WEEK 250---MBCC Asia Edition--Tokyo/Beijing/Bangkok

Heard from a geek friend late last year that after so many years--Bangkok being the first ever Asia city to have a Mikkeller bar(at such nice environment) is finally going to have the Asia edition of MBCC coming to town. At that point in time--there was no further info or clues as to when or which part of town the Fest is going to be held--all i know is that the chances of this happening is rather high.

去年底在东京和啤迷朋友聚会时就听说曼谷这么多年之后终于会迎来丹麦啤酒庆典（MBCC)的泰国版，不过当时听到的只是有可能，没有大概时间点或庆典规模大小或会在曼谷哪个地方举行。

*Of course by now it's been officially confirmed and annouced--with dates & venue info--as well ticket links--but when writing for the newspaper column--ticket links was not up few days after it was supposed to be uploaded--and with event dates falling on Eve & First Day of Lunar New Year 2027--there were question mark in my mind as to whether or not there might be possibility for change of dates from the organizers--which by now it's looking unlikely.

MBCC started in Copenhagen--initially more as a small scale-sort of brewers geeks get-together event and become bigger later on--back in 2015 when i was there to join the Fest--it was still being called CBC(Copenhagen Beer Celebration) --held at a smaller gymnasium slightly on the outskirt of city center--afterwhich it became MBCC and being hosted at the event hall within walking distance from most parts of city center.

*read on  CBC 2015  延申阅读

MBCC（Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen）是丹麦名牌Mikkeller自2012年发起的craft beer节庆活动，从最初很小型到几年後参与醸坊/啤迷数量增加，从当初小型体育馆到转换较大型会场，这是很多酿坊/酿酒师/啤迷公认的指标性重点啤酒节庆（之一），每年四月或五月来自全球不同角落啤迷会像候鸟那样只为啤酒不远千里飞到哥本哈根，因为MBCC(早期几届称为CBC)每年只在哥本哈根举办一次，每次两天，算上啤酒庆典前后周边活动的话大概七八天，那几天的哥本哈根就是craft beer天堂，不少平时喝不到/找不到的欧美酿坊作品都有可能在那几天出现，对啤迷来说还有什么比身处啤酒天堂更有吸引？

The time was 2018 when Copenhagen decided to bring a smaller scale MBCC to Asia--Tokyo was the place to be in that year September with quite a line up of breweries which Asia have not seen before in a beer fest--the 2 most sought after names in Copenhagen MBCC(where there's constantly a long line and always the first 2 to run out of supplies)--Bokke & The Veil were there in Tokyo with many others harder to be seen in an Asia bar/bottle shop were there too.

到2018年时，丹麦总部联合东京“米吧”在新宿御苑户外场地实现了亚洲版第一届MBCT (东京啤酒庆典），当时不少日本周边国家啤迷特别是新马泰港台啤迷都飞到东京参与，虽然相比哥本哈根原版活动只是小型浓缩版，但醸坊阵容是亚洲非常少见或前所未见的，更何况当时在哥本哈根啤酒庆典每次都排长龙然后酒最先被啤迷们清空的比利时天然发酵酸啤作坊Bokke和美国新贵酿坊The Veil都出现在东京庆典现场，加上不少亚洲平时难得一见的欧美酿坊阵容，说是空前并不夸张。

东京2018那次之后隔年有再办，当时把场地从新宿御苑户外场搬进才开业不久涉谷一家商场内，然后2020年新冠疫情来袭，虽有小型活动但严格来说这之后几年不再有东京版本的MBCC啤酒庆典，意味着想参与其盛的亚洲啤迷别无选择只能飞去哥本哈根。

*read onMBCT 2018  延申阅读

After Tokyo 2018--there were few more even smaller scale events held at various other places in Tokyo before and after COVID hit the world including at the Danish embassy building but 2018 was best of the lot in terms of line up though being held at Meiji-Jingu Gaien outdoor space with very hot sunshine wasn‘t that ideal temperature wise.

With Tokyo not holding events relatively speaking closer to MBCC scale after Covid--Asia has to wait til 2025 when Mikkeller brought the event to Beijing--with breweries such as Hill Farmstead/ Pulpit Rock among others represented. Geek friends who went for last year's event had some good words to say--This year the Beijing edition will continue to be held at the same venue come Mid October.

一直到2025，进军中国市场的Mikkeller把MBCC继东京之后挪到北京办，于是去年有了北京海淀区社区活动中心的第一届MBCB(米凯乐北京啤酒节庆），有认识的海外啤迷去了北京参与，听回馈是感觉不错，今年十月中也将再次举行，官方宣布确认会有75家酿坊参与，其中包括美国顶尖酿坊hill farmstead。

As for Bangkok--I was curious as to whether or not this city that's been(still is)home to the first Mikkeller bar in Asia would have a proper BKK version of MBCC coming to town--personally Bangkok being the neighboring city up north has had some impact during my early years craft exploration journey--with some first time in Asia mini tap takeover or food pairing events all happening at this bar.

实际上，曼谷会不会有泰国版本MBCC是个人相对好奇了很久的事，毕竟全亚洲第一家“米吧”就是十多年前落地曼谷，这家开在Ekkamai居民区一栋独立花园洋房内的专卖吧对个人早期craft beer探索历程有着一定程度关联，早年全亚洲第一次出现的美国顶级酿坊如Three Floyd's，Hill Farmstead以及其他酿坊或大或小规模占领啤酒泵活动(tap takeover)都在这里举行。然后也出现了亚洲专卖吧相对比较少见的蜜酒（Mead）作品，其中美国高手酿坊Superstition办过美食配蜜酒活动。

曼谷会不会有泰国版MBCC的疑问终于在今年八月初有了答案，官方发布会在明年二月初主办的消息，会有不少过50家酿坊参与，也官宣了一部分参与酿坊名单和场地选址，不过与其说一切有了明确答案，个人来说从活动官宣日期以及至今购票链接并没有如之前公告的那样月中开始启动情况来看，曼谷这次的MBCBKK(曼谷啤酒庆典）会不会出现一些变更仍有待观察，首先是庆典日期落在明年二月农历新年除夕夜和大年初一（是的，二月五日和六日大年夜和初一），相信不少啤迷看到这日期第一反应是啼笑皆非和一串问号，这样的日期对传统上需要跟家人在一起的亚洲好多个国家啤迷来说基本就是意味着不可能出现在曼谷啤酒庆典会场上了。

As mentioned ealier--when writing this piece for newspaper column there were question mark on my mind about the dates being Eve & First Day of CNY /Lunar New Year 2027--to many who celebrate or has got the family tradition to follow--those 2 days are almost mandatory to be with family members--most likely at the eldest home--but i do get it that this is also being listed as "Public Holidays" on the calendar. Obviously now that it's been officially annouced in early August--things are set--to geeks who celebrate CNY/Lunar New Year--to go or not to go( or rather can go or cannot go) is the question.

曼谷庆典日期会不会有变更至今仍是未知数，本地和海外啤迷朋友中已有表态会去的，也有不少对日期选择感到无奈又好笑，虽然日历上标明是泰国公共假期不过对需要跟家人一起过农历新年的不少人来说，这是跟一般公共假期不一样的日子，至于有没有人向主办方反映情况，主办方会不会考虑换日期，这都是后话，只能等看官方会不会有变更通知。

*稿刊登後官方已宣布卖票-日期不变。

Line up wise--there will be no less than 50 breweries participating--17 has been annouced so far--personally speaking going to a beer fest overseas--which breweries will be there pouring is vital factor to consider--however given the proximity of Bangkok as well how this city being a laze around place for me--an inaugural MBCBKK could well be worth a visit CNY or otherwise.

对啤迷来说去海外参与啤酒庆典，就算相对来说比较近的曼谷，参与醸坊阵容有谁是绝对重要考量因素，目前官方宣布了预期50（或多过50）家醸坊中的17家，名单上欧美亚洲醸坊都有，个人来说还需要等更多醸坊名单宣布後才能初步判断是不是值得一去。不过要是抛开这点考量的话，单只是从对曼谷这个城市感觉来说泰国版本第一届MBCC是应该要去看看的。

 

WEEK 249--Craft Beer Entry Level--The Contradictory Ideas

 

What is craft beer? this simple question can be rather different things to newbies--to some it can be a whole new world of many choices of beer styles never knew before--but it can also be a confusing strange world of beer with many terms/ideas never heard before.

To a certain extent--it could be confusing to some especially when face with these:- 

不少刚接触新朋友对craft beer是什么会有不同感受，可能觉得是多样化风味选择的啤酒新世界，也可能是让人眼花缭乱不知道什么是什么的各种陌生啤酒名词。 更何况一些一些入门简易概念听起来就像是自相矛盾的正反话，比如以下几点：-

craft beer = high quality/delicious beer

If we consider why craft beer movement started in the first place--this is very much the case--because the BEER market was occupied by MACRO BEER with rather boring offerings with limited styels--someone started to think why can't beer be much more interesting with many more different styles and taste better/delicious. So on that score--craft beer is supposedly high quality/ delicious beer.

craft beer一定优质好喝

从最初出发点意义来说，这是为什么酿酒师想在市场长期被大厂啤酒笼罩风味类型选择非常有限情况下另辟途径酿造自己想喝而且更多不同风味选择的优质啤酒，在这层面上craft beer代表的就是为了提供更多样化更优质好喝的啤酒选择而动。

craft beer ≠ quality beer/delicious beer

Just like when you go to restaurants--there are top ones/ very good ones--but there are also many mediocre/ rather bad ones--it's the same for craft beer--unfortunately there are brewer/s who probably just want to make quick money/ not ready or skillful enough to make high quality/delicious beer but still dare to sell their brews--which in some cases might caused health issues such as diarhea/ vommiting due to bad hygiene or infections issues.

As for whether a beer is delicious or otherwise--this can be a rather subjective matter as it relates to a drinker's taste preferences as well very importantly palate appreciation level.

craft beer不一定优质或好喝
跟上面说的完全相反，然而这是实际情况，并不是所有自称craft beer的就一定优质，就像市面上餐厅那样，世界各个城市乡镇那么多大小醸坊/作坊中，确实会有学艺不精/酿酒功力不到家/投机取巧/混水摸鱼的，也意味着craft beer不同风味作品会有明确的优劣之分。优质好喝的作品可以让味蕾上天堂，劣质难喝的啤酒不仅会让让味蕾不愉快，少数情况严重的甚至可能把人喝到上吐下泻（啤酒是液体食物。有感染变坏造成食物中毒的可能）。
关于是不是好喝则需看个人口味选择/倾向，而且个人味蕾鉴赏力也有决定性影响。

TIME is enemy of beer

First and foremost--there are many different styles of beer--some would need to be enjoyed fresh/ fresher to fully appreciate it's taste profile--for examples IPA or Hazy IPA which is about showcasing different flavours of various hops--this is a rather sensitive style with limited "best flavours period"(very different from "best before" which can be up to a year or longer)--Also beer with adjuncts such as coffee/tea/vanilla/fruits(just to name a few) even if in a stout or porter or pastry stout which some would tend to keep--brewers would advise to drink fresh rather than keep because time would bring oxidization which is the taste profile enemy of these beer styles.

时间能让craft beer风味退化
craft beer有很多不同风格啤酒类型，其中有些类型风格作品是需要在比较短时间“最佳赏味期”内喝才能领略酿酒师想呈现风味层次表现，比如非常需要在全程冷链运输情况下保持新鲜度的IPA（印度淡啤）或HAZY IPA（类果汁印度淡啤）就明显会因为时间拉长而逐步出现鲜度退减/氧化进而影响风味表现的啤酒类型，另外，一些加入特定食材比如咖啡豆茶叶香草或新鲜水果的作品，就算被认为酒体比较厚实的黑啤（stout）或波特黑啤（porter）醸坊会建议不收藏/尽早喝掉才能体会整体风味表现。如果是甜点黑啤（pastry stout）更是建议早喝早享受。

TIME is friend of beer

Sound contracdicting? but it's true for some beer styles for examples Lambic--though some sour beer geek would prefer to drink fresh when it comes to fruited ones--some would keep. As for non-fruited ones--many would keep for 3-5-10 years before drinking--in fact the bottle label would mentioned how long a Lambic can be kept--10 years to 20 years is the norm. There are other beer styles too that some would prefer to keep for examples non-adjuncted stout / barleywine--for lighter beer Hillfarmstead has got a saison/farmhouse ale which is about keeping to get even more complex flavours.

时间能让craft beer风味更丰富
听起来又是自相矛盾的话，实际情况是因为不同类型风格啤酒确实有保存条件良好情况下时间可以让收藏好的作品在若干年岁後呈现更丰富的层次风味，比利时天然发酵酸啤（Lambic）是例子，一些酸啤迷会把加入特定水果如李子莓果桃子等作品趁早开喝掉以享受更清新明显的果酸香风味，当然也有喜欢收一段时间後再喝的。而没有加入水果的酸啤作品则不少啤迷会收个三五年甚至十年以上才开喝（作品会标明可收藏10年或20年或以上）以感受时间带来的层次风味变化。

craft beer can be straight forward BUT also has criteria

To some--drinking a beer is simple and straight forward--it's just a beer--regardless when drinking a craft beer--still only a beer.

But to some beer geeks--craft beer is not so simple--there are certain unspoken "rules"/"ethics" to fully enjoy/appreciate a beer--1 of the things geeks would do even when drinking a seemingly easy gulper such as Lager or Pilners--the beer is always allowed certain amount of time to "warm up"--never gulp it in one go--giving time for beer to warm up would allow fuller flavour profile to be enjoyed.

craft beer可以简单直接但也有一些讲究
再怎么说，craft beer也是啤酒，喝啤酒不就是杯子拿起直接喝就对了？喝酒本就是个人喜好，就算喝craft beer时快喝干掉也只是个人选择，不过必须说的是，绝大多数不同类型风格craft beer都是需要给时间让酒在杯中回温才能领会作品层次风味，才入杯没回温就干掉的话是品嚐不到该有风味变化表现。一般况来说，拉格（LAGER）或浅啤（PILSNER）类型作品普遍被视为解渴易喝可以快喝干掉的啤酒，不过放在craft beer世界，这些听起来简单易喝类型作品其实建议放慢来喝以让啤酒稍微回温可以体会到慢喝带来的味蕾享受。

craft beer can be beer but also NOT beer

This may sound like playing with words--but it's rather more about the shape and form of a certain beer--the common perception of beer is that of yellow/golden color light beer such as Lager/Pilsner or say a Pale Ale.

BUT there are beer which is "not normal" in color or body or taste--obvious examples is the very much fruit punch/smoothie look alike Pastry Sour/Fruited Sour--it is actually beer but can look and taste like thick fruit juices or smoothie. 

Also there are non-beer items but closely associated with craft beer community--styles such as Hard Seltzer(alcoholic soda water) is being made by craft beer breweries--Hop Water too is being produced by craft breweries--as well Mead which is more towards honey-wine than beer( though there is a style where mead & beer is harmonized together) but very close to craft beer community and enjoyed by beer geeks.

craft beer是啤酒但也可以不是啤酒
听起来像是在玩文字游戏，但只是就事论事，在许多不同类型风格啤酒中有大众认知中浅黄或金黄色酒体轻盈易喝型啤酒比如Lager比如Pilsner比如Pale Ale等等。
这之外，也有无论外观颜色酒体浓郁程度都不像一般认知啤酒模样的类型，其中最具象的是果酸/果泥啤酒(fruited sour/smoothie sour)，基本概念是看起来闻起来喝起来像现打果汁或浓郁奶昔的“啤酒”，因为实在不像啤酒很多时候喝到都觉得这不是啤酒。此外，craft beer衍生出来副线作品比如酒精气泡水（Hard Seltzer）以及近年应对无酒精潮流而做的酒花水（Hop Water）都不是啤酒但都从craft beer演变而成。还有就是跟craft beer社群走得很近的蜜酒（Mead）技术上不是啤酒，但也融合在社区中。

WEEK 248--Beer Ratings--to follow or not to follow

 

We live in a world where everything would get judged/commented/rated--though craft beer from consumer market point of view is relatively niche/small(market size wise)--but just as there's travel or food related(and many others) public comment/ratings /recommendation APPs or website/blogs--there are quite a few craft beer focus APPs/website too.

craft beer世界里不同酿坊数量众多，相同或不同类型风格啤酒作品更多如繁星，虽说从市场规模或消费者认知角度来看craft beer只是小众，不过一如美食旅游都有大众点评应用程序/网站那样，craft beer 也有啤迷/喝酒人可使用的点评应用程序/网站，从2000年的Rate Beer(2016年秘密卖股权给大厂啤酒公司後开始被啤迷弃用） 到至今仍活跃的老牌评酒网站Beer Advocate到近些年最广受啤迷使用的Untappd都是专门为点评或记录个人喝过啤酒（也包括蜜酒）作品而设。

From earlier years RateBeer(started year 2000-sold to MACRO BEER owned company in 2016 and quickly got ditched by beer geeks) to still active Beer Advocate, or Brewver(started right after the sale of RB), to Untappd (which is likely the most commonly use in recent years)--there has always been ratings/top charts of beer(mead) for those who needed some opinions.

Untappd的出现对不同人有不同功能，有用户把它当作记录本那样为的是把喝过的啤酒都记录/打卡一下，有的则把它当作选优汰劣指南书，通过一款酒评分高低来决定喝不喝。也有人通过参考别人品酒记录/风味叙述来大致了解一款酒的风味表现再决定下一步。此外，Untappd的评分制度被不少瓶子店/专卖吧当成一款酒的宣传工具，只要评分达到4以上的（满分5分但至今最高是4.78）就会被店家标注。当然，在社交媒体无处不在的如今，Untappd也有交友功能，通过它可以和现实中认识或完全没见过的啤迷/喝酒人网上联系。

Untappd is being widely use in quite a few different ways--basically anyone can be a user--beer geeks or otherise--some users use it as some form of beer journal just to keep track of what was drank--some use it as drinking guide basing on rating's high low--some would look for tasting notes/ flavour descriptions before deciding on the next move--there are quite some bars/bottle shops which uses Untappd Ratings particularly those with above 4( max 5 points but so far the highest is 4.78) to showcase the "higher status" of a particular beer/mead--and lastly in the age of social media this can also be a tool to make friends with other users.

有人问说，刚接触craft beer的话是不是只靠Untappd评分高低选酒喝就对了？毕竟这样好过自己摸索可以少走弯路。这话听起来好像有一定道理，不过个人并不赞成这样单线做法，因为换个角度看这是在抄捷径，有可能会迷路的。只选喝高评分作品虽然表面上看是“保险”的，但如果自己还不完全清楚什么类型风格啤酒应该有什么风味表现，什么才对味什么不对味或者说自身味蕾鉴赏力还没达到一定高度的话，很可能会出现“不是酒好不好喝而是你会不会欣赏”或是“酒其实走味了但你喝不出甚至觉得好喝”的情况。

Someone new to craft beer asked if "just follow Untappd ratings high low to pick what to drink" is the right way to go about rather than explore on his/her own--while in theory this seems like a good path to follow--personally would not encourage it since this is like taking a short cut and one might wandered off along the way--by choosing to drink ONLY highly rated beer( or mead) seems like a good idea since in theory these should be high quality brew--however there's a few issues to consider here--i.e. if newbie who pick only highly rated brew really understand beer styels and what flavour profile he or she is getting, as well if his/her palate level is up to a certain level to best appreciate what's in the glass--otherwise there might be scenario where a highly rated brew is poured but "can't really appreciate not because brew no good but palate appreciation level is yet to reach the level required" or "beer flavour already gone off but one still can't differentiate or even think it's so nice".

Untappd当然可以对新朋友有所助益，关键是要知道所有大众点评类型应用程序/网站都只是别人意见，当中会有啤迷中肯意见，但也难免会有喝酒人各种水平参差不齐评论，如何使用得当而不是完全被评分拖着鼻子走是重点。

So following Untappd ratings is a bad thing? Of course NOT--the important thing is to first understand that these ratings/ tasting note are other drinkers opinions--also the fact that anyone can comment/rate(beer geeks as well newbies/casual drinkers)--there's bound to be mixed opinions from some who can truly appreciate as well some who don't.

举个例子，试试搜寻Untappd 排行榜的话（以个别啤酒/蜜酒作品最高评分往下排列），会发现排名前30作品中只有3个不同类别，其中黑啤（Stout）就占了24个位，蜜酒（Mead）有2，大麦酒（Barley Wine）有4。（缩小到前10名的话则是黑啤有8，大麦酒1，蜜酒1。）。虽说实际上可以搜寻个别不同类型风格作品排行榜，但如果单只看“最佳”排行榜的话会错以为其他类型风格作品不入流不值得关注。

So what might go wrong if a newbie just follow Highly Rated ones? take for examples the current TOP 30 rated beer/mead on Untappd--there are 24 Stout- 2 Mead & 4 Barley Wine( if narrow down to TOP10 then there's 8 stout-1 mead & 1 barley wine)--these are only 3 styles--there are many more interesting/delicious beer styles which are not represented in the TOP30 list but in no way meaning those other styles are in anyway less worthy.

情况当然不是那样的，个人口味选择来说，有幸喝过的“最佳”排行榜中前30一些作品实际上不会是个人想主动寻求或是喝过後想要有机会再喝的（ 比如占据好几个不同排名的美国老牌酿坊Goose Island的Bourbon County系列黑啤/大麦酒作品），相反的有不少喝过但在排行榜上看不到踪迹的其他类型风格作品才是个人感觉对味好喝有机会绝对想再喝的。

Personally some of those TOP 30 brew which i have had the pleasure of sampling--in fact there are quite a few which i would not seek for(for example Bourbon County series) not because they are not nice but simply due to personal taste preference--would actually prefer many others which i have tasted but not listed as TOP 30 be it stout/barley wine or some other styles. 

说白了，喝craft beer很大程度上是个人口味选择，一款作品就算评分再高/被众人追捧，如果喝起来闻起来感觉不对味或现阶段味蕾能力欣赏不来，那大概只能说是既浪费钱也浪费了酒。

Simple conclusion--beer is still about one's personal preference and palate appreciation level--no matter how highly a brew is rated--if it's a style you don't prefer or in some cases can't fully appreciate due to appreciation ability then in all honesty it would be a waste of money and the brewer's effort.

WEEK 247--What is Craft Beer--a few basics

 

Went to a speciality coffee event recently with a geek friend and chatted on some basics regarding how to appreciate coffee particularly for someone new like myself--in that sense--the same can be said of craft beer--how do a newbie get closer to craft beer & appreciate what's in the glass better? Understanding some basics on where craft beer flavours comes from probably is a good starting point.

不久前和啤迷朋友去了国际知名咖啡师来马亲自手冲的精品咖啡半天限定品尝会，期间和朋友聊起精品咖啡在喝什么的话题，实际上无论是喝咖啡或craft beer，对重点基本概念有所了解是重要的。

The first question here might be--there are so many different beer styles within the craft beer world--so what should we look for in a certain beer? The most simple answer to this is probably similar to enjoying food--all things aside--tasty/delicious shall be the most common thing we look for--same goes for craft beer drinking--overall flavours performance of a beer is what we shall look for.

craft beer世界有好多个不同类型风格（beer style)/名称啤酒，那么多不同类型啤酒到底是在喝什么？答案跟吃东西一样，不管吃什么重要的应该是味道如何？好不好吃？说直接点就是看啤酒的整体风味表现。

So where do all these different styles of beer get their flavours from? 

啤酒风味是从哪来的呢？以下是几个基本概念：-

4 Basic Ingredients 四大原材料:-

Malt

There are many different types of malt/grain which can be used in beer brewing--depending on the choice of malt/grain used--each can bring different influence on the flavour profile of a beer--including the color of a beer.

麦芽

麦芽有不同选择，比如烘烤过或原味的，有小麦大麦裸麦等等都能为啤酒带来不同酒体颜色观感和风味表现。

Water

Sounds very simple but for beer brewing it's not as straight forward as it seems--different level of sof/hard water would have influence on the beer quality--same goes for alkaline level( pH)--perhaps a very good example of why geeks are fond of "well water" from Hillfarmstead brewery says it all about the importance of water quality in a beer(besides brewing skills)

水

听起来很简单，然而酿酒对水质是有要求的，不同软硬程度的水，水的碱度，水中矿物质含量等等都会对啤酒带来不同影响。

美国顶级酿坊Hill Famstead使用自家农场井水是公认的作品特色之一，带有当地风土（Terroir）特质的水质和酵母结合让懂的啤迷一喝就会有熟悉感。

Yeast

A beer goes through a certain process and yeast is another essential part of this--and there are many different types of yeast--apart from cultivated yeast which a brewer can pitch--there's also natural/wild fermentation method where yeast is literally "fall from sky" which is how Belgium Lambic is made.

酵母

啤酒是需要发酵而成的，使用什么类型酵母会带来不同风味表现啤酒，除了人手加持的酵母，也有开放式利用空气中野生菌发酵的做法（Natural Fermentaion）,酸啤迷们推崇备至的比利时天然发酵酸啤(Lambic)就是最有特色代表。

Hops

Probably what most newbies would have come into contact with--be it due to popularity of IPA or somehow the bar/bottle shop has a name with the word Hops.

Indeed Hops has always been associated with IPA( or Hazies/NEIPA) since this beer style is where it show it's strength to the fullest by providing different hops flavour profile depending on which hops were choosen. In fact hops is being used in all beer styles as balancing agent during beer making process.--even Lambic which is known for funky/tartness uses "old/used hops".

啤酒花

可能是新人们刚接触craft beer时会先看到的字眼，一是无所不在的印度淡啤或类果汁印度淡啤 (IPA/Hazy IPA)影响，再来可能是店家名称精彩出现这个单词。

啤酒花是印度淡啤不可或缺的主角，但并不是只出现在IPA，啤酒花是酿造啤酒中必须原材料，以酸味和霉香为啤迷推崇的Lambic也需要啤酒花但不是新鲜而是已使用过，原有特质不张扬的旧啤酒花（old hops)以起到杀菌和中和作用。

 

Adjuncts

This is very straight forward--if a brewer add anything OTHER THAN the above mentioned 4 basic ingredients to a beer during/after the brewing process---that's adding Adjunct/s to a beer--it can be anything edible--from fruits to vegetables/plants/ to spices to coffee tea to chocolate/vanilla so on so forth--list could be endless really.

Of course--to add or not to add is a choice--there are beer styles which are usually not asscociated with adjuncts(such as pilsner/lager/pale ale...) and obviously there are styles which would be heavily associated with adjuncts( such as pastry sour/ fruited sour/ pastry stouts).

Speaking of Stout--there are non-adjunct stouts--though there are also many adjuncted ones.

添加物

意思非常直接了当，就是酿造过程中加入一种或好几种食材（比如水果/蔬菜/草本根茎），香料（比如肉桂/香草）或咖啡/茶/巧克力等等以提升原酒风味层次表现。

当然，添加物只是选项，可加也可以完全不加，取决于啤酒类型风格规范以及酿酒师想法而定，比如传统风格拉格(Lager)，浅啤（Pilsner)  或淡啤（Pale Ale) 就原酒原味表现为特点，一般不玩添加物概念。

再比如黑啤就明确分为添加 (Adjunted)和不添加（Non-Adjunted) 系列，近些年流行的甜点黑啤(Pastry Stout)就是添加物黑啤代表作。

Barrel-Aged(BA)

Also rather straight forward--it means putting beer in a barrel--usually a used barrel which perviously contain other types of alcoholic beverages--it can be whisky/bourbon/brandy/port/cognac/red or white wine--the list goes on---as for why? answer is plain to see--soaking beer in that particular barrel to enhance flavour profile/layering of the beer.

How a brewer do BA process can be quite different--there are a single barrel way, or putting same( or different) beer into different barrel and then blend them into final beer--or a brewer might decide just putting beer into barrel is not enough hence some Adjuncts shall be added.

Of course--to go BA or otherwise is a choice--for examples Stouts do have many BA or even double/triple barrel-aged variants--also many non-BA stouts out there--having said that there are actually many other beer styles which do go through BA process--including the seemingly "lighter" beer such as Saison or a Lambic.

桶陈方式

一如字面意思，指的是把啤酒放置桶内提味，选用的桶可以是烈酒类（比如美国波本，苏格兰威士忌，墨西哥龙舌兰，法国白兰地等等），或红白葡萄酒，或葡萄牙波特酒等等众多之前装过上述酒类的旧桶，用意是想让啤酒吸收旧桶内其他酒类/木桶气息让作品变得更有不同风味层次，用什么桶视乎酿酒师想让作品呈现什么风味而定。

啤酒桶陈方式可以是单一桶也可以是几个不同旧桶陈放/勾兑混酒而成，也可加入添加物如水果/香料等等再静置而成。

桶陈或不桶陈也是选项，比如常见的黑啤就有BA（桶陈）和原酒（不桶陈）之分，当然桶陈也不只是用于黑啤，很多其他类型风格啤酒也通过桶陈方式提味而成。

WEEK 246--2025 Memorable Beer & Mead--Additional List(by ct)

As mentioned in previous post--there is some more beer/mead to add on for 2025 list--partly because there is limitation of space for the newspaper column--the other is purely out of personal record since the below mentioned bottles are worth a note.

2025最有印象酒单之前上下篇选了13款不同风味啤酒/蜜酒作品，重看去年不同场合分享/喝过的还有些表现出色作品没有纳入之前酒单，以下是好些遗珠中补充选出的年度酒单。

Pips--BA Amalgamation

Had this during last Xmas share here in KL--with 5 different types of fruits/berries thrown in to merge with orange blossom honey in used bourbon barrel--it's very much berries flavours intense with hints of barrels as well suitable tartness to make this a pleasant slow sip fruited mead.

芝加哥顶尖蜜酒醸坊波本旧桶陈放提味莓果作品，使用蓝莓，黑加仑子，红醋果，黑莓和樱桃五款不同水果为作品添加果酸香风味，闻香入口都有莓果气息。酒体倾向浓郁但不厚重，喝起来口感丝滑多过浓稠，果酸香蜂蜜中自带波本旧桶影响，整体风味表现均衡出色，一起喝的啤迷朋友之前说过这款是他个人最喜欢蜜酒作品前三，确实是款风味层次表现出色的莓果作品。

Antidoot--Gorsern/Framboos 2020

Not the first time having this variety from Antidoot--though different years batches might show some sort of differences in terms of overall flavours performance--1 thing is rather constant--that this rapsberry variant always been a pleasure to sip--this one with tart cherries added was a nicelu enjoyable one.

比利时小醸坊覆盆子酸啤作品，虽然开喝时间距离装瓶日期有接近五年之久所以可能没有了装瓶後短期内开喝时覆盆子还散发水果鲜香的“鲜活感“，不过可以确定的是入杯後喝起来还是充满覆盆子风味，酸啤和水果结合带出的微酸香气息喝起来很舒服。实际上已喝过不同年份覆盆子作品，不同季节/年份覆盆子风味和酿造过程都可能带来风味呈现差异，至今醸坊覆盆子作品每次喝到都不会让人失望。

Side Project--Rye BBT 2024

With no adjuncts this BBT is all about bourbon( willet) barrels as well Rye influence--dark choc-vanilla-caramel with hints of spiciness & oak/wood from the barrel & rye influence--always a pleasure with any BBT really--rye or otherwise.

美国密苏里黑啤高手醸坊BBT是盛名在外年度系列作品之一，这是裸麦版，以不同年份WILLET波本旧桶陈放过的自家黑啤混酒而成，是纯桶陈没有加入任何其他食材添增风味黑啤作品，波本旧桶和裸麦带出特有辛辣和橡木桶气息，整体风味表现厚实酒体中充满黑巧克力，焦糖和香草风味，入杯初期有点酒精感但回温后口感顺滑多层次风味来袭，是味蕾享受。

Cantillon--Blabaer 2021

Did not expect to come across this one in a Tokyo share--brought back some distant memories of me lining up at Himmeriget almost 11am local time during MBCC week back in 2018  when most guys been lining up the night before---got a small bottle of the same same year release and actually shared in Tokyo--though this blueberry Cantillon lambic might not be as hyped when it was first brewed for OlBUTIKKEN bottle shop--and then Himmeriget--it is still very much a bottle i would not say no to whenever/whereever.

比利时天然发酵酸啤大师级醸坊20年前为丹麦一家瓶子店开张特别酿造限量蓝莓作品，也是多年来一到首卖会就引来各地啤迷齐聚哥本哈根通宵排队只为买到一瓶的著名果酸啤。 虽说那么多年过去后，这款蓝莓天然发酵酸啤不再那么奇货可居。但对喜欢这家醸坊作品酸啤迷来说，任何时候能喝到无论什么年份的Blabaer 都是开心时刻。承蒙住东京美国啤迷朋友分享，去年底在分享会上时隔多年再次喝到这款多年前自己从哥本哈根买到後在东京分享的同款不同年份作品确是乐事。

Standard--Kink

Apple mead with Pisang( Banana in Malay) from Thailand added--from nose to palate enjoyment there is some sort of South East Asia feel to this one--a familiar and enjoyable one.

美国蜜酒醸坊的苹果蜜酒。加入产自泰国的香蕉，一定程度上可以说是相对熟悉的东南亚水果风味蜜酒作品，两种水果和蜂蜜非常和谐的融合，喝起来是三种食材相互呼应的香甜可口。

Manic--Breakfast with Elliot

A rather American style breakfast--enhancing own brew of Elliot with vanilla bean+cinnamon&maple syrup into it's blueberry based mead--sweet & tart at the same time with all the adjuncts coming into play to make this one nice and thick.

美国印第安纳醸坊的“早餐”作品，是自家原版作品Elliot的加强版，将香草荚和肉桂再添入一些枫糖让原版作品变成风味更突出的美式“早餐”蜜酒，感谢住东京啤迷朋友分享，闻香是带有蓝莓香气的蜂蜜味，入口能感受到肉桂风味中夹带的香草味，让这款蓝莓蜜酒风味表现更具层次感。

 

Second City--BA None of Them Open

Sadly this meadery has ceased to operate though they have some very nice varieties of styles & flavour profile of mead--this one was aged in a 3rd used barrel previusly conditioning Revolution's stout " DETH'S TAR"--A rather heavily fruited mead with black currant & blueberry as well other adjuncts added--smooth one to sip despite the additions.

已宣布结业不玩的美国蜜酒醸坊作品，和另一款作品BA Fake Doors一样，都是将蜜酒放置之前陈放过另一家醸坊出名黑啤DETH’S TAR的旧木桶而成，意思是这两款蜜酒作品并不是通过直接放置其他酒类旧桶而是已被黑啤使用过的“第三手”旧桶。以黑加仑子和蓝莓为基调并加入香蕉果汁肉桂香草让整体风味表现更具差异感，可惜的是醸坊已自行消失让蜜酒界少了一家高手醸坊。