would argue that it's a good opportunity to let some who would to get started with craft drinking--but hey--if selling loads of beers is the aim--then who cares if the beers are tasty or otherwise?

1）大厂啤酒和craft beer一起卖

亚洲啤酒市场占有率当然是由几家国际大公司旗下的几个大厂啤酒品牌以绝对优势领先，这意味着无论是市场营销和围堵销售点所需财力人力都在大厂啤酒那边，craft beer的力量是有限的，因为这样，就有了混合型啤酒节的出现，对主办方来说，既然消费者最熟悉大厂啤酒，那大厂啤酒和craft beer一起提供的“啤酒节”自然是最保险的做法。

这类型啤酒节对啤迷来说缺乏吸引力，不过有人觉得啤酒就是要同欢共乐，不必分什么大厂或精酿，反正只是啤酒，喜欢喝哪一种各适其所就好，也有人觉得这是可以让一些只喝大厂啤酒饮客认识什么是craft beer的机会，因为很多啤迷都是从一开始什么都不知道只会猛灌大厂啤酒到有机会接触craft beer并对品饮啤酒概念有了认识後才知道啤酒其实不是只用来干杯YamSeng的。

2) craft beer fest by importers/local breweries
In ASIA---when there are supplies of imported craft beers--that means there are at least a few guys who are working on getting beers from overseas regardless if that's out of love or smelling a business opportunity---a city do need importers to stir up the craft beer scene with delicious choices---and many a times we do see importers gang up to organize big or small scale craft beer festivals as a way to get more public participation/ to promote craft or some form of promotional activities to reward existing craft drinkers.
At Asia cities where local breweries are permitted(in Malaysia there is NO license permitted for any small breweries---even home brew is ILLEGAL)---sometimes we see beer fest with mix of imported beers and local brew---or even special colla-brew between imported brewery and local brewery for the fest which can be a nice touch/talking point especially if the brew quality is up there.

2）进口/在地酿坊个别或一起推动

有craft beer喝的亚洲城市意味着至少有几个进口商在努力把自身所在地没有的一些优秀欧美纽澳等海外品牌带入市场，平时除了在酒吧瓶子店可以买到喝到，一些进口商也会联手办或大或小的啤酒节活动，一来希望可以让更多人参与，二来也可以当做或促销或回馈的市场营销活动。

有在地酿坊的城市比如东京香港台湾北京上海新加坡等等，有时候不同酿坊之间会合作办个活动，一次过让大家可以在一个场地喝到不同品牌酿品，当然有时候也会参与进口商啤酒节，形成进口和在地啤酒一起喝的活动，偶尔也会有外国酿坊和在地酿坊为了啤酒节合酿的限量特别款出现刺激话题和买气。

3) the Heavy-Weight level beer fest
It is indeed very hard to convince everyone which beer fest can be deemed as heavy-weight while others don't---it's kinda all in the eyes of the beer-glass-holders.
Personally speaking---the key to deciding if a beer fest is of certain weight is to look at one and only one thing--the list of participating breweries---whether there are breweries appearing for the first time in ASIA---as well as how "rare"/"hyped" the breweries are according to geeks opinions/ social media/ beer ratings sites/apps----of course these are very subjective and totally not conclusive/decisive enough to call but i'll leave it as that.

In ASIA---in all honestly there are really very little heavy-weight beer fest---of course there are efforts being made in cities like Tokyo- Beijing- Shanghai- Seoul as well as Hong Kong--personally if i were to pick one--then undoubtedly it will have to be MBCT (the mini version of MBCC) which will be held indoor this coming September at Shibuya Tokyo---though it's not comparable in terms of depth/width of the Copenhagen original version---the level of some participating breweries be it making a debut in Asia or coming back for a second year running is by far the best line ups Asia has seen (yet).

On another note---for LAMBIC lovers who love Cantillon--it is lovely that Asia has been allocated some beers during the annual Zwanze Day celebration though it has always been confined to 3 bars in Japan--with a surprise inclusion of Shanghai since last year--though Zwanze Day is not a "beer fest"scale wise---its nice to know that if you are in Tokyo- Nagoya-Nara or Shanghai this Sept--you will be able to sip on 2019 Zwanze Day brew along with whatever else available on that day.

3）重量级啤酒节

怎么去判断一个啤酒节的份量轻重是见仁见智的事，不同喝酒人会有不同诠释，个人意见，最主要就是看参与酿坊名单，换个说法，就是一些人口中的稀有度（或嘲讽式的“虚荣度”），意思是说，出现在啤酒节活动中的酿坊品牌在啤迷/评酒网站或手机程式中的口碑/风评，是不是第一次在亚洲出现，又或是在亚洲有进口但特别带来从没出现过酒款等因素决定。

在亚洲，这样份量的啤酒节不多，近年的确有人在北京上海香港尝试举办，个人来说，去年第一次在新宿公园主办然后今年九月中改在涉谷一个室内场地举行的哥本哈根啤酒庆典（MBCC)缩小版东京啤酒庆典（MBCT），以参与酿坊名单“稀有度”来说，虽然跟丹麦原版啤酒周活动的厚度宽度深度没得比，但毫无疑问仍是亚洲最有份量的啤酒节。

此外，对喜欢比利时天然发酵果酸啤酒的人来说，绝对大师级酿坊Cantillon每年发表特醸的Zwanze Day活动也是备受全球酸啤迷关注的重量级活动，可喜的是亚洲有分到一杯羹，从此前每年只能在日本入口商选定的三家日本酒吧进行，去年相对意外的上海有一家酒吧获得比利时酿坊首肯参与，所以从去年开始亚洲版Zwanze Day变成4家酒吧参与其盛，今年九月尾活动已公布酒吧分别位于日本东京，名古屋，奈良，以及中国上海。

WEEK 147---Seeking own beers--the backlogged page 2 of 2

所住城市找不到自己想喝啤酒/蜜酒这件事对啤迷来说是个避无可避的问题，这其中分别可能是有人比较积极想办法找酒，有人就比较随性的找到碰到好的就喝没有就完全不喝。

自己找酒这件事无论是金钱效益还是时间精力角度来说，看在不是啤迷眼里是件让人摸不着头脑的事，不就是啤酒吗？这件事还只是啤迷间能理解的比较透彻，说到底，啤迷追求的不是酒精饮料，而是化身为啤酒（或蜜酒）的美妙味道。

以下是外求得来啤酒/蜜酒中另一些遗珠：-

The final part of backlogged pages ---here's some memorable ones from the "seeking own beers" series:-

1)Grassroots Brother Soigne

The "alter-ego" of that world famous remote brewery in Vermont when it comes to collab-brew---this time a collaboration brew with the former brewer of Canada's famed Dieu Du Ciel---a saison with lemon-roselle & blood orange in the mix---tasty, well balance.

位于美国Vermont偏远农场酿坊Hillfarmstead的盛名在啤迷圈中无人不晓，Grassroots是他们的合酿作品分身品牌，这次合作对象是加拿大出名酿坊Dieu Du Ciel酿酒师，酿的是拿手的农场风格啤酒Saison，以柠檬洛神花血橙入酒，微酸甘爽中带酵香，整体非常均衡美味易喝。

2) Mikkeller X series(green wax)

At times Mikkeller is being labelled as a "gimmicky" craft brand with it's seemingly endless introduction of various styles new beers---this X series is a line of imperial stouts aged in different barrels---this particular one was aged in Bourbon barrel---it was like drinking a lovely liquid "lava chocolate cake".

丹麦名牌“酿坊”的作品风格类型繁多，也经常玩推陈出新市场营销游戏，这支桶陈黑啤是一系列不同桶陈黑啤中使用美国波本桶浸泡提味版本，酒体醇香厚实，喜欢较浓郁黑啤风味的会感觉对味，记得当时的口感记录写的是，如同喝着液体火山岩巧克力蛋糕般享受。

3) Bell's Two Hearted Ale

Before the craze for fruit-juice like NEIPA---there was mostly either west coast or east coast styles IPAs---with one full on with hops bitterness attack while the other more about mellow/balance---personally not a fan of in your face type of hops attack--this one though is considered "old-school" in the face of new twist in the world of IPAs---still very much a good examples of how a nice ipa can be tasty---as long you can get it fresh(i.e. preferably NOT more than 3 months from bottling date).

在类果汁NEIPA大行其道之前，IPA基本的选择不是美国西岸就是东岸风格，最简白分别是在啤酒花苦味特质呈现方面，一个比较猛烈一个比较温和。个人来说，对过于强调啤酒花苦味攻击的印度淡啤比较无感，比较倾向均衡啤酒花麦芽功能带出果味甘香的酿品，这款虽然现在来说已经是“旧式经典款”IPA，还是适合新朋友的一款

4) New Glarus Raspberry Tart

Undoubtedly one of the best when it comes to fruit beers---having tasted some of their brew using different fruits---this one as the name suggested----it's essentially about raspberry as well as tartness---fruity sweet-sourness is the theme---one which is suitable even for new drinkers who are having doubts about drinking anything sour.

这家美国酿坊是使用水果酿酒的高手酿坊之一，好几款被啤迷称道的作品都离不开各类不同水果入酒，这支酒名称中有覆盆子，也有一个Tart字，显示啤酒风味中水果带来的酸中带微甜气息，两者相辅相成，是适合新朋友开拓味蕾的一款。

5) Homage Chat Flou

A pleasant surprise from the fairly new California brewery--from the nose to mouth feel it's almost like smelling and sipping over-ripe peaches---or in another word rotten/fermented peaches---sounds nasty? not at all---it was in a very nice way--full of goodness from the union of peaches with malt/yeast/hops & water.

加州酿坊用桃子酿造的美式酸啤酒，无论是酒的气味还是说入口味蕾感受都像是嗅到喝到发酵过熟桃果，听起来好像有点奇怪，但一点都不会让人不舒适，除非你不喜欢桃子味道，这是一支某种程度上不是那么均衡但气息味道表现都很出色的果酸啤酒。

6) B.Nektar The Mutant Zombie Killer 

This is a brew which came about through some mistakes during the blending process---though it was an accidental wrong blend--it turn out to be so delicious B.Nektar decided to launch it as a sort of "side-effect brew"---by the way, what could go wrong when apples cherries honey are soaked in a whisky barrel?

根据酿酒师说法，这支酒是在阴差阳错的情况下酿成，意外的发生是酿坊有人把两款不同的蜜酒错误的混合在一起，后来酿坊主人决定保留这些出错的混合酒，看看可以怎么样，后来证明虽然是在出错状况中完成，但完成的混合酒美味非常，完全没有高酒精影响有时候会带来的不悦酒精味，反之是危险的好喝，是苹果樱桃蜜糖和威士忌木桶的美妙“错误”结合。

7) Superstition Peanut Butter Jelly Crime

Drinking peanut butter in a mead? that's quite the idea that sparks this brew---instead of savoury taste associated with peanut butter jam---with mix of honey & blueberry juices this one bring about nutty aroma as well as sweetness and tartness once the initial peanut nose/aroma mellow down ---a nice one as dessert or stand alone drink whenever the mood strike for a small pour of mead.

花生酱是不少人早餐必备，可以在蜜糖酿造酒中喝到液体花生酱美味倒是件有点新奇的事，混合了蜜糖花生酱蓝莓果汁酸香的同时可以品嚐到这些不同食材带来的不同风味层次。与其说是混合，更像是融合，虽然蜜酒名称以花生酱为主导，一开始嗅到的香气和喝起来确实类似花生酱，但味道气息过了最初阶段就会有变化，可以品嚐到蓝莓和蜜糖融合带出的酸香甜美，是款可以当饭后甜点或其他时候单独品嚐的佳酿。

8) Cloud Water  DIPA V13

No doubt the stand out UK brewery thanks to wave of  new craze for NEIPA---V series is a sort of "fun brew" for their anniversary do which gotten so popular the brewery decided to play along and extended the series---this V13 is the last of the series---as a DIPA which could meaning more robust in terms o hops attack or alcohol mouth feel---this one has got no such problems--nicely done, very enjoyable DIPA

以印度淡啤为啤迷称道的英国酿坊并不多，这家来自曼彻斯特酿坊是其中佼佼者，v系列是这家的早期指标作品，原本是庆祝搬迁酿坊一周年而玩票式酿造，大受欢迎情况下连续酿了好几个版本，这款是v系列最终章，作为酒精度还有理论上啤酒花用的比较凶的双倍版本，整体呈现还是倾向酿坊一贯的比较果味香浓风格，非常符合酿坊近年来以NEIPA类果汁印度淡啤最为啤迷称道的风格形象。

WEEK 151---Best Beer-Rare Beer-Beer that got away & Beer Hoarding

Craft community is in a way mini version of the society we live in, there are all sorts of characters/ behaviours all in the name of beer drinking---to some beer drinking is all about drinking so there's no need to be picky so long there is a beer in hand---while to some beer drinking is quite a serious matter relating to finding different flavours /deliciousness although at times rightly or wrongly, somehow the term "beer geeks" would be associated with a bunch of people who are focusing on trying to only drink the best beer/ rare or hyped beer---whichever side of the drinking preference you are at---below are some scenario about craft drinking:-

Craft Beer最大吸引力在于不同类型风味啤酒选择非常多，以新朋友比较先接触到的印度淡啤（IPA）为例来说就有非常非常多不同酿坊在酿造，无论是使用同样单一啤酒花或不同啤酒花组合的IPA选择可说多如牛毛，如何在众多相同款式啤酒中择优而喝是习题，放大到包含更多不同类型风味啤酒选择的craft beer世界，怎么选怎么喝更是新朋友和啤迷之间的恒常话题之一。

有那么多不管是同类型还是非常不同类型选择，也就免不了意味着会有比较，也衍生出以下话题：-

1) the BEST beer

Personally---there is NO such thing as best beer in the world.

though

to some there is such a thing as THE BEST beer in the world.

to some there are too many good ones to pick one definitively.

It is true that we have seen beer ratings website picking list of BEST in the world or Best in styles and so on---while some would argue that the list/chart is a reflection of the opinions of the majority and accept it as it is---to some it is still the opinions of a section of the drinkers---no one can say it definitively that A beer is the BEST in the world when compared to beer B or C of the same style let alone if we take into consideration the varieties of styles/taste profile available in the world of craft beer.

The other factor why a beer can't be definitively confirmed as THE BEST is due to the fact that personal taste ability/senses is different for us human being---there is not a set standard for drinker to say for examples scale out the sourness of a beer with machine precision---while A might think the same beer is of level 4 sourness B might think it's only 2.5 if for examples we can categorize sourness from level 1-5.

1）世上最好喝的啤酒

答案很直接，其实并没有。

”哪一款酒是最好的？ ” ，“我觉得这款是世上最好喝的酒！”

这是经常会在craft beer圈中看到听到的对话，哪一家酿坊的哪一款酒是当今世上最好喝一直是个常会有人或问或提起或坚持己见的事，觉得某一款酒是最佳的人有时候是以评酒网站排行榜作为依据，也有人是参考大众意见加上自己认知觉得，实际上无论是评酒网站或啤酒达人/网红的意见说到底都还只是个人意见，没有绝对权威性去判定哪一家酿坊的某款酒就一定是世上最佳。

一定程度上来说，各个不同啤酒类型是有一定的风格准则依据，但啤酒其实就像美食，就算有基本的风格准则，但美味层次是很难用硬性规定方式去准确判断的，就算比如说以酸度1到5为标准来算，同一款酒可能A喝到是酸度4，B喝到可能只有酸度2.5。至于评酒网站选出来的全球排行榜，某种角度来看是不错的动作但并不能让啤迷完全信服，当作参考是可以的，但不会是绝对权威指南。

2) Rare or Hyped Beer

This is obviously a term commonly associated with craft beer---there are those who are very FOMO about missing out on certain beers---while there are also some who don't give a fxxk about chasing after these highly in demand beers...

In a way---the rare/hyped factor of craft beer is similar to limited releases of some fashion items/sneakers and so on---theoretically a beer would become rare/hyped because it is in very limited supply and supposedly very high quality brew--though to certain extent it is fair to assume these are good beers---but how good it can be to warrant such hype/the sometimes over-the-top chasing by some people(which includes paying crazy reselling prices) is something questionable at times.

The fact is---rareness-hyped of a beer does not automatically meaning the beer will be so heavenly it's worth every effort chasing one or worse by paying silly prices just to satisfy one's curiousity.

2）稀有难寻度不代表好喝度

稀有难寻啤酒（hyped / rare beer)一直是craft beer社区的话题，有人对追寻稀有酒趋之若鹜，有人觉得只是羊群心理不屑一顾，也有人质疑是不是真的稀有难寻就一定好喝到不得了？因为一些酒非常限量酿造限量发售，或需要会员制才能买入，甚至需要抽签筛选才有机会买到等等现象意味着有钱不一定能以首发价格买到心目中好酒，因为那样某种程度上提高了期望值，觉得稀有等同好喝保证。事情是不是那样，以实际例子来说，不少稀有酿品的确是好酒，但很明显的稀有程度并不等同于美味程度，特别是如果你是通过转卖市场以高过原价乘以倍数高价买到的话，付出高价满足味蕾好奇心（土豪炫耀心理的话就不值得一提）是不被鼓励但可以理解的事，问题是有时候付出那么多是不是那么美味是不是值得每一分钱，只能说如人饮水冷暖自知。

3) there will always be beer which Got Away

This is a fact even the most FOMO drinkers would have to face.

The fun part about drinking craft beer is the varieties of styles/ taste profile/ choices we get as drinkers/geeks---the fact that the whole craft community is made up of tens of thousands of different breweries which are all over the world would always mean that unless you live nearby a certain brewery or has got supply of that particular brewery's beers---there is a high chance that you won't be able to get a taste of their beers even though we live in a world with webshop/ international deliveries services due limited supply and so on....

No matter if you are experienced geeks or newly into craft drinking--the one thing we all need to learn is that there will always be beers that we  won't get to taste--no matter how much we wish to ......

3）总会有喝不到的酒

这是不少啤迷都经历过都知道也不得不接受的事。

一般人观念中啤酒是随时随地想喝就喝得到的酒精冷饮，但放在craft beer世界绝对不适用，在这个不同风味类型啤酒选择多如繁星的啤酒世界里，很多时候都可能会发生喝不到自己很想喝的酒那样让人感觉不爽的事，但这就是这个另类啤酒世界的游戏规则，因为不同酿坊分布世界各地，因为比如说很多欧美啤酒不要说出口到亚洲，很多时候就连同一个国家的不同州/不同区都没有正式发行所以很难买或根本买不到，这种情况下，啤迷有时候或者说很多时候知道有某某酿坊出了某某款好酒但就是没办法买到，只能隔着电脑或手机屏幕看图或读着有喝过啤迷的形容词凭空想象。。。

4) Beer Collecting/Hoarding

Almost every decent beer geeks would have some sort of personal collection of beers(as well some mead too)---it is quite common to notice geeks living in US/ EUROPE who have access to many breweries releases at original prices would easily have collection of few hundreds bottles---having said that it is also not uncommon to know that some geeks living in Asia are collecting in big numbers too.

As to why geeks collects beers---some because certain beers do need time to make it even tastier---while some bottles are so precious that people don't want to easily pop it----whichever the reasons might be--the one thing which would always be welcome by fellow geeks would be sharing out some bottles sometimes/ at at appropriate time instead of just keeping them as part of statistic.

4）收起来的酒最珍贵？

啤迷之间有时会听到有人半认真半开玩笑的说“不用去什么酒吧，去谁谁谁的家喝就好，他的精彩藏酒那么多。”

是的，很多啤迷都有私人藏酒，一般来说，因为比较接近众多酿坊，欧美啤迷藏酒数量有几百到上千瓶不是什么稀罕事，当然在亚洲也有不少啤迷拥有数量可观藏酒。

啤迷会收酒这件事算是自然动作，有些酒的确需要收几年後喝才更显现美味层次，而有些酒则因为稀有难寻啤迷舍不得轻易开来喝，就那样，有些啤迷的藏酒会越收越多。

不过，不同人有不同看法，其中一个观点是，收起来不喝不分享的酒只是统计数字，要是同一款酒收好多支的话，无形中意味着减低了其他人一嚐美味的机会，独乐乐虽没什么不对，适当时候众乐乐会是更受啤迷欢迎的分享方式。

WEEK 150----The Basic-Easy-Entry Q&A to Craft Beer for Non-Geeks

因为跟几位非啤迷朋友聊天--想到写一下非正式懒人包--希望对新朋友或不喝/还未喝CRAFT的有点帮助。

After conversations with some non-craft drinking friends---decided perhaps an easy entry level Q & A in layman terms would hopefully be helpful for new people who are about to or newly getting into the big wide world of craft beer, here we go:-

1) What is beer?

beer is essentially an alcoholic drink made from malts + yeast + hops + water(but NOT limited to only these 4) via fermentation process which includes but limited to steps such as boiling--cooling--cellaring/barrel aging(and so on).

1）啤酒是什么？

啤酒是使用麦芽，酵母，啤酒花和水经过熬煮，冷却，陈放等等酿造步骤酿成的酒精饮料。

2) So all beers are the same then?

NOPE---far from it---even if only using the 4 main ingredients mentioned above and nothing else added---beer A can be VERY different from beer B or beer C---for examples the ABV(alcohol by volume) of each beer can be very different---and of course the deliciousness of beer A beer B can be so vastly different as to heaven and earth.

In fact---in the world of beer there is such a divide as to MACRO BEER and craft beer. Also there are many different beer styles which is why craft beer can be so much more exciting.

2）所以啤酒都是一样的？

啤酒主要使用上述4个主要原料酿成，但并不意味着所有啤酒都一样，比如酒精度就可以很不一样，比如美味程度可以差天差地，啤酒世界也有大厂啤酒和craft beer之分，更有不同类别风格（beer styles）之分。

3) what is MACRO BEER?

in simple words---MACRO BEER are essentially some very famous household brands of alcoholic drinks mass produced and controlled by a few International Giants---Basically there's NO nuances or delicate taste profile to speak of---it's basically available everywhere at places like super market, convenience store, coffee shop, gas stations and so on ---you don't have to worry about not being able to get hold of a dozen anytime.

3）什么是大厂啤酒?

最简单说法，由几个国际大公司控制，每年非常巨大量生产的好些“家喻户晓”品牌单调口味啤酒，没什么美味层次可言，基本从不怕断货，无论超市便利店咖啡店餐厅夜店，可以说随处可买到，要多少有多少。

4) what is craft beer

in contrast---the craft scene is made up of tens of thousands of small scale/nano breweries located in different parts of the world---the primary focus is about deliciousness of a beer---due to the small scale production nature, as well as difficulties created by geographical /logistic issues---it's very common for you to NOT being able to buy a certain beer anytime you love to.

In Asia generally speaking---one usually would need to visit a craft beer bar or bottle shop to get what's available since craft beer is still not commonly available in most general shopping places.

4）什么是craft beer?

浅白说，由成千上万家不同小型微型酿坊小量生产，注重不同味道层次表现的啤酒。因为量少，因为地理位置差异和供应链规模所限，很多时候有钱未必买得到酒，亚洲来说，很多时候要去专卖吧或瓶子店才喝得到。

5) what is different beer styles?

It's kinda like when listening to music there are different genre of music such as hip hop/ rap/ reggae/ jazz/ rock/ ballad and so on---in the world of craft beer there are also many different styles of beers displaying different taste profile/nuances a beer can bring---for examples Pilsner,  Pale Ale, IPA, Saison, Porter, Stouts, Table Beer, Weisse Beer, Gose, Berliner Weisse and so on......

5）什么是不同类型风味之分？

举例说，就像流行音乐可以有嘻哈饶舌雷鬼爵士摇滚慢摇情歌之类不同曲风，啤酒也会以不同风味面貌出现，比如说plisner，pale ale，ipa，saison，porter，stouts，table beer，weisse beer，gose，berliner weisse等等等。

6) Why so many different styles？

Just like when eating food there are different flavours of sweet/ sour/ spicy / salty and so on---craft beer is essentially about tasting different falvours in a beer---in fact a well made beer is indeed delicious food in a beer form.

6）为什么要分那么多不同类型风味？

就像吃东西会有酸甜苦辣鲜香等等不同味道选择，啤酒其实绝对可以像美食那样有不同味道风貌表现，说白了，酿得好的啤酒就是不同味道液体美食。

7) Can i buy craft beer anywhere like convenience store?

In Asia---the answer is no---MACRO BEER is still the dominating forces at these places ---also due to the unique nature of craft beer being small volume production and in fact best to have a fairly knowledgeable person stationed in store to help out newbies--craft beer is understandably not commonly available in places like super market or convenience store.

7）所有啤酒超市便利店买得到吗？

亚洲来说，能在超市便利店买到的啤酒绝对大多数都只能是单调无趣大厂啤酒，craft beer由于产量少及不同类型风格繁多特性，以及店里最好有具备一定啤酒知识专人介绍酒关系，没能大量出现在超市便利店是可以理解现象。

8) Can i drink straight from a bottle？

If you notice how different Belgium beers would suggest using different glassware for different beer---it shows that how important a glass can be to beer drinking---there might be some who think that all these are part of the marketing gimmicks or simply being fussy--the fact is that glasses do help in "expanding/ preserving/ awaking" beer flavours in one way or another----Most importantly---the need for a glass is essentially about appreciation of beer flavours---pour it down to a beer glass would help you to first enjoy the nose of a beer( smell the aroma) before sipping to slowly enjoy a beer while it warms up---NEVER gulp down like you would do to a tasteless MACRO.

8）开瓶後直接拿着喝不行吗?

如果有注意到比利时啤酒很多不同酿坊/牌子的啤酒都有搭配自家杯子就知道比利时喝啤酒多么讲究用杯子这回事，或许有人会觉得这只是一种市场营销手法又或是装模作样而已，其实喝啤酒用杯子确实可以一定程度上起到辅助啤酒更好发挥风味层次表现作用。还有就是，喝啤酒应该用被子先嗅味道再小口喝细味品嚐，不是咕噜咕噜一口气灌进肚。

9) A glass meaning an Ice-Cold one?

Nope---generally speaking you don't need an iced-cold glass when drinking craft beer---a room temperature glass is good enough to help the beer slowly warms up from chilled condition to better demonstrate it's full potential of nuances/layers still hidden when cold.

Do take note that unless you are reminded by the brewery to " drink from can" like The Alchemist did with some of their famous ipas--a glass is still the best companion of a beer before drinking.

9）喝啤酒一定要用冷却杯？

不是的，要看喝的是什么类型风味，基本来说喝craft beer并不需要用冷杯子，室温杯子可以更好的让已经冷藏的酒体逐渐回温展现应有的味道层次。

此外。也有少数特定啤酒并不需要杯子，酿酒师鼓励拿着罐子直接喝，因为那样可以展现跟倒入杯子很不同的风味。

10) what is "beer needs to warm up" all about?

It is "common knowledge" that beer needed to be drank cold---but that's the wrong impression cultivated through years of MACRO BEER marketing ploy---the truth is ---beer is a little bit like wine--if people talk about wine needing some time to "wake up"/ "breath" then it is the same for beers  though most beers DON'T need a decanter---give a beer roughly 10-30 minutes time in a glass after pouring-while slowly sipping/drinking---you will get to taste/feel the differences brought upon by  temperatures changes---some in a very delicate way--some in quite obvious way....

10）啤酒需要回温是什么概念？

不同类型风味啤酒有不同味道风貌表现，虽然啤酒需要冷藏，也一贯被认为一定要冷的时候才好喝，实际上啤酒需要一些时间回温以让啤酒中蕴含的所有味道层次可以“苏醒”後让喝酒人可以更好的品嚐享受到酿酒师像带来的风味。虽说不同类型啤酒需要的回温时间一些差异，除非酒标贴纸上有说明一定要让酒回温多久，一般来说，回温时间没有硬性规定，开喝後一边慢慢小口喝一边感受酒体回温是不少啤迷会做的事，一般来说入杯後十分钟到半小时之间可以感受不同温度带来变化。

WEEK 146---Seeking own beers--the backlogged page 1 of 2

This is as the title suggested---1 of 2 backlogged articles from the few written about some memorable beers( as well mead) seek from US/Europe either while travelling or via friend's help.....

写啤酒蜜酒外求记，这几年包括出游或朋友带来本地喝过的好酒，其中有不少大名鼎鼎被众多啤迷追捧酿坊作品，也有些或许不是那么被热切关注但美味的酒，回顾中发现还有不少遗珠，值得一提的好酒还真不少：-

1) Cloud Water Small IPL Citra

it's certainly not easy to find fresh hops focus beers here in KL since it would take months for importers to get in their beers before putting on sale---hence a beer like this one from the famous( or some called it hyped) Manchester hazy brewery is always welcome--thanks to John who resides in KL but travel back to UK quite frequently--there's been quite some nice UK beers having been had since 2 years or so ago. This one as the beer name suggested---is a light one with nice hops aroma lingering....

英国“云水”酿坊以近年大行其道的类果汁印度淡啤（NEIPA）为啤迷所知，不过这款只有2.9巴仙酒精度作品是拉格浅啤类型（India Pale Lager），介乎清爽易喝浅啤和比较富口感带啤酒花甘香淡啤（Pale Ale）之间，对不想喝“淡无味”拉格浅啤也不想喝较强烈啤酒花甘苦印度淡啤的朋友来说是中间选择，是绝对适合才踏入craft beer世界新朋友喝的一款。

2) Other Half All Citra Everything

though also of the Citra hops creation--this one obviously is an IPA with a fuller/rounder hops influence packed full of tropical fruits flavours---there's a reason to why hazy/NEIPA is being loved by many though personally it's really not my favourite style--but this one just showed how it can be well made and enjoyable.

啤酒名称也有Citra啤酒花名称，来自纽约酿坊的这款作品把啤酒花用得猛，是酿造尾段投放大量啤酒花增强提味效应的印度淡啤（IPA），入口满满热带水果芳香，啤酒花甘苦均衡分布，得以在本地喝到这款算挺新鲜美国类果汁印度淡啤佼佼者酿坊作品是乐事。

3) The Bruery Smoking Wood( Bourbon Barrel)

At times it would feel like whatever Asia market could get out of The Bruery is just the scrap of what some would consider as the "lesser ones" when compared to what the US geeks could get--which is not wrong since The Bruery has a tiered membership program which ensure members first--- but getting this one out of a bottle shop in Tokyo does not feel inferior at all---it was certainly one of the best The Bruery bottles i have bought in Asia---it's obviously a heavy beer ( with alcohol!) with woody smokiness as well some sweet influence out of bourbon barrel yet balance out nicely.

较早期在东京瓶子店惊喜发现的美国酿坊“大酒”，酿造高酒精较复杂层次黑啤是这家酿坊的拿手好戏，这款“烟熏木”通过使用不同木材烘烤展现烟熏麦芽能为啤酒带来的变化，啤酒酿成後再放入使用过波本酒木桶熟成，是口感圆润带烟熏影响焦糖香草美味黑啤。

4) Emelise White Label Barley Wine 2014( Bourbon Barrel)

Barley wine somehow has this image of being some kind of sweet malty big boozy beer---one which at times is not really that drinkable---certainly not sessionable---having said that--there are certainly some very well made ones which can be very nice slow sippers---This one is certainly of the nicer ones out there--if you somehow still think barley wine is shit---try this.

来自荷兰酿坊主要以黑啤和大麦酒为啤迷认识，是重口味啤酒酿造高手。对大麦酒这个类型，因为高酒精，也一般比较偏甜，每次瓶子分享会都不是首选，不过酿得好的大麦酒作品偶尔出现倒是会带来不错惊喜，这款就喝起来对味。

5) Old Chimney's Good King Henry(special reserve 2011)

Apparently this one has long been considered as some sort of a mystified rare beer from the old British brewery---sort of an "under-the-radar rare beer" ---had this in KL during a bottle share with a UK geek friend---for those who are used to the big black stouts from the US brewers--this one felt like an in-between of old ale & stouts--not in your face type---felt more like a rather "reserve" in nature stouts.

听起来有点古老大英帝国的旧式黑啤作品，这款黑啤属于少量酿造难寻作品，更早期时连续多年评酒网站上被誉为英国最佳啤酒，不过有点搞笑的是很多英国人没有喝过甚至听说过。对喝惯大咧咧美式黑啤的来说，这款旧式英国黑啤会显得比较含蓄，虽然有黑啤常见咖啡香草奶糖等元素也有橡木桶陈放效应，喝起来就是感觉不太一样。

6)Sahtipaja Passionista

A very refreshing yet distinctively light fruity Berliner beer from the brewery making their names with mead such as "mead me"--a very pleasant one to either gulping down or go small sips---certainly perfect match for south east asia's rather hot and humid weather.

以高水准蜜酒（Mead）为人知的瑞典酿坊作品，一款以百香果入味的德式鲜酸啤酒，易喝清新果香中带酸，也具备一定层次变化，不只是单调一路酸，在本地天气情况下更是美味爽口。

7) Three Floyd's Chevalier Bertrand Du Gueslin

A blueberry sour from the Chicago brewery obviously more famous for their Dark Lords or Zombie Dust/Alpha King---found this beauty in Bangkok of all places some years ago---a pleasant surprise which was delicious.

美国黑魔王酿坊蓝莓酸啤酒作品，有点意外惊喜的在曼谷找到，以厉害黑啤和美式淡啤为啤迷追捧的酿坊酿出的美式酸啤酒具备相当高可喝性，梅果香酸层次了然也具备一定程度均衡度，蓝莓酸啤来说水准之作。

8) De Garde Lee Kriek

a bottle shared here in KL---brought by a geek friend whose sur-name is obviously Lee :)      A rather nice one with sour cherries and oak barrel influences---meaning no in your face single tone sour attack considering it's an American sour......

另一款风格不同的美式酸啤，经过橡木桶把酸啤加入酸甜不同樱桃浸泡熟成，酒的风味表现有明显木桶熟成影响，口感酸甜兼具带点发酵香气，喝起来舒适没有美式酸啤单调酸问题。