WEEK 156---The Unspoken Rules of Bottle Share

This is supposed to be the next article but sequences don't really matter here so will just let this one jump ahead of the previous one first....

在craft beer世界中，品酒（tasting)和瓶子分享会（bottle share)是不少啤迷推崇和选择的喝酒方式，把两者结合就是品酒分享会，无论是字面意思或实质上来说都跟一般人观念中喝酒方式有所区别，很大程度上来说，喝少嚐多是品酒和一般喝酒方式最大不同。

品酒分享会最基本概念就是几个人聚在一起分享自己带来的瓶子，在分担酒量分担酒精情况下探寻啤酒的味道层次。对新朋友来说，虽然品酒分享会并没有什么明文规定准则，但实际上还是有一些“潜规则”要注意的：-

To many a geeks---bottle share/ tasting session is something which comes naturally once you been drinking for a while and somehow manage to find a few like minded beer friends who like to share/ drink less taste more---however for some newbies---how a bottle share would go about might be a new thing, here's a few points to note:-

1) Settled on theme of the session

It is because of the availability of so many different beer styles/ choices that the idea of bottle sharing is a fun one---and it's exactly why one needs to firm up theme of the session before hand--for examples would the session be a Vertical tasting (where it's all the same style of beer from 1 particular brewery but with different years/barrel aging) or will it be a Mix Styles tasting where everyone bring different styles of beer from different breweries.

While Vertical and Mix Styles tasting are two vastly different format of tasting---the objective is the same---that is to seek out different flavours/nuances/deliciousness/uniqueness a beer could possibly bring.

1）先确定品酒会主题

craft beer的不同类型风味非常多，因为选择多所以才可以有品酒分享会，不过，正也是那样所以分享之前需要先确定分享会主轴是强调同一酿坊单一风味酒款但不同年份的直线品酒会(vertical tasting），又或者是以不同类型风味啤酒为主的混合品酒会（mix styles tasting)，这是两个截然不同的概念，但基点是一样的，都以品嚐啤酒美味层次变化为中心思想和目标。

2) "Equal level bottles"

A bottle sharing session is about tasting and it's also about sharing---which could very well meaning the unspoken rule of "equal level brew"--meaning if it is stated that everyone should only bring their A game bottles to a share---no one should bring anything less---bring a B level brew is not a nice gesture.

2) 瓶子级别的对等

品酒分享会讲究的是当然是分享，因为那样，啤迷之间有个不明文规定的守则，就是带来分享的瓶子必须是对等级别的，意思是如果分享会主题是大家必须带A级别的酒，那就不能带B级别的应付过去。

或许有人会问，那么多不同新旧酿坊那么多不同类型风格啤酒，怎样去鉴别什么是A级B级C级之类的？这的确是个问题，因为就算有评酒网站为不同啤酒打分数或有排行榜，谁也不能绝对权威的说什么酒是A或B或C，所以品酒分享会所说的级别对等啤酒很大程度上只能是啤迷之间的共识，某种程度上也算是一种只能意会不能言传，懂的人就会懂的“潜规则”。

as for HOW TO DETERMINE which is A and which is BCDEF level is obviously a very subjective matter--because it is very hard to say in absolute terms what is equal to what--although there are several beer ratings site/apps or even the "top chart/pop chart" equivalent of beer to tell you which beer is ranked at which position in the world----the truth is--no one can tell anyone in absolutely conclusive terms which beer is better than the other---so the "equal level brew" during a bottle share is basically the understanding among those who participate---so long it's acceptable by all then there's no issue.

3) The level of palate appreciation

This may sound a little odd( or even arrogant to some) but there is such a thing as "equality/like-mindedness" during a bottle share session---besides the "equality of bottles brought"---there is also the small matter of "equality/like-mindedness" among those who participate.(imagine 4 people sharing and one only like barley wine--one don't/can't drink lambic/sour---and another only like IPA)

3）味蕾鉴赏力和共识

这样说或许有点奇怪，但品酒分享会在某种程度上的确存在是不是对等的问题，除了上面说的大家带来的酒必须对等之外，参与品酒会啤迷之间对酒的鉴赏力也是一个重要的事，打个比喻的话，有时候品酒分享会就像是朋友之间打羽毛球那样，尽管不是比赛但如果对打双方的水准相差太大，无论是水准高还是水准比较低的都会觉得无趣，分享会虽然只是品酒嚐味，但也是聊天交换意见的场合，如果有人在喝酒时必须一边解释什么是什么然后听的人还一知半解或完全不明白这酒有什么美味的话，那绝对会很扫兴，因为品酒会并不是新人教学班，所以品酒分享会潜规则之一是，不管是新旧朋友，能聚在一起分享品酒的，基本会是具备一定鉴赏力和共识的啤迷们。

In a way---a bottle sharing session can be like a tennis/badminton game---it's NOT  a competition---just a game to sweat it out--but if the two players are of big gap in standards--the game is obviously a lot less fun than it could have been if it were to be played between two same/closer in level players.

Having said that---Of course a bottle sharing session can be a mix of experience geeks and newbies for whatever purposes( educational/ just casual drinking session/bonding and so on...) where the above mentioned unspoken rules does not apply---but if it's meant to be a "equal level share" only kinda session---then it's quite naturally/automatically understood. 

4) Don't waste beer/Not for sake of showing off

The primary objective of a bottle share is to find out how tasty a brew can be---hence the focus is never about how much one can drink or how many bottles can be opened during a session---taste is always the focus--not volume.

It is perfectly ok to pour down beer which do not meet expectations or just not tasting good---in a bottle sharing session its not a waste to "drain pour" unwanted beer---it is a way of saving body energy for the next one which hopefully is a much better one.

4）不浪费但也不勉强

品酒分享会追求的是品嚐啤酒带来美味层次变化，也就是说志不在量，可以喝多少瓶不是重点，最重要是能喝到以什么面貌层次出现的美味，因为那样，在品酒会中如果有人因为觉得不对味或不符合期望值而把杯中酒倒掉洗杯等下一款的话，听起来虽然好像是浪费了酒，但其实很正常，因为品酒会注重的是高质素酿品，如果喝到水准不高的或甚至保存不良的啤酒，与其勉强喝不如倒掉节省身体解酒机能等下一杯。

不浪费酒是品酒分享会应该做到的基本，这可以体现在事先选酒或临场决定，意思是分享会可以事先依照参与人数规划当天需要的不同类型风味起伏，不要因为条件许可所以无节制的开酒，品酒会和所谓千杯不醉没关系，既然目标是品嚐美味，那就最好恰如其份的喝，人的酒精抗力是有限的，味蕾鉴赏力也会受酒精影响逐渐变得迟钝，所以最好的品酒分享会并不是看起来为炫耀而开一堆盛名瓶子又或是有不少剩酒的画面，而是参与者都能很好均衡的分享品嚐不浪费好酒那种。

What constitute to wasting beer is the act of opening bottles when it's obvious from the start that it's way too much to drink for the number of people participating---of course how many bottles is deemed the perfect number for a share is very subjective--since people have different alcohol tolerance level/ as well as bigger/smaller collection of beers---but if the objective a of bottle share is to taste how good a brew can be/find out deliciousness--then drinking beyond one's alcohol tolerance is obviously wasting beer since you palate would have been well and truly FXXK beyond recognition.

As for the more extreme act of showing off by opening a bunch of rare/super hyped bottles just "because i can"---it might bring some envious glance on the social media--but it could also very well be mocked by many as dick wiggling.....

或许会有人会觉得不过是喝啤酒有需要那么讲究吗？的确对很多人来说喝啤酒是件普通到不能再普通的事，不过，对好些啤迷来说，分享会意义是超越喝啤酒三个字能代表的，就像喜爱美食分享美食那样，品酒分享会就是啤迷探寻交流分享藏在啤酒中不同层次美味的一种方式。

While it is true that majority of the public don't know what craft beer is --let alone what a bottle share session could mean to some beer geeks---the fact is that at times a sharing session is way beyond what the word " beer-drinking" could represent---a bottle share session is the way of the geeks to finding deliciousness/ nuances in a beer--much like a foodie would do.

WEEK 155---Who DECIDES what you drink?

There were a few questions/comments on social media recently about beer rating---it started when a brewer throw question about if brewer/ brewery owners or those associated with it should be allowed to rate beers( both their own or others)---and then among the comments there were these two:-

"should anyone rate beer at all?" 

"should anyone care about others ratings?"

最近craft beer社交媒体上出现这样的对话，有人问说“酿酒师应该被允许发表酒评吗？”， 有人回应笑问说“喝酒的应该写酒评吗？”，另一个人反问“自己喝酒有必要去理会别人口味意见吗？”

这是相当有趣的对话，换个角度看，等于有人问为什么看戏前要先看影评人或网红之类评语才决定看不看，又或是订餐厅前为什么需要先看美食饕客写过文章，既然吃饭的是自己，自己不能独立做决定吗？这问题的答案当然不会一致，因为总会有一群人是会想先看了别人意见後再做决定，当然也会有什么都不看自己决定的人们。

If we were to link the above scenario to daily life situations--it's similar to when one refer to movie critics/ratings before deciding if a movie is worth watching--or say referring to food critics opinions/ratings before deciding if a restaurant is worth visiting. There is no right or wrong in these scenario because it's up to individuals what he or she prefer---to refer or to just decides without referring.

同样情况放在craft beer世界里，也会出现习惯先看别人酒评再决定或一直只凭自己感觉选酒的不同群体，或许不熟悉craft beer文化的人会觉得喝啤酒干嘛还需要看或写什么酒评，不过一旦了解不同类型风味啤酒实在多不胜数特质之后就可以理解为什么酒评的出现是自然现象，因为可以感受到的不同类型美味层次佳酿确实多，对啤迷来说，自己写酒评或看别人写酒评都是普遍不过的事。

无论是在专卖吧或身边有啤迷朋友的基本都见过啤迷喝酒时对着杯中啤酒又是嗅又是小口品嚐的同时一边思索一边手机上打字，边喝边写酒评可以说是很多啤迷的特色指定动作，就像美食饕客会做笔记写心得那样，写Tasting Notes或酒评是不少啤迷表达或记录喝後感受方式之一。

The situation is not any different in the world of craft beer with some preferring to check other's opinions/ratings first every time when facing with a decision to pick a beer--while some just go with own judgement/mood of the day---as for why people who drink beer care about writing comments/ tasting notes or rate beers---the motives can be a little different for everyone--some would do it because of "pro-need" such as preparing for BJCP beer judge certification---some for own beer tasting record--some because of the need to tick/"level up" for beer ratings apps/game.....

Tasting Notes(缩写TN)从字面意义上很清楚说明是怎么一回事，喝酒会写酒评/品酒心得感想的起因动机可以有几个，有人是基于“专业要求“为出发点比如为了啤酒裁判（BJCP）认证考试做准备/贯彻所学，有的纯粹只为提升自身品鉴能力，有的是因为积极参与追逐网站/手机程式“评酒勋章”或“提升级别”所以写酒评。

基于写酒评动机的不同，不同喝酒人会有不同方式整理自己的喝後感受，一般来说，品酒5大原则被认为是正统方式，喝的时候依序以外观，气味，味道，口感和整体感受5大要点为依据进行评断，这方式也是许多啤迷习惯使用的。不过，从另一个角度来看，酒评怎么写可以是件没有绝对结论的事，虽然评酒方式可以一定程度上被规范以减低个人口味影响/误判因素，比如按照啤酒裁判认证（BJCP）品鉴指南进行评定，

For the uninitiated---beer tasting notes is basically about one's tasting experience with a beer much like when eating food---when tasting/rating a beer---the 5 basic principles always in used are:-

Appearance

Smell(or Nose)

Taste

Mouth Feel

Overall

The 5 basic principles are commonly accepted rule of thumb by many---although it must be said that not everyone who rate beer or taking tasting notes would follow 100%---if you are more of a follow the guide type---click here for The Beer Advocate tasting notes guide

但也可以是很个人认知的事，网上可以看到各式各样酒评，这其中有比较专业详尽的，但也有很个人化的意见，大致上也长短不一，比如有类似这种 “开瓶倒入酒杯後颜色呈琥珀色，气泡适中不过很快消散，入口微酸爽中带红葡萄酒木桶余韵，酒体中等，口感有坚果，覆盆子，松针，麦芽糖，尾韵带回甘略微干涩显得不够圆润“等等一个酒评中随时可以出现十多二三十个不同食材味道技术性形容词“长文慎入”型酒评， 又或是简单一两句完结的”感觉像喝不甜的巧克力沙冰，好喝极了。”类型短评。

Obviously there are all kinds of tasting notes/ratings out there in the www---and that's understandable since a same beer will be sampled by many different people who would feel/rate it differently--partly due to personal preference in beer taste or beer styles--and partly could be due to one's understanding/appreciation level of a particular beer/beer style.

In short---tasting notes/ beer ratings are basically other's opinions--of course some are great reviews while some could be a waste of time---while looking up to some good reviews would help newbies in some way--but the most important thing in beer tasting is still about how one understand the taste profile/changes/nuances of a brew by actually drinking one.

一定程度上，酒评反映的是个人意见，不同人对味道对食材理解或表达方式不太一样，同一款啤酒不同人喝也可能会有很不一样喝後感受，如果要问什么样的酒评对新朋友比较有帮助，答案是虽然看较专业详尽的会有所帮助，但喝酒这回事还是需要自己品嚐累积不同类型风味品酒经验之后才能逐步提升味蕾鉴赏力，一直看别人酒评虽然可以提供基本概念，说到底酒还是要自己喝过才能真正了解。1

有句老话说“尽信书不如无书”，放在喝酒境界中适用，他人意见是可以借用，不过最重要还是味蕾体验，别人酒评只是或有用或废话的文字，光看不喝单凭想象是没办法实际感受评断的。

There's an old Chinese saying"JIN XIN SHU BU RU WU SHU" "when one only totally believe in books then might as well do without books"---in simple words it means don't just believe blindly what others says---one need to form his/her own opinions too---and that's exactly the scenario when it comes to viewing others tasting notes/beer ratings---end of the day it would still be you who decides after sampling a beer if it's good enough---others ratings can be useful tips or trash opinions wasting your time---and imagining how a beer might taste is certainly NOT the way to go.

After all---a beer is for tasting/drinking--not viewing.