WEEK 149----Q & A with a non-geek friend

"so you mean you flew all the way from your country to here because of beer?"--an airport immigration officer asked me once.

你飞来这里的目的就是因为啤酒？”这是真实对话，问话的是机场移民厅官员。

啤迷会为啤酒出行到其他亚洲或欧美城市，又或向欧美求购亚洲找不到啤酒的举动看在一般人眼中觉得不可思议，有非啤迷朋友问，“为什么你们会为啤酒做这做那？”。以下是非啤迷的一些问题：-

This is what i told my non-geek friend during a not too distance conversation---he was obviously quite "confused" as well as "intrigued" by the fact that beer geeks at times do things out of the norm just to get beers---here's some part of what was spoken"-

Q1) What is beer to beer geeks?

" Different people might have his/her version of what beer is all about--for me personally beer is a form of deliciousness---kinda like delicious food---with a wide varieties of taste profile/nuamces to be explored---though beer is alcoholic drink but it's more of gourmet food in liquid/beer form when really well made."

1）啤酒对啤迷来说是什么？

不同啤迷有不同看法，个人来说，酿得精彩的啤酒就跟美食一样，是不同美味的化身，虽是酒精饮料，跟一般人认知最大不同在于，啤迷追求的是化身为啤酒的美味层次。

Q2) Geeks finding own beers from US/Europe? is that necessary?

" It's not really that surprising or out of the norm---in a way it's kinda like an avid scenery photographer would go around places in the name of photography---or say a foodie would travel for food---the reason why some beer geeks living in Asia would willingly pay some good money on mailing cost to get beer mail in is quite simple---to taste/to drink some beers he/she really wanted to try--also many a times those bottle/s would be shared with fellow geeks/friends."

2）一些亚洲啤迷自己从欧美外求找酒，听起来很夸张，有需要这样大费周折？

这并不夸张，其实跟迷上风景摄影发烧友到处去拍不同地方或喜欢美食的为了美味到处去是一样道理。啤迷会花时间付外国运费也要找到一些欧美酿坊作品的原因很简单，排开炫耀土豪心理或高价转手卖因素之外，动机就是因想喝但亚洲买不到，很多时候啤迷买了也不是自己独饮而是选择跟几个朋友一起分享品饮。

Q3) All these hassle just to get a few sips? why not buy a dozen of the same good beers and enjoy by yourself?

"Here's the scenario:-

1/ In the world of craft beer---it's not always the case of money can buy you whatever beers at any number of bottles you wanted---some newly released bottles are limited/very limited in supply---there's always a limit of how many bottles one can buy---some are only release via lottery system---so it's really hard to get one at times let alone a dozen.

*certainly not talking about/not recognizing some who don't mind throwing silly monies to buy from greedy re-sellers at XXX times of original release prices.

3）大费周章才买到就只喝上一点？为什么不干脆买上一打慢慢喝？

这事情要分开来看：-

第一，在craft beer世界里，很多时候不是有钱就一定买得到，不少酒是限量的，有的是一年一次特定日才卖，别说亚洲啤迷，就算在地欧美啤迷也很难买到一打。

第二，如果能买到一打自己慢慢喝固然很不错，不过好些啤迷只想小杯小口品饮，喝到了解味道层次就可以了，喝一打不是重点。

第三，对一些有玩啤酒评分/打卡习惯啤迷朋友来说，同一款欧美啤酒买一打是浪费资源的事，一箱寄来都是不同款啤酒才是正道。

2. If at all a particular beer can be bought for a dozen--that would be nice too--but to some geeks--having some sips to understand the taste profile/nuances would be good enough---drinking a dozen is not a priority. 

3. To some geeks who are quite seriously into beer ticking/untappd badges--having a big box of beer mail in from US/Europe with dozen same beers would be deemed a waste of resources---a box full of different beers is what needed.

Q4) Beer geeks must be quite rich then？

“Nope---it's not about individual wealth(though obviously it helps to have a deeper pocket)---the key is about what would be your area of focus/interest? Say if all things equal and have 500myr to spend---A might be buying new shoes/clothing---B might be spending on bags and so on---but for a geek--it's not surprising that all 500 would be spend on buying beers(or some mead too). To a geek--if he/she wanted certain bottles--and at a price deemed reasonable---it's a given he or she will buy without hesitation with that 500 available.

* 500 MYR is about USD 120/ EURO 105/ POUND 95 which is hardly enough for a decent box of beer mail......

4) 啤迷一定都是有钱人吧？

不是那样的。不同啤迷之间个人消费力当然不一样，但财力并不是先决条件，真正关键在于说如果大家同样有五百块闲钱可任意花，一般人可能会买鞋子衣服之类的，但啤迷会把钱都只花在买啤酒。亚洲啤迷向欧美找酒的确需要付昂贵运费，就算买的是一瓶5美元的啤酒，运费会让每瓶单价上升，但对啤迷来说，只要是认知中合理价格范围内，会毫不犹豫出手。

Q5) What do geeks want? constantly discarding older tasted ones in chase of newer beers?

"This is one situation facing geeks---it is natural for geeks to want to taste a wide varieties of different styles of beers from different breweries---in that process of exploring-- it is quite inevitable that some beers from some breweries which tasted good during early years of craft drinking might no longer appeal or some could be tasting not so great now. However--it is a fact that some really good ones would always be welcome by geeks even though some might be labelled as "old school"/‘not in vogue"...

While at times drinking craft beer can be almost similar to the fashion world where some people keep looking out for the newer styles/ most hyped up beers or the in trend style/s of brew---there's also always a group who are happy to drink what they are happy with---end of the day---beer drinking is an act of personal preference---palate enhancement/exploring varieties of different styles apart---it is still about drinking what makes you happy.

5）啤迷要的是什么？一直喝不同酿坊不同款啤酒？喜新厌旧跟追新品没完没了？

某种程度上是有喜新厌旧情况出现，不过也不完全是那样的，对啤迷来说，多品嚐多尝试不同风味佳酿有助于提升啤迷味蕾鉴赏力，过程中会很少再喝入门阶段喝的酒，因为已经不再吸引，对于一些经典/佳酿，啤迷还是会有想再喝的，一定程度上，喜新不厌旧会比较适合。

的确，craft beer界有点类似时尚界，有当红不当红酿酒师作品/酿坊品牌以及稀有难寻啤酒这回事，不过，追不追当红或稀有难寻啤酒因人而异，是有一群不停追逐最新最当红酿坊作品的啤迷，也有不惜代价要找到稀有难寻啤酒的一群，但也有满足于只喝所住地方市场上找得到酒的啤迷，各自修行各适其所没所谓对或错。

Q6) Beer drinking and palate enhancement? what's that?

"Perhaps the biggest different between a casual beer drinker and a geek is that---a beer is only a beer to a casual drinker---but to a geek--the whole focus is about what kind of taste profile/ deliciousness a beer could bring about---to better appreciate what are the nuances of a beer can bring---geeks would want to enhance his/her palate appreciation ability--one of the ways to achieving this is by tasting/drinking/sampling a wider range of different styles of brew from different breweries---including very importantly some Benchmark brews of each styles of beers---accumulating tasting experiences would slowly help a newbie to slowly understand what is a bad beer/ an average one/ a good one and an awesome one.....

6）喝啤酒跟味蕾鉴赏力提升有什么关系？

或许这样说，一般人喝啤酒概念跟享受美味层次这事完全联系不到一起，不过，对啤迷来说就是为了品嚐不同味道层次而喝，怎样更好的享受不同啤酒带来不同美味是重点，而能达至目标条件之一就是通过品嚐不同酿坊不同风格类型啤酒累积品饮经验，慢慢的自然能分辨什么是劣作什么是平庸什么是佳作。

Q7) come on--it's just beer drinking--why sound so complicated?

"haha---it's not complicated at all---imagine this--say a guy would only eat ramen from shop A and burger from shop B--that would mean he does not know how ramen would taste from shop XYZ  or how burger is differently made by shop EFG---let alone any other different food would taste since he only eat ramen shop A and burger shop B all his life.

Drinking craft beer is the same---if you keep drinking beer X and don't explore any other styles or beer X made by other breweries --you will never understand how taste profile can be so widely different in beer---and obviously missing out on the chances of  tasting a lot more other nice beers awaiting to be explored."

7）怎样才叫做有味蕾鉴赏力？听起来好像很麻烦。

如果说如果一个人一路来只是一直吃同一家云吞面或汉堡包的话就不会知道外面其他家的味道如何，也不会知道云吞面汉堡之外其他食物滋味。训练味蕾鉴赏力其实就是说不要只是一直重复喝A酿坊的XX啤酒，而是多喝不同酿坊不同类型风格作品，特别是指标性作品带来的感受，逐步累积味蕾记忆後慢慢会知道是怎么一回事。

WEEK 148---Travelling for beers

This post is supposed to be week 146 & 147 articles which were backlogged---but decided to jump ahead to today's column first--will post about those two on a later date.

说起旅行，大家第一时间想到的离不开旅游景点，美食，拍照打卡之类，对啤迷来说，上述惯性动作之外，最大重点自然是为了啤酒（或加上蜜酒）。

在craft beer世界里，欧洲和美国好多不同城市/小镇都有啤迷想去亲临探访的酿坊或酒吧，对不少长期在亚洲生活又没有任何公干理由顺便出游的啤迷来说，欧美啤酒之旅就是最理想出行目标。

出外旅行自然大家各适其所，相较之下，啤迷自然会做些跟一般旅游不同的事，最大不同当然是一般人想去很多旅游景点，但啤迷主要“景点”会是酿坊酒吧瓶子店。此外，啤迷也会：-

Travelling for beers(or to some extent--mead)is what makes a beer geek happy---while many travelling for leisure would focus mainly on things like sight-seeing, finding nice food, taking lots of selfies/ tourist spots pics---beer geeks essentially go travelling for one single most important reason---to seek for beers( or mead)---the biggest attraction for travelling geeks will always be breweries. taproom/ bars or bottle shop---never far from those.

For geeks living in Asia---travelling for beers to either Europe or US will always be a "dream trip"---be it travelling for a specific beer fest like MBCC or any others, or a "normal days" trip like some of my HK geeks friends just did visiting Copenhagen and Brussels---the focus will always be on what to drink/ what brew can be found or had---all other things associated with leisure travelling such as sight-seeing  and so on are secondary.

These are some of the focus points of geeks when travelling for beers abroad"-

1) Bringing own bottles when travelling

This might sound weird---why bring bottles to Europe or US when the whole purpose of travelling is to seek/enjoy awesome brews there? Is it not akin to bringing sands to a desert?

While it may sound like that--in truth quite some geeks do bring their own bottles when travelling---either to trade bottles in person with other geeks or to have either prearranged or impromptu bottles sharing session/s while abroad--these are things common to geeks though it kinda sound not normal to most people.

1）带着啤酒去旅行

这听起来好像有点奇怪，既然是为了啤酒大老远飞去欧洲或美国，从家里带着酒去有着那么多好酒选择的欧美不就等于是带着沙子去沙漠吗？

实际上，带着酒出行的啤迷还真不少，会那样做的理由很简单，不是为了跟外国啤迷交换酒就是因为安排了瓶子/罐子分享会大家一起喝喝聊聊，两者都是不少啤迷会做的事。其实craft圈子说小也可以相当小，很多啤迷之间都是相互认识或着有共同啤迷朋友或至少社交媒体上打过招呼，就算不是认识的，基于对craft文化的认知也可以很快交上朋友，啤酒这个共同语言的影响是显而易见的。

2) Bringing own bubble wrap when travelling

While most people would pack in extra clothing or say extra pair of shoes/sneakers when travelling---there is one thing some geeks would always pack in their luggage/back pack--bubble wrappers for bottles protection.

While travelling to drink at either beer fest/taproom/bars is always the main objective---bringing home some nice bottles are equally important to many geeks---the fact that bubble wrappers would not always be available for free or not available for purchase easily means the best solution is always to prepare your own--it would be nice to have some bubble wrappers + wrapping tapes ready in the back pack.

2）自备保护瓶子气泡膜

去到心目中欧美酿坊/酒吧探访固然是主要目标，不过啤迷也会想从酿坊或瓶子店带一些瓶装/罐装啤酒回家跟朋友分享或自己慢慢享用，这时候最需要的就是可以在运送过程中有效保护瓶子/罐子的包装气泡膜，因为不是每家店都会提供或售卖，所以最好随时行李/背包有自备气泡膜。

新朋友要注意的是，一般来说绝对大多数酒吧只能是内用并不卖外带的瓶子/罐子，所以酿坊或瓶子店是首选，但欧美酿坊也不是每一家都有外带瓶子卖，又或者是随时去随时可以买到心目中想要啤酒，很多酿坊都是限时或有固定时间卖不同类型酿品甚至有的啤酒只是一年特定发售日或需要会员制才买得到。

3) Finding fellow geeks to share bottles

People do make new friends when travelling---same goes for geeks--especially those travelling alone for beers---it is important to have someone to share beers since bottles can be in 750ml sizes only---for examples in Brussels where sour beer geeks travel from different corners of the world just to sit at the taproom of Brasserie Cantillon sipping lambics---the trouble is--if you travel solo--there's only so many of the 750ml bottles one can drink---hence it's very common to see strangers sitting together sharing bottles---it is a cost effective way & a good way to drink less taste more.

Of course--some geeks who travel alone would have prearranged with geeks living around or travelling to the destination on same dates either for bottle sharing session/s or bars hopping---the craft community is far and wide but at the same time it can be very small in that most geeks would either have common friends or at least being social media friends---the common language of craft beer is helpful.

3）寻找分享好酒人

对啤迷来说，如果一个人单独出行，怎么能在喝量少情况下品嚐到多款不同类型啤酒是关键考量。举例说，比利时天然发酵果酸啤酒是很多啤迷想去布鲁塞尔或周边地区的主因，一个人去的话会有个难题因为多数酸啤瓶子都是750毫升，一个人喝一瓶会过多，最好的方式当然是有几位啤迷一起分担，但是怎样找到可以分享的人？说来也不难，一些啤迷出发前就会先探询认识的当地啤迷朋友，如果没有认识的也可以在craft社交媒体询问，再不然就到当地酿坊/酒吧看是不是会碰到聊得来的陌生啤迷。实际上，几家啤迷必去的比利时酸啤酿坊/酒吧经常会看到陌生人围坐一起分享多款不同风味啤酒，一个人出行虽然有可能找不到合适饮酒伙伴的危机，但也不是不能解决的问题，很多啤迷朋友其实都是从陌生人演变而来的。

4) Sight-seeing not a must BUT eat well sleep tight is a must

The worse thing that could happen to a geek travelling thousands of miles is to fall sick---any sort of catching a cold/ having fever//sore throat/stomach upset and so on will be bad for tasting.

To geeks---while sight-seeing is at times needed--it's not the most important things on the to do list---rather than tourists spots--the most interesting sights for geeks will undoubtedly be the breweries/taproom/bars and bottle shops. To fully enjoy the brews--one need to ensure his or her body condition is at normal level---no unwanted health issues due to time differences or different food---Asians mostly need rice and hot soup/ noodles---these are the soul food to ensure revitalization---and of course good sleep is essential--boozing til dawn is not really needed---and drinking without food is a big no no anytime anywhere.....

4）景点不是重点但吃泡睡好绝对需要

既是出游，一些值得看的景点有时还是要去看下拍照之类的，不过啤迷最关心的行程莫过于几时去哪一家酿坊/酒吧，又或是跟哪几位啤迷约了瓶子分享会。当然，出门在外最不想遇到的事情就是身体不舒服，从亚洲到欧美地方除了要面对时差问题，也可能会有食物口味问题，飞那么远当然要好好品嚐心目中想喝或发掘一些意外惊喜，而先决条件就是要保持身体状况不出任何会影响味蕾或体力的问题，所以，对啤迷来说，一些景点可以少去甚至不去，但吃饱睡好一定要有，睡不好会影响酒精抗力，没吃好饭就喝酒就更加是大忌。

WEEK 145---Seeking own beer--some more from the past( PART 1)

Having written 3 previous column articles remembering some nice ones which either tasted while overseas or brought back to share here in craft desert KL---there's obviously some more worth mentioning:-

在亚洲，特别是住在吉隆坡这样的craft beer沙漠，身为啤迷只能向外寻找自己想喝啤酒蜜酒是有点无奈但也是其他城市啤迷会同样面对的问题，对啤迷来说喝啤酒这件事更多的像是寻找不同美味体会，跟一般人观念中“喝酒”没什么直接关系。

之前三期“自己的酒自己找”，选酒方面约略挑了些，这几年下来外求啤酒蜜酒累积一定数量，这期再挑几支聊聊：-

1) Russian River Supplication

An American sour beer from the fame Cali brewery more famous for their ipas--including the once a year---local release only Pliny the Younger---as well the other hops beers such as Pliny the Elder or Blind Pig....

This is a beer aged in pinot noir oak barrel soaked with cherries--with wine background influence---the wild ales from Russian River is never in your face sour but showing delicate balance and obviously very delicious. 

这家美国加州酿坊盛名当然不是虚的，除了包括每年只发布一次只能在酒吧喝到（没有瓶装）的印度淡啤Pliny the Younger和其他款印度淡啤让人折服外，酿酒师的葡萄酒酿造背景经验让这家的美式酸啤层次余韵丰富精彩，是美式酸啤其中佼佼者。这支几年前在本地喝的是白葡萄酒木桶中加入樱桃浸泡熟成，美味不在话下。

2) B.Nektar Dragons are Real

Mentioned the word honey and quite naturally people will only think of  Sweet --same goes for Mead since it's primarily brewed using honey as base---but that's only a flawed perception---this one will definitely change that perception that Mead is only about sweetness---with smoked chipotle pepper, tart cherry juice, cacao nibs added and aged in dragons milk stouts barrel--the taste is much much more than just a honey brew---with taste profile of sour sweet spicy smoky--this is a complex one to savour.

提起蜜糖酿造的酒，理所当然一定想到甜，而且是很甜，这观念某个程度来说没有很错，蜜酒（MEAD）的确比较以甜味为主导，当然比印度淡啤或多数其他啤酒类型来得甜。但这只是片面印象，这支混合了蜜糖酸樱桃汁烟熏墨西哥辣椒碎可可豆并在黑啤木桶浸泡熟成作品就结合了辣味酸甜，绝对会让觉得蜜酒只是单调甜的改观。

3) The Veil + Cloud Water Chubbles

The rise of NEIPA( which at times taste more like fruit punch than a proper ipa) inevitably made some breweries stand out among the hundreds if not thousands of breweries jumping on the hazy cloudy fruity/juicy ipa bandwagon---This collab brew is from two such brewery who are well known at playing the NEIPA game---tasted really smooth and balance--no over fruity/juicy/sweet issues found with quite many NEIPAs---this is a nice one to sip.

当印度淡啤被一些酿酒师变奏为类果汁或易喝或甜腻版本後，NEIPA变奏版印度淡啤近年变成主流，无论欧美还是亚洲酿酒师都免不了推出自家版本，这股类果汁印度淡啤热潮让几家欧美酿坊乘势而起，包括合作酿造这款的美国酿坊The Veil和英国酿坊Cloud Water。类果汁印度淡啤有过于甜腻倾向，个人并没有很喜欢，这款酿得均衡好喝，没有过腻感，能在本地喝到外国朋友带来新鲜版更是难得。

4) Brasserie De Neve Gueuze 

This old bottle came as a total surprise---a gift bottle from a Belgium beer geek's personal collections---though the act of sharing among geeks are not uncommon--but to have received this bottle was truly special--shared here in KL--with the gone by years showing it's effect with a somewhat rotten cork---there is almost zero carbonation--unlike what usually a younger Gueuze would show---with a still body--this one tasted very elegant--almost a light smooth oaky wine like beer---certainly one of the best lambic tasted so far.

喝到这支现在已消失酿坊作品完全是意料之外，也体现了啤迷之间大方/割爱精神，是比利时啤迷朋友私藏无偿赠与，被誉为比利时类香槟天然发酵果酸啤酒的这支酒龄已20多年，从有点腐朽裂开的酒塞可以看出，入杯也没有那种较“年轻”Gueuze的活跃酒泡，入口感觉是陈酒，内敛美味，木桶香余韵环绕，是至今喝过最美好果酸啤酒前三。

5) Sahtipaja MeadMe

Was really happy to have tasted this and some other brew from this small brewery from Gothenburg ---This is the Ori version with another being Bourbon Vanilla version---  both are highly regarded --really well made--the varieties of berries added did more than  just balance out the sweetness of honey but added depth and dimensions to the mead. 

喝到这支现在已消失酿坊作品完全是意料之外，也体现了啤迷之间大方/割爱精神，是比利时啤迷朋友私藏无偿赠与，被誉为比利时类香槟天然发酵果酸啤酒的这支酒龄已20多年，从有点腐朽裂开的酒塞可以看出，入杯也没有那种较“年轻”Gueuze的活跃酒泡，入口感觉是陈酒，内敛美味，木桶香余韵环绕，是至今喝过最美好果酸啤酒前三。

6) Superstition Meadery Blueberry Spaceship Box

Mention the word Cider and people will say it's light sweet fizzy and not much else---well---some of my friends who are either wine or whisky connoisseurs had this---and some went with words such as " mind blown" " how can i find this"

提起Cider或苹果水果酒，一般基本观念就是轻松带甜易喝，没什么太复杂的。不过，这支来自美国顶级蜜酒酿坊的蓝莓加苹果轻度蜜酒让不少喝过或啤酒佳酿或威士忌佳酿或葡萄酒佳酿的朋友都感觉惊艳甚至用到“味蕾震撼”这样的字眼来形容美味程度。

7) Westbrook Mexican Cake( Apple Brandy BA)

Mexican Cake is a famous flagship stout from this South Carolina brewery with many different variants---be it using different barrels or with different food items added---had this Apple Brandy version while also having a few other variants of the same beer---this BA version while somehow tasted a little thin on body---the barrel effects just rounded up whatever shortcomings the base beer might have had--it was hands down the best BA Westbrook stouts i have had by far.

把酿好的啤酒放入不同使用过烈酒或葡萄酒或波特木桶陈放熟成让酒的味道更上一层楼（或几层楼）是很多酿酒师都在做的事，不同木桶特质会给啤酒带来不同影响，这家的同款黑啤使用了许多不同桶熟成，喝过几款不同桶，这款苹果白兰地桶陈版最美味最对味。

WEEK 144----finding own beers(the early years)---PART 3

While beer is to many " just beer"--it is common among geeks to go through hassles seeking out beers in more ways than a common beer drinker can imagine---be it in America or Europe--there are people who are willing to go the distance in the name of seeking out brews which one simply cannot find locally--and the same happened( and still happening) here in craft desert KL with a few of us geeks who have grown tired of limited variants/selections available locally.

外求啤酒这回事，放在全世界有啤迷的地方可以说都是一样会发生的现象，CraftBeer小量酿造还有不同酿坊分布全球各个不同城市乡镇的特色，意味着就算是住在有那么多精彩酿坊的美国啤迷也需要不同州不同城之间或互换或托人帮忙买入，当然也有外求到欧洲的情况发生。

因为那样，身为啤迷又住在吉隆坡这样的沙漠，会在几年前开始向亚洲其他城市还有欧美啤迷外求自己想喝但本地市场不可能出现的啤酒是很顺理成章的事，虽然有时候要面对比如啤酒邮寄箱子扣在关税局然后要跟不懂为什么啤酒可以有那么多不同瓶子贴纸不同类型风格的官员们解释一轮再面对不合理的税务算法等等麻烦事，可以在本地喝到自己外求的精彩佳酿还是件蛮爽的事。

这篇虽算是回顾完结篇，但其实只聊了很小部分这些年外求得来佳酿，个人感受，如果你是在自己城市喝到欲求不满想进一步提升味蕾享受，外求是个好选项。

here's a look at what were some of the nice brews either drank overseas or landed here in KL--- be it through self help or help from overseas geeks/friends:-

1) 3fonteinen Oude Kriek

a sour one with sour cherries---that's the initial idea when i first had my first ever kriek at a bar in the land of Lambic---if you have yet to taste your first kriek or have doubts about this type of sour cherries beer---rest assure that it is not just about in your face sourness---there's a whole lot more going on once your palate settle down from the initial sour sensations.....

个人喝到的第一支顶级Kriek作品，所有爱上天然发酵果酸啤酒的啤迷都知道这是酸樱桃浸泡桶陈版本，也是所有Lambic分支中酸度最高的，但不要立刻皱眉头觉得酸死人，这种水平的作品不会只有酸，而是酸得来有其他美味层次让酒味有变化。

2) The Lost Abbey Deliverance

A blended brew from their own Serpent's Stouts and barley wine creation Angel's Share---the end result is a very tasty blend--especially since the stouts itself wasn't that great---but blending both makes a great one---if we are used to 1+1=2 then this blend is definitely more than 2.

这是混合作品，酿坊把自家两款不同类型风格作品Serpent’s Stouts黑啤和Angel's Share大麦酒各一半混合而成，效果是出奇的好，特别是把原本不怎么出色的黑啤融合後提升美味层次，如果说一加一等于二，这支的混合效果绝对超过二。

3) Hillfarmstead Dorothy

The hype/fame of this brewery from Vermont means some hhave been constantly chasing their beers while some are more sceptical/critical---whatever the opinion is---there is no denying that this brewery has got some very tasty brew ranging from American pale ale to Saison to Ipa to Dark ones---if there's a list of breweries which craft lovers should seek out and try some of the brews, this one is high on that list.

Hillfarmstead的名气让不少啤迷一路追捧，也有一些啤迷觉得盛名太过，不论是迷或否，个人觉得这家的作品是必须一试的，从最被人称道的农场风格啤酒Saison到美式淡啤Pale lAe到印度淡陴Ipa到黑啤等不同风格都有精彩酿品。

4) The Rare Barrel Home Sour Home

First ever Rare Barrel beer landed here in KL courtesy of a geek friend from America---this is one which open up our expectations to more American sour beers--while at times they can be too in your face sour---this one has no such problem.

美国啤迷朋友好几年前带来本地分享，在这里出现的第一支Rare Barrel作品，在对美式酸啤接触不多情况下，这是让我们几位本地啤迷觉得对美式酸啤有更多期待的作品，虽然美式酸啤有太直白，过酸不够层次均衡度问题，但当然也酿得好的，包括这支。

5) Lone Pine Yellow Rose

This is an IPA---of course at that time the now very trendy NEIPA has not been coming out like fruits in harvesting season as yet---but the softer mouth feel and taste profile of this sort of reminding me now after a few years that it is a little bit similar to a NEIPA --a very different one compared to what was available in the local market with those hops attack focus ipas.......

类果汁印度淡陴（NEIPA)是近两年才大热起来的类型，这支并不是类果汁Ipa，不过在强调苦味印度淡陴大行其道的本地市场来说，几年前因为美国啤迷朋友带进来能喝到这款口味比较柔顺并带着水果甜香的Ipa让人感觉口味一新。

6) Fantome Sur Lie

One known for their variants of Belgium style Saison---though some would dismissed Saison as too plain/ not flavourful enough--this brewery would show those opinions are misconceptions---also one which is suitable for newer craft drinkers to seek out for.

以酿造农村风格类型啤酒（Saison)为人知的比利时酿坊，通过不同食材蔬果酿造原料应用在听起来一样的风格类型中呈现不同作品差异性，喝过这家酿坊一些作品都是水准以上，是值得新朋友外求寻找的酿坊啤酒。

7) Struise Kabert

Stumbled on this one at a bar in Tokyo---while there were some occasional limited selections of Struise to be found in KL--bumping into this one was a pleasant surprise---a blend of the ever delicious Black Albert and the no longer in production Kate the Great from an American brewery--then aged in port barrel---this is a luscious one with the goodness of barrel/dark fruits/dark chocolate/coffee....only issue is hard to find one now since it's no longer in production.

在东京一家酒吧巧遇的比利时酿坊桶陈混合作品，以自家名作黑啤Black Albert为基础加入另一家美国酿坊的传奇黑啤Kate The Great混合後入波特酒桶陈放，喜欢比较浓郁带黑巧克力咖啡黑色果实美味黑啤的会喜欢这样风格的桶陈作品，问题是这支已停产，要找有难度。

8) New Glarus Strawberry Rhubarb

Undoubtedly the most amazing fruits beer we have had here in KL--while the general perception about fruit beer would most likely be "refreshing" or "watery"---this one is packed full of jammy fresh strawberry jam goodness--it's almost like chewing on a "jam beer" if there's such a term--absolutely delicious.

无可置疑至今喝过最让人惊艳的“鲜美果酱” 啤酒，如果说一般观念会觉得水果啤酒大致会比较清爽或“水水”的，这支酿品完全打破那种看法，喝起来就像品嚐着鲜香草莓果酱，酸甜兼具，酒体厚实，绝对好喝。

9) The Bruery Weekday Series (& white/dark chocolate)

The famous big beers from the California brewery famous with the label saying the obvious  "contains alcohol"---of all 5 the most famous one is Black Tuesday---some of us here first tasted this famous series of brew when a stranger turned friend American geek came in with 2 suitcases full of nice beers for a two days "salvation/enlightening" bottle share---it was one hell of a share---definitely a landmark moment in the relatively quiet( in fact non-existing then and still almost non-existing now) KL's bottle share history.

美国加州酿坊The Bruery的“含有酒精”周日系列和黑白巧克力作品，五款中最具盛名的是黑色星期二（Black Tuesday)，第一次接触到这几支盛名酿品是几年前当美国啤迷朋友来吉隆坡公干时带了两个行李箱的精彩啤酒来“拯救”活在沙漠的我们，分开两天进行的瓶子分享会让当时的味蕾震撼至今记忆犹新。

WEEK 143---Finding own beers(the early years)---PART 2

One of the quicker( and perhaps the best way) for craft drinkers to improve palate appreciation ability is to sample as many varieties of really well made beers not just in terms of different breweries but also of different beer styles--only by drinking/tasting one would know how a beer taste like---and that's exactly what few of us here in craft desert KL did few years back---seeking out some really good beers not available locally by ourselves.

如果说啤迷提升自身味蕾鉴赏力的其中一个最有效方法是在力所能及范围内尽量多尝试不同类型风格佳酿，应该有不少啤迷会同意这个观点。

和本地几位啤迷朋友几年前开始向外寻求佳酿的原动力很简单，因为本地乏善可陈的选择意味着外求是唯一方法，本期继续来看看这几年通过海外啤迷朋友帮忙或自己出行是碰到什么喝了什么比较精彩的：-

Part 2 of seeking own beers continues with some of the early years good ones:-

1) Omnipollo x Buxton Yellow Belly

This is one hell of a beer--full of peanut butter goodness yet there's no usage of actual peanut butter when brewing---how they achieved such depth /flavours is quite mind blowing---the label/packaging using a paper bag in the shape of the infamous Ku Klux Klan mask is not a play--but a message about racial harmony--anti racism---who says beer drinking is all about the moon and stars or simply to get wasted?

瑞典和英国品牌合酿，喝过的人没有不惊艳的，满满花生酱香气但酿酒过程中一点花生酱都没加的好喝黑啤，充份体现了酿酒功力和趣味性，瓶子包装以旧时美国种族仇恨团体3K党蒙头布设计带出反歧视反种族主义讯息，谁说酒只是风花雪月醉生梦死？

2) The Kernel Table Beer

The name says it ---a low abv easy drinking beer which is suitable for the dining table---to some "heavier" beer styles drinkers( stouts/ ipa)--a table beer would often got brushed aside as something too light/ too simple to notice---some felt it "taste like water"---but if there are moments when we thought water is the best thing in the world---same goes for a table beer which of course has more layer/depth than plain water.

“桌子酒”字面上意思是上得了餐桌的啤酒，因为低度易喝所以连一家大小吃饭时间也摆得上餐桌，这样浅显易喝的啤酒有时候会被喜欢喝较重口味款式啤酒的忽略，觉得“淡如水”有什么好喝的，但恰恰就是那样才需要细味品嚐，如果说某个时候会觉得清水是世上最好喝，table beer更加可以是那样。

3) BFM Biere De Garde

Swiss are not known for their beers--but this brewery is certainly a good one to note---known for their farmhouse/saison style of beers---suitable for newer drinkers seeking to up their palate level in that their beers comes with depth yet it is not too complex to understand---always a good one to have regardless if one is a geek or newer drinker.....

瑞士并不以啤酒为人知，不过对啤迷来说这家瑞士酿坊农村风格和其他类似风格作品是备受认可的，酿品具备一定层次但也不至于复杂到会让新朋友喝不出所以然，是能让新朋友提升味蕾实力的选酒，具备易喝性但也有一定层次。

4) Alesmith Wee Heavy

My understanding at that time is that this is a "Scottish style" barley wine-- thicker body with more roasted/caramel flavours coming through the dark fruits---as the name suggested--a little heavy one good for sharing with two or three friends.

美国酿坊的苏格兰风格啤酒(scotch ale)，风味接近英式大麦酒（barley wine)但具备比较厚实的麦芽香，焦糖和黑色果实风味，wee heavy字面上意思显示这是酒精度稍高的类型，适合和朋友共享小酌细味品饮。

5) The Bruery Sucre

Anniversary blended big beer from the brewery famous with a label saying " contains alcohol"---obviously this slightly sweeter brew packs quite some alcohol power---found this in a bottle shop in Tokyo and shared here in KL with some guys--which eventually started the idea of forming "the KLtastinggroup."

加州盛名酿坊的六周年庆典作品，混合多款自家不同风格不同年份啤酒桶陈提味，是需要慢慢喝细细嚐的高酒精度作品，这类高酒精较浓郁啤酒适合三五好友分享慢喝，这支几年前在东京瓶子店找到的酒是在本地和几位酒友分享，当时来说，是属于让人惊艳的一支。

6) Grassroots Artic Saison

The alter-ego of Hillfamrstead---this one is a collab brew with Anchorage brewery in Alaska(still remember that LoveBuzz saison)---while some might think of saison as "simple beer"--it is also true that at times the most "simple" a dish/beer seems to be---there's a high level of skills/focus involved to make it right---this one is certainly a nice one.

世上最佳酿坊Hillfarmstead的分身品牌合酿作品，玩的是拿手的农村风格易喝型啤酒。有人说过，最简单的菜式越需要一定功力才能做好，啤酒也一样，Saison虽被一些喝酒人觉得平平无奇，但酿得好的绝对会好喝，层次中显见功力。

7) Toppling Goliath Psuedo Sue

The importance of FRESHNESS is often overlook/not known to some newbies drinking hops forward beer styles such as pale ale/ ipa and such----the scenario of people paying good money for stale beers is quite common here in Asia including KL---it is why seeking out a really fresh good brew of pale ale/ipa( say not more than a month old) is important if one is to understand what are the true flavours of a really nice pale ale/ipa---this particular one is a good one to seek out.

在本地喝以啤酒花特性为主轴类型啤酒比如Ipa比如pale ale可说是有时候会误导新朋友的习题，这类啤酒需要越新鲜越好喝特质，但在本地喝会有运输报税通关等时间关卡问题意味着喝到的基本已过了最佳状态，因为那样，个人很鼓励新朋友要试着自己寻找装罐/装瓶日期不超过一个月的新鲜啤酒试试，同时也要找一些指标性作品，比如这款。

8) Fifty Fifty Eclipse tasting

The first time trying out this rainbow colors stouts from fifty/fifty was at Mikkeller Bangkok during a pairing dinner at Upstairs( back when they were still new with of course no Michelin stars)---there were 7 of them---the two best ones on that evening were Elijah Craig and Java Coffee variants.

第一次喝到这家美国酿坊同款但加入不同食材浸泡不同酒类木桶黑啤是在曼谷米吧一次啤酒美食搭配活动，一共7款黑啤一字排开，以平行方式逐个品饮，个人感觉其中的Elijah Craig木桶款和Coffee Java咖啡豆两款最对味。

9) Hair of the Dog Adam

A good old old ale---quite thick /deep with dark fruits goodness when had the first time at a bar in Tokyo---same goodness after that having tried a few more times since---a slightly heavy one but quite manageable if one were to share with another one or two since it's in a smaller size bottle than their usually 750ml American counterparts.

美国加州小酿坊的镇店之作，深沉的旧式黑啤（old ale)中满满是黑色果实美味，从几年前开始第一次喝到之后陆陆续续再喝过几次，虽说可能味蕾选择有随着时间改进，每次喝到这款酒好印象还是保持，对寻求进阶版啤酒新朋友来说会是不错的选择。