WEEK 194---How to Drink LAMBIC

No---unlike how the title is souding--not trying to teach anyone on how one should drink a Lambic--there are certainly Lambic experts who are much more knowledgeable to do that---what i'm trying to do here is more of wanting to share some observations with newbies who are interested with trying out Lambic but perhaps have no clues on how to appreciate a Lambic better.

由于新人有疑问，这期就来聊聊LAMBIC。

对相当多新朋友来说，LAMBIC是没有中间点的啤酒类型，刚接触时不是皱着眉头捏着鼻子被酒的气息味道“吓到”逃之夭夭，就是觉得酸酸的怪怪的但好像还可以接受。

这样说是因为LAMBIC是具有非常独特特点风味的类型，野生菌自然发酵带来的影响，LAMBIC是天生自带一种霉香（有人说类似发霉的异味，有人说像蓝莓芝士那样臭香臭香）的风味独特酸啤酒，而且严格意义上只有布鲁塞尔周边特定地区酿造的才能称为LAMBIC，可说是有着特定地区空气水土气息影响的啤酒，不是一般酿酒师轻易能模仿而成的。

For many newbies---Lambic can be something of a like it or shun it sort of beer style---most likely due to 2 reasons---firstly it's sour(can be really puckering to some during first few tries)---and then most importantly it has got this Unique FUNK resulting from spontaneous fermentation which can be really off-putting to someone's nose--kinda like those who cannot appreciate the smell of blue cheese or the extreme example of say a Durian.( of course the funky smell of Lambic is different)

So what is a Lambic?

in very simplistic form---a Lambic is a beer spontaneously fermented within the specific areas in and around Brussels or more specifically termed the Pajotternland area---the uniqueness of wild yeast within this region means that ONLY Lambic produced within this region can be called a Lambic(in a way similar to how a Campagne can only be called Campagne when produced within the specific French region)---and Lambic can only be brewed during the cooler/colder period of a year as hot weather is bad for fermentation process.

Also Lambic is a time consuming beer where it would typically take up between 1 to 3 years to produce/age/blend before deemed good for release to the market.

LAMBIC是什么？

简单说就是通过空气中自然产生的野生菌发酵而成的自然发酵酸啤，当然中间还有一些对环境气候温度的外在因素讲究，比如只能在低温季节的深秋和冬季酿造（因为热天高温会带来不利于酿造的破坏性坏菌），也有对酿造材料和时间工序的讲究，比如只使用风味已褪去或说非常温和的旧啤酒花而不是新鲜啤酒花，比如需要超过一年或更久时间酝酿陈放才能出酒等等。

喝LAMBIC有讲究？

不同于喝其他类型啤酒比如IPA，PALE ALE，LAGER等较易喝/直接类型，喝LAMBIC一定程度上是有些讲究的：-

here's a few observations when drinking Lambic:-

What to expect ?

It is not wrong to assume that when drinking Lambic---sour is the key word---but it does not just starts there and end there---a well made Lambic can be much more than just sour---in fact even within the context of sour---there can be different tone/layers of sour---say from sour to bitter sour to sweet sour to funky sour as well as back end spicy/ savoury/sweeten tone of sour---there can be varieties of sour notes in a Lambic.

Also--depending on the use of barrels( be it red/white wine or hard liquor)---and what sort of fruits or food items(say vanilla or tonka beans) were added---Lambic can have varieties of taste pofile even though the key tone is sour.

In short---when facing a Lambic--newbies would first and foremost need to be able to appreciate the idea that beer can be sour--be able to savour what else are there other than just sour---and MOST importantly be able to accept(let alone appreciate) the uniquely Funky smell which in more ways than one is the essence of a Lambic.

1）喝出什么味道才对？

的确，LAMBIC是酸啤酒，酸味是很正常风味表现之一，虽然酸为主轴，但绝对不只在于一个酸字，优质LAMBIC风味绝对是独特具有多层次表现的，从酸味到酸涩到酸甜到酸香到回甘，其中不同分支的LAMBIC可以随着不同酿酒师混酒手法，陈放使用的其他酒类旧木桶，或者加入浸泡提味的水果或食材或香料，还有时间工序的长短等因素呈现以酸为主但风味细节可以很不同的啤酒。

最浅白语言说的话，喝LAMBIC除了首先要能接受啤酒可以是酸味概念之外，更需要能鉴赏酸味之中/之外的其他风味体现，比如最基本但也最独特，很多新朋友一时之间觉得难以接受的天然发酵霉香味。

Drink it fresher or keep it ?

To many a geeks---Lambic is about time---meaning for a same batch of Lambic---drinking it fresher/earlier upon release OR drinking it after some time/years of aging can bring about quite obvious or very big differences in how the same beer taste or even smell--it's quite normal to hear geeks saying 'should have kept this bottle for another year or more" after cracking it and felt somewhat let down--that the beer did not taste as rounded/good/layered or too young/thin/ lacking in layers---hence the saying among geeks of trying to not waste a Lambic by drinking it too "young".

But this is not to say all lambic bottles needed to be kept for say over 5-10 years only can be cracked--some geeks actually prefer to drink some earlier for examples fruited variants fresher as the taste and aroma of the fruits would be more eveidently fresher.

In short---to drink fresher or to keep it is very much a personal choice---it depends on what taste profile/flavours one would expect from a bottle.

2）早点喝还是晚些喝

有人说LAMBIC就是时间酿的酒，意思是同样一款LAMBIC，不同年份的会有不同风味展现，又或是，同一款同一年份但不同时间点比如早一年迟一年或更久喝也会有韵味上的差异（有时是巨大差异）出现，比如有些LAMBIC过早喝会出现风味单薄酒体风韵缺乏层次现象，酸啤迷会觉得浪费/可惜了。但反过来说有些LAMBIC比如加入水果浸泡提味的作品则可能要早点喝才能领略到水果鲜香风味，但如果追求的不是果鲜味，那就无所谓，或许收久了的水果LAMBIC虽可能果鲜味不再但还是有其他风味层次在，有时候某款LAMBIC早点还是迟些喝也看喝的人想找到什么风味层次而定。

Just the beer or wallop the sediment too?

If you look around Lambic serving pictures on social media especially from the specialized Lambic bars---you would notice there's always a basket holding the bottle on it's side while the bottle is in a 'sleeping"position---this is not a gimmick or a show---the reason for this is simple---to keep the sediment at the bottom of the bottle while pouring.

The idea is to enjoy Lambic "clear' without the interruption of muddy sediment. 

In short---Lambic is best enjoyed while stirring clear from the sediment---but if muddy sediment is your thing---and you prefer your lambic drinking that way---then yes please enjoy it the way you prefer---personal perferences shall be respected.

3）是只喝酒还是连酒渣一起干？

有注意到的都会知道，很多国外啤迷喝LAMBIC时都会将酒瓶斜躺在一个特制的竹篮或铁篮子上，这不是装腔作势或为了好看，这样做的理由是为了让酒瓶内的残余物/酒渣留在酒瓶底下而不是随着倒酒动作进入酒杯。

LAMBIC是自然发酵的，就算装瓶後还是自然发酵状态中，瓶子内会出现一些残余物/酒渣是正常现象，从品酒角度来说，倒入不激起酒渣渗入的LAMBIC是很多人都选择的方式，因为酒渣的混入会让酒体浑浊并在一定程度上影响口感，虽然如果有人喜欢把酒渣一起干掉不是问题，个人选择来说还是会尽量让酒渣留在瓶底就好。

Is Decanter a must?

craft beer in general needs time to warm up( or to breath so to speak)---Lambic certainly need time to get warmer after opening/pouring to show it's true potential taste profile---using a Decanter is one way of achieving that purpose---but personally i do not think it is a MUST have---if you happened to have a Devanter and feel like using it for a Lambic then by all means go ahead---but if you do not have one then there's no need to look for one purposely.

In short---so long as you give sufficient time after opening/pouring to that botlle of Lambic to breath/get warm before downing it--then it's quite good enough.

4）醒酒器（Decanter）必要吗？

啤酒是需要回温的，特别是包括LAMBIC在内属于较复杂类型啤酒开瓶/入杯後更加需要时间回温（或者说让酒呼吸）以展现应有的风味层次，倒入醒酒器让LAMBIC能更好的开拓酒体风味是方式之一。至于是不是每次喝LAMBIC就一定要用到醒酒器，个人觉得不是一定要，如果手边有醒酒器想用当然可以，没有的话也不必特意去找，只要记得LAMBIC是开瓶後绝对需要时间慢啜细品的就可。

WEEK 193---The Good Buddies of Craft Beer

 

Mentioned the word Beer---first impression which comes to mind for many is that Beer is just Beer---it is something very simple which has no relations with other alcoholic beverages whatsoever.

That is of course not true-- in the other world of beer--that of craft beer where beer indeed has many layers of closer than thought relationship with many other alcoholic beverages---for examples when beer are being barrel-aged in all sorts of barrels--be it whisky-bourbon-port wine-red or white wine-brandy-tequila-cherry wine- mead and many more...

In simple words--beer is in many ways closer to other alcoholic beverages than many would have thought.

大众印象中，啤酒只是简单易喝解渴酒精饮料，一些人甚至觉得跟其他酒类相比的话喝啤酒感觉层次低，但那只是片面看法也不重要，实际上在另一个很多消费大众还不认识的啤酒世界中，craft beer有不少其他酒类好朋友。

 啤酒能跟其他不同酒类有什么关联呢？说来还真有些，比如craft beer通过桶陈熟成手法吸收其他酒类使用过酒桶味道气息精华来提升啤酒风味层次是常见做法（所以啤酒带有比如威士忌或白兰地或葡萄或波特酒等等旧木桶风味一点不出奇），此外也有少量加入其他类型酒混合而成的啤酒作品，又或是craft beer酿酒师也是某种其他酒类（比如波本酒或自然酒或日本清酒之类）酿造者等等。

以下是一些比较常见于craft beer好友圈的其他酒类：-

here are few examples of craft beer buddies though they are completely different alcoholic beverages which are not beer yet do coexist in the world of craft beer:-

Beer Wine Hybrid

It is hard to imagine for many that beer can actually work well/closely with the seemingly "higher class" wine---in fact besides using old red/white wine barrels for beer barrel aging purposes---there has been some beer wine hybrid emerging in the craft beer scene--perhaps in part due to the rise of Natural Wine where some natural wine makers could also 'double up" as beer maker(one such example  is Antidoot Wilde Fermenten from Belgium).

As for the question of---Is beer wine hybrid more of a wine in beer form or beer in wine form---personally i would say basing on the limited number of bottles i have had so far---beer wine hybrid is in a way skewed more towards sour beer direction---but that is not to say it will only be that--hoping to sample some other beer wine hybrid bottles which would bring out even more possibilities from best of both world in the future...

葡萄酒混合型啤酒

一直以来，印象中啤酒和葡萄酒是界线分明完全没有直接关联的两个酒世界，而且一般人印象中说起喝葡萄酒感觉上硬是会比喝啤酒高档。

当然，喝什么酒才算高档不是关注点，无论喝的是葡萄酒还是啤酒最重要始终是酒的素质高低，佳酿能带来的味蕾享受层次才是重点。

虽说啤酒和葡萄酒界线分明，但使用旧葡萄酒木桶陈放熟成啤酒在craft beer界中是常见手法，而近年随着自然酒（Natural Wine)的流行，craft beer界也开始出现一些混合啤酒/葡萄酒的作品，虽然感觉上倾向酸啤酒类型，但视乎酿酒师想法，混酒作品可以喝起来像是葡萄酒的啤酒，也可以是啤酒风味占比更重类型。

Cherry Wine

The name says it all--it's wine made from cherries--but of course not as simple as well since there are many different types of cherries available--as well a cherry wine maker can decide/enhance/tweak how the taste profile of a cherry wine can be by way of using different types of barrels/adding intended food items/spices and so on--in short a well made cherry wine can be much more than just the simple impression of sour or sweet cherries.

Though a stand alone alcoholic beverages on its own and has nothing to do with Beer---it is not surprising to see Cherry Wine popping up during craft beer festivals( think MBCC or even MBCT)--also there's been some cherry wine-beer collaboration over the years--including one stout by The Veil which was barrel-aged in a Fredikskal cherry barrel which was absolutely tasty.

樱桃酒

樱桃酒是独立的酒类，基本也跟啤酒没什么直接关系，根据酿坊手法和使用的樱桃类型，樱桃酒可以是甜味为主或是风味比较干涩类型，当然也有酸樱桃风味类型。

虽然听起来毫不相干，但樱桃酒在一些craft beer专卖吧或比如哥本哈根啤酒庆典级别的“啤酒节”出现是常有的事，craft beer使用其他酒类旧木桶添加水果包括樱桃浸泡啤酒陈放提味是惯见手法，樱桃酒桶也无例外的成为一些酿酒师桶陈选择，个人喝过最有印象黑啤中就有使用樱桃酒桶陈放版本，也在海外啤酒庆典和特定专卖吧中喝到美味的樱桃酒。

MEAD

Mead is another stand alone alcoholic beverages which pop up very often in craft beer festivals---primarily brewed with Honey & Water( wild yeast too at times---as well adding fruits/food items/spices/adjuncts depending on styles/what brewers wanted to achieve)

Though relatively still under the radar here in Asia craft beverages market--mead is quite popular among some beer geeks---it is not uncommon to see overseas geeks seeking to trade mead for certain beer---or vice versa. 

Of course---there's a "mead-beer hybrid" in the form of Braggot---where the use of malt and honey made it a sessionable mead-beer( or beer-mead).

蜜酒

蜜酒是蜂蜜酿造的酒，虽然蜜酒几个不同分类中包括半蜂蜜半麦芽酿造的蜂蜜啤酒，但大致上来说，MEAD是蜂蜜酿造为主轴的一个独立个体类型，跟啤酒直接关系不大。

话虽那样说，但蜜酒一直都跟craft beer界关系匪浅，在不少啤酒庆典中会看到蜜酒酿坊出现，喜欢蜜酒的有相当多都是啤迷，在海外二手交换/转卖市场中也会看到有啤迷以蜜酒寻求心目中想要的啤酒（或反过来以啤酒寻求换取蜜酒），至于蜜酒为什么跟craft beer界关联密切，原因或许很简单，除了蜜酒酿坊也是非常小型酿造之外，寻求能带给味蕾美味享受特质是啤迷会喜欢上高质素蜜酒作品主因。

Short Note

Apart from the above mentioned 3---there are of course other buddies of craft beer which are being seek/liked by beer geeks---one such is Cider--be it pure cider which may or may not be barrel-aged OR hybrid of beer/cider---the sight of cider popping up at craft beer fest/or bottle sharing sessions is common.

Another rather new emerging "buddy' of craft beer is Seltzer( or some called it Hard Seltzer)---this one can be quite opinion splitting because to those who don't look up for it Seltzer is just carbonated sugar/fruited water with alcohol--it's far from being a beer---BUT we have seen beer geeks willing to trade good bottles of beer for it--as well saying good things about it---so like it or not--Seltzer is here to stay( at least for the near future).

小结

上述3种不同酒类之外，近年出现在craft beer好友圈的包括CIDER（苹果酒）还有最近在craft beer圈子冒起的SELTZER（酒精气泡水）。在盛产苹果地区，把苹果酿成易喝苹果酒几乎是家常事，craft beer酿酒师通过放入其他酒类旧桶熟成或混合啤酒方式让这听起来家常的酒类发放异彩。至于酒精气泡水，有啤迷觉得只是汽水所以不屑一顾，但也有酿酒师通过添加水果或其他食材让听起来很不啤酒的气泡水变得不一样，从美国转卖/交换市场近期趋势看得出，确实有啤迷不惜以啤酒寻求换取气泡水。

WEEK 192---Easy Drinking ( & delicious) Types of craft beer

WEEK 191---Some recently had bottles.....

It's almost half a year---covid scenario is not looking good here in Asia with many places facing up surge in cases---Malaysia is one of those---while international travelling is still very much out of the question---thankfully overseas beer mails been coming in small batches (personal pack as well group guys various packs)---these are some which were either shared(when situation permitted) or cracked at home not long ago....

最近和本地瓶子分享会固定啤迷成员聊天谈到大约八九年前大家都在喝些什么，随着对craft beer的认知转变以及味蕾鉴赏力的提升，对酒质素要求也更高，自多年前自己从欧美市场找想喝的酒进来後就没改变过，去年至今大家更积极的向外找酒，疫情反复不定情况下，瓶子分享会没能开几次，但好酒还是会喝一些的，以下是几款值得一提瓶子，有分享会喝到也有在家小酌的。

Belgium Lambic

For the uninitiated---the term Lambic already in itself represent Belgium---just like champagne meaning those originated/produced from the region of Champagne in France---Lambic is that unique spontaneously fermented sour beer originated/produced in Belgium which sour beer geeks goes head over heels with.

Here's 2 which were had recently

3Fonteinen Aardbei Kriek Bio(1819)

A Lambic with strawberries & cherries--very obvious nose of unripe fruits with funk--sour berries notes on initial sips which gets more jammy as the beer warms up with profound strawberry notes--sourish with dry finishing.

比利时天然发酵酸啤 

喜爱比利时天然发酵酸啤的啤迷都知道这家大师级酿坊，除了基本款，也一定会有加入不同水果或食材然后通过不同酒类旧酒桶陈放提味的或常态款或限量版，这款加入草莓和樱桃的算是亚洲比较少见的果酸版本，喝起来水果风味显著，是出色作品。

Giradin Black Label Gueuze

Had this as well the White Label years ago--personally do think Lambic from Giradin is grossly under-rated though they are really good, as well one of few base lambic wort providers for the very sought after Bokke's blend.

Revisited this one after few years---still very much a lovely solid one--nice notes of wood-earthy-green apple-ish--pleasant sips after sips.

一家被低估或者说不太受注目的出色天然发酸啤酿坊，虽然作品不太多，最受酸啤迷认识的大概也就是黑白两部曲，基本出现在市场的量也不多，但确实是基本功非常扎实的出色作品，虽然相对低调但绝对不容忽视，几年後再喝仍然很喜欢。

Not Your Usual English Cider

Cider can be very straight forward of crushed apple juices with sugar---obviously not these 2 :-

英国非一般苹果酒

一般来说苹果酒被认为是很普通的，在英国更可以是家常酿制饮料，这两款当然不是家酿，也不是一般直截了当的苹果酒：-

Mills + Oliver's Foxbic Three

Mills is about natural fermentation beers--while Oliver's is about cider making---this one is a collab-blend of both styles---notes of tangerine with oak influence---dry though fruity--bit of clove but mostly fruits with funk.

Mills是英国酿坊新贵，玩的是天然发酵(spontaneous fermentation)酸啤或农场风格啤酒，这款是跟苹果酒作坊Oliver's合酿的混酒作品，结合两个不同类型酒风味，喝起来既不是酸啤也不是苹果酒，相当有特色。

Starvecrow Natural Cider Bourbon BA

sort of cross borders brew--with cider from different types of English apples thrown into used American Bourbon barrel to soaked on those bourbon goodness---light tartness with obvious barrel influence--easy sipping with undertone of bourbon--never one dimensional--a pleasant one with depth.

英美跨界结合的作品，把几款不同苹果酿制的苹果酒放进使用过的美国波本酒桶陈放提味，入口微酸回甘中很明显的带有旧木桶波本风味，虽易喝但有层次有特点。

Fruited/Adjuncts Sour--UK variants

throwing fruits/adjuncts into beer is not something new--it's been done years ago---but not until quite recently with trend of escalating the "throwing game" to a new level where the sheer volume of fruits/adjuncts being thrown into beer has gotten very very heavy handed.... such as this one:-

玩水果加料的英国酸啤

投放大量水果让原本风味比较纯粹的啤酒（比如德式酸啤Gose或柏林小麦啤Berliner Weisse）变得复杂，改头换面，甚至面目全非是近期趋势，以下是两款同样玩水果加料但手法成品不一的酸啤：-

Fallen Acorn Have You Got Any Samples

loads of black berries+raspberries+passion fruits as well marshmallow added--from color/body to how thick/murky the lacing looks--one can tell just by looking at the pic above that this is very obviously NOT your typical sour beer---in fact with the very smoothie like mouth feel---this one surely don't look or taste like beer at all....

加入大量黑梅，覆盆子和百香果，之后再融入棉花糖，从外观颜色到酒体浓稠度到满满水果味道的风味呈现，加上应该是特意保留的颗粒感，类似沙冰口感喝起来完全没有让人觉得这是啤酒的可能性。

Neon Raptor Hydra Fight

in total contrast to the one above---this "imperial lassi gose" does look and feel like a beer---even though it was added with lots of mango-passion fruits & pineapples---nothing murky or hazy about the looks but taste wise fruits influences is very obvious while still maintaining how a gose would taste with adequate sour/saltiness--a nice slow sipper.

酒体颜色看起来都”很正常”的德式咸酸啤，加入芒果百香果凤梨，虽然看起来一点不浓稠浑浊，但投放水果带来的风味影响很明显，也有这类型啤酒应该出现的咸酸风味，是适合也需要慢嚐的作品。

American Farmhouse ale + Stouts

美国农村风格啤+黑啤

Hillfarmstead Florence

A saison/farmstead ale from Hillfarmstead--that in itself already sounded like a no-brainer--though "only" a regular variant--it's already a real pleasant easy sipper---aroma of lime/orange peels/citrusy yet with hints of malts--light tart light salty--nice.

美国顶级酿坊的易喝型农场风格常态款，青柠清香橘皮风味还有麦芽气息，微酸中有那么一点点微咸，简单易喝但有时简单才是难以做得出色的。

 

Prairie Holiday Weekend

though now is the age of pastry stouts--and the fact that perhaps the "branch out"America Solera stouts is more in trend than Prairie's ---still nice to have this early days 'wow" factor stouts( think Bomb) maker's dark brew---notes of cinnamon/dark chocolate/dark fruits--a little 'old-school" but nothing wrong with that.

较早期喝到美国黑啤中很出色的一家，多年後再喝酿坊作品，虽然已被新一代甜点黑啤（Pastry Stout）风潮淹没，但扎实基本功还是会说话，喝起来以肉桂黑巧克力黑色果实风味为主轴的“旧派”黑啤喝起来还是很不错。

WEEK 190---What is drinking craft beer all about?

*a back dated post--written earlier in the year.

i was asked by someone who is not a craft drinker--"what is it about that some of you craft beer geeks are so serious about beer drinking?"

有不熟悉craft beer是什么的朋友问说为什么一些啤迷看起来对喝craft beer这件事好像非常认真，不就是喝啤酒吗，到底有什么需要那么认真的？

一年刚开始不久，就来重新审视下喝craft beer对不同人来说可能会是怎么一回事。

let's try to find out why:-

The Serious Drinkers

Indeed there are some beer geeks who are dead serious when it comes to craft beer drinking--why so is simple--because these geeks view beer drinking as a process of discovering flavours in a beer---seeking out well made/ delicious/ interesting beers is the aim---simply put--beer drinking has gone above and beyond the basic/general idea of simply drinking alcoholic beverages---it has become a sort of "gourmet drinking"---like foodies trying to find the best available delicacies--beer geeks are( sort of ) on a mission to seek out the best possible beers one can get--with the aim of finding out awesome flavours available in a beer.

认真喝

朋友问的没错，众多不同喝craft beer群体中确实有一批啤迷对喝啤酒这件事抱持着比较认真心态，对这些啤迷而言，探寻啤酒中能找到的不同类型风味层次是乐趣，找到喝到心目中佳酿是目标，没期待情况下喝到好喝的惊喜更是可以成为不断往前探索的原动力。

简单来说，喝酒对这些啤迷来说很大程度上已经超越了一般朋友聚会单纯吃吃喝喝的意义，虽然啤迷瓶子分享会看起来也离不开喝喝吃吃，但跟一般笑谈吃喝聚会不同的是，啤迷最关心的是为了什么样的酒而聚在一起分享，换句话说，聚在一起固然很不错但前提是当天大家能拿出手的是什么质素的不同类型啤酒，只有大家认同认可了可以摆上台面分享的啤酒类型“够资格”之后，分享会才能成型，对啤迷来说，瓶子分享会最基本不成文规则是，酒的质素一定要优质而且对称，虽然怎么判定什么就是A级水平并没有简易统一方法，但能聚在一起分享的啤迷之间会有一定默契和鉴赏水平，什么是够资格的什么是摆不上台面的，大家心中基本都有一条线，目光一致的都以喝好酒为出发点和最终目标，认真的理由其实很单纯，就是想喝到高水平佳酿。

因为那样，啤迷为了啤酒节庆又或是为了找酒而出国是正常不过的事，不同于一般人出国旅游的关注点，啤迷出国最主要“景点”一定离不开专卖吧瓶子店以及啤酒节庆会场，这种为了啤酒而飛的举动看在一般喝酒人眼里是有点让人摸不着头脑的，毕竟啤酒哪里不能喝非要花钱花时间飞到国外去喝？

认真的啤迷除了瓶子分享会，为酒而飞，或通过自己努力从国外找所住地方完全没机会找到的啤酒之外，不少人也会考取比如认证啤酒裁判（BJCP）或侍酒师（CICERONE）的课程认证资格，而且很多时候出发点也不是为了个人职业规划，更多的是因为兴趣或想提升对啤酒的认识又或者是为了可以从比较专业的角度看待啤酒有关的认知，可以更正确的分享craft文化等等因为对craft beer有热情所以自动自发的想要更好。

here's a few things about serious drinkers/geeks :-

1) bottle sharing session is vital--and always treated seriously where liked minded people /"equal standards/ and or perceived/accepted bottle standards is crucial to a high quality session. In simple words--one cannot bring a  B or C level bottle to a share when it is clearly an A or A+ level sharing session---as for the question of how do one determine what is A,B,C level bottle---the thing is geeks generally has got a way of agreeing or disagreeing what is which level---so long it is agreeable then it's all good. *(if one is clueless then obviously don't belong).

2) sourcing for own bottles when local market cannot satisfy the kind of demand where likely geeks has out grown the local market supply chain in terms of the need for varieties/beer styles or specific breweries bottles/cans. 

3) travelling overseas for beers--where daily schedule is solely or mainly to craft beer bars/ bottle shops or breweries tasting rooms or particular beer festival related venue/s

4)   taking beer related courses/exams such as BJCP or Cicerone out of personal interests and not necessarily for beer related jobs.

The Casual Drinkers

it is largely acknowledge that casual beer drinkers are the much bigger consumers group than serious drinkers---this is very understandable especially when MACRO BEER has long been seen as very easy thirst quenching cheap alcoholic beverages---things don't really change that much when it comes to craft beer drinking since many only drink casually---for examples drink in large volume is common among some craft beer drinkers---downing 6-7-8 of the same bottle in one go is not uncommon (which serious drinkers will never do)---most of the time casual drinkers are more like drinking according to mood/occasion rather than specifically seeking for varieties of flavours in beers. To some casual drinkers--the manner in which serious drinkers go about a tasting session is too rigid/laughable/pretentious even...

随意喝

在喝craft beer的群体中，虽然没有正式数据不过可以说相比占少数对喝啤酒保持比较认真心态的啤迷们，随意喝的群体其实是占大多数的。

情况或许有点类似吃东西，大多数人都喜欢吃自己觉得对口味或者说感觉好吃的东西，但绝大多数人是不会想要比较认真“研究”一些相关资讯的，反正东西好吃就可以，吃完了就是，没什么必要知道更多，这其实也没什么可以诟病的，放在喝craft beer角度来看，不少已经知道并在喝着craft beer的喝酒人其实并不会像那些比较认真啤迷那样为了喝啤酒去做一些特定的事情，更多时候随意喝的人们只想按照自己的心情/渴望度/或是当时的环境决定怎么喝，认真啤迷们那些对瓶子分享会的门当户对讲究或花钱花时间国外找酒进来的举动听在耳中是有点侨情可笑的，感觉喝啤酒喝到那样好像没什么意思，因为好像已经失去了朋友相聚吃吃喝喝聊聊的最基本喝酒乐趣，那些所谓认真的瓶子分享会听起来就像是设了一定门槛才能参与的什么学术研究班那样，喝酒喝成那样，能有趣吗?

In the End

there is absolutely no right or wrong for anyone to be very casual or being serious about craft beer drinking---it is of course all about personal preferences---perhaps to brewers/ bars/bottle shop owners---serious drinkers/geeks are the ones who can better appreciate a brew( but could also be a bunch of demanding picky assholes)--while casual drinkers are definitely a much needed market supporters/consumers to be reckoned with--in a way both are important to the craft beer industry.

As for the question of which type of drinker one wanted to be--the serious one or the casual one--in fact one would see/figure out a direction for him/herself after drinking craft for a while.

小结

craft beer到底喝的是什么，应该怎么喝这问题没有绝对标准答案，一切都看个人意向而定，认真的啤迷们觉得应该要讲究酒的质素整体表现等等，喜欢比较随意的喝酒人们也有自己的看法喝法，虽然道不同但也没有什么大问题，或许对酿酒师还有craft beer店家经营者们来说，认真啤迷们可能是比较看重和珍惜佳酿的一群（但反过来也可能是吹毛求疵的讨厌鬼），但比较随意的喝酒人是不能或缺的销售支撑力量，两者缺一不可，该怎么喝到底喝什么，是要走认真啤迷路线还是随意喝喝就可以，喝着喝着一段时间心中会有大概方向的。

WEEK 189 --- April Bottle Share--a few nice as well peculiar ones

 

and so we are almost half way through 2021 with things pretty much the same as last where travelling or gathering "normally" is still far from normal--here in Malaysia--even though things are yet to calm down but at the very least small gathering for bottle sharing was made possible by the lifting of stricter movement control order not too long ago--making it possible for the few of us in KL Tasting Group to meet and share some privately sourced overseas beer mail--this session is the most recent one where a beer or two actually triggered some "commotion" due to peculiarity rather than deliciousness....

疫情延续影响下，不少亚洲啤迷某种程度上去年开始把找酒眼光瞄向欧美网购市场，一些平时已在买的更是因为开始出现以前不会网上卖的好酒而加大搜购力度，而酒一旦收得稍微多了难免要跟同好开喝分享。

好酒是要分享的，上周末和本地瓶子分享会几位固定啤迷成员聚首，重点当然是把各自不同时间从国外找来的不同类型风格私藏拿出来分享，以下是一些好喝或不算好喝但有趣有特点的瓶子：-

basically we don't do many bottles at one go--no vertical--but a mixture of different beer styles and usually do not surpass 15-16 bottles/cans per session so as not to waste beer with numbed taste buds towards later part of session.

here's a few nice/peculiar ones from recent session worth mentioning:-

Angry Chair---BA Cake Pop

this is probably the most pleasing imperial stouts i have had in recent time---even with first sip when it's relatively still cold---it was already showing how much chocolate/roasted coconut/sweet coconut forward this can be---nothing cloying--hints of vanilla and bourbon influence---so drinkable for a stout with thick yet silky smooth body/mouth feel--guys were surprised to see me pouring myself to add on small pour for a few times--for a guy who is not a big fan of anything pastry---that says a lot about how well made/pleasing it was.

personally--this felt like a sure fire hit song in the Karaoke--one can keep going.

"愤怒的椅子”是美国佛州芸芸高手酿坊中的一家，拿手类型是黑啤，比如这款第一口就让人满腔尽是黑巧克力椰香，顺滑的酒体带有香草味，也有波本酒桶余韵，虽然酒精度是11%，但美味易喝均衡程度几乎感受不到酒精影响，也忘了这是款喝之前可能让人先入为主觉得腻口的甜点黑啤类型，实际上因为可口好喝而很少有的小小添加了两次而被啤迷朋友惊呼说没想到说不怎么喜欢甜点黑啤的家伙竟然自动添酒了。

Toppling Goliath--Assassin Tequila Barrel

for guys who knows about the big stouts from TG--the Assassin series( along with KBBS - SR 71- Mornin Delights and the most recent Shadow Raptor) are big stouts which needs no introduction.

However-- i certainly have some doubts about how well Tequila barrel can complement/enhance  stouts--even if this is Assassin.

after sipping it initially as well when it's much warmer---i'm curious about how the base beer would be---for this tequila version--it was very obviously rough on the edges---there was no palate pleasing roundness--alcohol was obvious--but despite the lack of balance---this is undoubtedly a Big Stout--the rich base of the stouts dominated all things even in somewhat rougher manner.

对爱喝黑啤，也懂什么是过去多年来最被啤迷推崇追捧大黑啤清单的一定知道这家美国爱荷华州酿坊有几款盛名在外黑啤作品，包括被认为是黑啤金字塔顶端之一的KBBS，此外还有SR-71，Mornin Delight以及有着几款不同食材添加或桶陈处理分支的“杀手”系列。

这款是经过龙舌兰酒桶处理版本，整体来说并没有那种讨喜的浑圆饱满，相反的非常菱角外露，闻起来喝起来都能清楚感受到酒精感，但霸道的黑啤底蕴粉碎了被认为没酿好只是泛泛之流黑啤的可能性，虽不圆润也不均衡但确实是有实力的霸气大黑啤。

Antidoot L'Obscur Amaro

the one which caused a "commotion" with the guys immediately upon opening--the first guy who opened the bottle went "errr...smell very strange"--then 2nd guy smell and right away had this "horror look"--3rd guy took a smell and nothing good came out of his facial expressions as well---following comments were made after each smell and took initial sips:-

"yaks--like medicinal herbal tea"

"smell like newly dead body--if this were to be my first Antidoot--i will not seek for it anymore"

"with obvious dislike expression"--not my style of beer"

"with somewhat struggling expression"--i'm trying--give it some time and see how..."

I sadly missed out on the initial nose upon opening as i was enjoying other glasses slowly and wanted to let this one warm bit more before pouring---from what i tasted its was sort of in between abshinte/herbal/ wood/ with hints of herbs & mints on the nose though it's likely neither--taste sourish brown ale with all the herbs/roots influence--certainly not a pleasing one--as well not an easy one but definitely not awful--far from it--this is a very polarizing one for sure---and perhaps thought provoking too.

分享会中最有趣的一款，一开瓶就引起一阵骚动，导因是最初开瓶後的酒体气味让啤迷朋友们都或皱眉或露出困惑或啼笑皆非的表情，说是好难闻好奇怪（个人因为慢啜之前其他酒迟倒入杯而错过了体会最初开瓶味道），朋友们刚喝都觉得味道不容易接受，有位朋友说如果第一次喝这家比利时新贵酿坊作品是这款的话，肯定会对这家酿坊水准打上大问号。

个人喝到时并没有感受到朋友们说的难闻怪味，气息酒味微酸涩草本加苦艾酒风味，绝对不是易喝讨喜类型但也绝对不难喝，是可以开拓味蕾感知的一款。

Hill Farmstead Civil Disobedience #28

another one which also caused a little commotion--this time mainly due to how this dark blended ale tasted---it was nothing close to what Hill's fans came to know of---there was nothing very recognizable about this blend ( if compare to CD 2020 which was had at same session)---it was tasting more to the direction of vinegar, wood, herbs. malts with sour tones---very unlike the mellow lemony easy drinking nature of CD 2020.

当天另一款让啤迷朋友们皱眉头的盛名酿坊作品，“公民起义”系列是酿坊每年都会出的混酒作品，而每年混合选酒都不尽相同，有趣的是每四年就一定会出一款黑色混酒作品，这款就是黑色版本，跟当天喝的同款2020年版本无论酒体颜色或口感风味完全南辕北辙，要是说2020版本是酿坊一贯美味易喝有层次的话，#28则是让人有点摸不着头脑的风味，微酸中带醋味，木桶，麦芽，草本，基本没有讨喜的味道，对期待酿坊一贯风味呈现的啤迷来说是很反差的味蕾体验。

Fallen Acorn   leave home with an orange and pretend you're laughing at it

2nd time drinking creation from this newly found UK brewery--this time also an easy drinking style of beer --basically wheat ale drowned in good company of orange blossom plants + orange blossom honey---very light body yet aromatic nose and mouth feel once it hits your palate---with lingering layers of honey, floral notes---awesome depth and layers for a seemingly easy light beer.

第二次喝这家英国新酿坊简单易喝型作品，这次是使用了橙花草本加橙花蜂蜜酿造的小麦啤酒，味道非常清香特出，是一闻一喝就立刻感觉很好喝，蜂蜜花香特出，酒体轻盈非常易喝但层次明显感受得到，余韵悠长带回甘，简单中尽见功力，不是高手绝对办不到。

The Veil   Never Calm3 Xtreme

a really heavily fruited Gose---but this is really more of a fruited juice bomb than anything else--such thick body and color with intense nose of guava /passion fruits/pineapples---no hints of alcohol at all---personally did not think i was drinking a beer but more of a concentrated fruit juice---the joke was if we were to mix this with some soda water/ sparkling water and give it to anyone---people will just drink this thinking it's fruit juice......

近期大热的“不像啤酒”类型作品，超重手水果投放让人怀疑到底是喝浓郁果酱汁还是德式酸咸啤，无论从酒体颜色浓度都不是啤酒”应该有”的模式，味道口感是很香浓的青色番石榴味道中带百香果和凤梨，酸甜果味中喝不出任何酒精味，朋友说如果加入气泡水稀释调和大概所有人都会自然的觉得就是果汁，完全不会想到竟是啤酒。