WEEK 157---a few New & Old keywords of IPA

This is a back dated piece written earlier--mainly sparked by someone else's article talking in great length how the emergence of NEIPA has affected *to the brink of ruining* traditional IPA--which obviously is not the case but an interesting point to note.

不久前国外有人写了一篇长文，主轴是说近年流行的类果汁NEIPA让印象中传统IPA出现“崩坏”迹象，这话听起来有耸动意味但也是个有趣的观察

从将啤酒花功能挥洒到淋漓尽致的美国到亚洲，从市场接受度到年销量来硕，IPA (India Pale Ale)毫无疑问是craft beer众多不同类型风味中的耀眼明星，虽然是以苦涩回甘酒味表现亮点为人知，也虽然可能最初时候会因为让人感觉太苦而吓跑一些新人，但IPA的确是很多新朋友开始接触craft beer启蒙期少不了的一个主要啤酒类型，除了因为可以轻易强烈显现和淡无味大厂啤酒巨大分别，也因为这是无论欧美或亚洲市场上绝对大多数大大小小专卖吧/瓶子店必备酒款。

There is no doubt that for the past decade or so to now, majority of craft beer bar from the US to here in Asia---IPA is the most commonly available beer styles on sight---every newbies starting his/her journey into the world of craft beer would almost inevitably drank a few IPAs whatever sub-styles it might be. This is one powerful example of beer style which would immediately get any newbies attention with it's hops attack, one which can wake anyone up from their MACRO BEER slumber.

Indeed, the showcasing of the power of distinctive hops flavours is what made IPA what has been/it is all these while---regardless of sub styles of either American West Coast or East Coast, or the European version of English Ipa or Belgian Ipa ---it's all about showing the flavours of different hops/ combination of hops used be it in a robust manner or a more subtle manner.

的确，IPA最先让大家想到的就是啤酒花苦涩回甘鲜香表现，这是一直以来被公认的风味特质，虽然传统IPA中就已存在不同分类，比如强调啤酒花苦味攻击的美国东岸风格（east coast ipa)，秉持苦味中带较均衡口感的美国西岸风格(west coast ipa)，又或是结合比利时酵母风味特质和啤酒花甘味的belgian ipa以及啤酒花甘苦感觉比较斯文的英伦风格english ipa等等不同分支但基本来说是大同小异，并不会像类果汁NEIPA(new england ipa)那样一下子很大程度的改变大家对IPA风格既有感观。 

NEIPA近几年的风行确实让IPA类型啤酒出现了大变化，无论是类果汁的口感风味或浑浊浓郁的酒体颜色都跟传统认知中的IPA很不一样，对这个新冒出的变奏版IPA有人很爱当然也有觉得口感太甜腻很不像IPA应有风味所以不喜欢的。

That has always been the case---until the very much fruit juice like NEIPA came along not too long ago---yes the emergence of NEIPA did brought about changes---while hops is still very much in used-- it is presented in ways which are very unlike traditional IPAs--the taste flavour is skewed towards fruity/juicy---the color/appearance is much more intense/cloudy/hazy---some love it to bits--some simply can't or don't want to drink a pint of it because it can be too sweet/juicy/cloying.....

无论喜欢与否，NEIPA的流行确实丰富了原本就不同类型风味繁多的craft beer啤酒海，也让IPA的关键词多了新旧关注点，比如说：-

Amidst the love or hate---the emergence of NEIPA did brought about changes to what IPAs used to be--and like it or not--we now have a few new keywords when talking about IPAs:-

1) Juicy

due to the craze for DDH(double dry hop) technique for NEIPA to be more.....NEIPA-ish  ---fruity juiciness seems to be the one unmissable aspects of a NEIPA---there is no doubt that the juicy part of NEIPA is the main attraction which made it very different from traditional IPAs---but it is also a knife which cuts itself at times when overdone.

1）Juicy

对IPA来说，这是个新词，字面上意思指的是啤酒中能感受果汁感浓郁度，这并不是说NEIPA中加了果汁，而是通过Dry Hopping或后期投放手法让啤酒可以尽量吸取特定啤酒花鲜香果味而成，也是让NEIPA风味表现类果汁的关键。

2) Cloudy

NEIPA is also at times referred to as Hazy Ipa/Cloudy Ipa due to it's appearance---it is part of the game and purposely done in such a manner through use of specific yeast/oats/wheat rather than due to poor brewing process---it is also part of the reasons why NEIPA is looking and tasting very much like fruit juices with hops rather than a 'proper IPA" as some called it.

2）Cloudy

这是关于酒体外观颜色的新词，一般IPA都是比较单一透明的金黄或浅黄色，而NEIPA的酒体颜色则大多数倾向浑浊浓郁看起来像芒果黄梨番石榴等果汁，喝起来的口感也比较厚实带热带水果风味。

3) Hop Burn

Some say this is a new term strictly associated with NEIPA mainly due to over jealous DDH technique---some say it could also happen with 'old-school' IPAs---basically hop burn is about the somewhat sharpish( unpleasant to some or most) sensation when sipping---a feeling which can be liken to eating too much freshly cut pineapples at once. Though generally hop burn is seen as a brewing flaw but there are people who take it as part of what drinking NEIPA would caused.

3）Hop Burn

字面意思是啤酒花带来灼热感，具体感觉有点类似瞬间烧喉感觉，如果用吃水果比喻的话，有点类似凤梨吃太多那种刹口感，基本并不是舒服的口感，有人讨厌有人能接受，讨厌的觉得破坏了整体适饮度，虽说也基本被视为酿造缺陷不过也有人觉得反而可以消解NEIPA的甜腻感。

4) Bitterness

This of course is NOT new keywords pertaining to IPA but a very important one---to many IPA bitterness is what made IPA what it is--which is why there is such a thing as IBU(International Bittering Units).

While some would think that IPA is all about bitterness--the bitter it is the greater the beer can be---there are of course people who think otherwise and like it more mellow or balance with suitable bitterness in their IPAs--there is no right or wrong--just individual's preference for how bitter his/her IPA should be---and that's the beauty of craft beer with varieties of choices even within a sub style of beer---though the emergence of NEIPA has somewhat challenged the "IPA is all about bitterness" perception---it is still a fun twist basing on IPA.

4）Bitterness

IPA是以啤酒花苦涩回甘酒味为特质，苦涩度是重要一环，所以会有IBU这回事。IPA的苦涩和hop burn是很不一样的感受，这里着重的是一款IPA的苦涩味有多高或多低，跟灼热感没关系，有趣的是一款IPA的好喝度对不同人来说可以是用苦涩度来评断，一些人觉得一定要很苦的才算好喝IPA，也有人觉得啤酒花苦涩只是衬托，好喝IPA一定是均衡结合啤酒花和麦芽酵母的酿品，重口或均衡或轻度都体现了IPA这个啤酒类型能提供的广泛选择。

5) Freshest Flavour Before(FFB)

Freshness is of utmost importance to how an IPA would taste---regardless if it's a traditional one or the juicy newer one---the flavour profile/performance/deliciousness of a same IPA can be very different when drank fresher( say within 1 or 2 weeks after bottling/canned) or when drank after 3 months or longer. 

While most breweries still would only show either best before date or bottling/canned date---the use of FFB is very commendable---this is basically the period(around 3 months) where the brewer/s would like their beer to be consumed since it would best represent how they wanted the flavours to be.

Next time if you encounter a bottle/can with no FFB dates---just check the bottling/canned date and work out a 3 month period.

5）Freshesh Flavour Before(FFB)

无论是喝传统传统或类果汁类型风味IPA都好，最最最关键始终是新鲜度，只有喝上新鲜IPA才能真正领会什么是啤酒花甘涩鲜香美味，FFB的出现很明确的树立了新鲜度标杆，这是和best before很不同的概念，简单说FFB指的是最美味品嚐时间，而best before只是说明可饮用期限。一般来说，FFB大力鼓励装瓶/装罐後3个月时间内享用，而best before则可以至少适用1年左右，两者之间对美味程度要求当然是完全不同概念。

目前在瓶子罐子列明FFB的酿坊并不是那么多，如果要知道新鲜度可以查看装瓶装罐日期，算一下日子就知道了。

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.

WEEK 154----The one "Must Do" when drinking Sour Beers

"What exactly is the idea of drinking sour beer? is it all about pucker up?" A newbie asked not so long ago, which bring up the question of "what makes a sour beer good?  is it only about sour or what else?"

有新朋友问酸啤酒到底什么概念，是不是酸得让人脸挤成一团就算水准之作？怎样才是好喝的怎样才算不好喝？

酸啤酒（sour beer)是craft beer众多不同类型风格中非常重要一环，一些酿品也被誉为是最接近葡萄酒和香槟风味层次的啤酒，酿得好的酸啤绝不会只有酸的单元表现，而是多元层次可以让人在酸味基本层面中找到其他不同风味表现，是那种会让人感到幸福的美好。

Sour beers is of course an integral part of craft beer variants--and sour beers is definitely not just about being sour---a well made sour beer is surely much more than just the mono tone of sour but can be so nice it makes you feel such gratification

对新朋友来说，一个重要基本概念是，酸啤酒可分为天然发酵（spontaneous fermentation)和酵母发酵（yeast pitching)两大类，两者最大差别是天然发酵通过利用特定地区空气中自然滋生野菌发酵酿造，后者则是通过人手投放酵母，因为发酵体和发酵方式差别，两者之间完成酿品风味层次会呈现明显差异性。

Though for some reasons sour beers also probably one of the "lower acceptance rate or later in acceptance" type of styles for newbies--meaning comparatively newbies would mostly go into other " easier to accept" styles first before discovering eventually accepting sour beers.

对啤迷来说，天然发酵方式酿造而成的比利时天然发酵果酸啤酒（Lambic)是备受推崇的酸啤类型，这是有特定因素的，天然发酵方式除了需要看天气状况决定（只能在秋冬季节冷度合适时酿，热天高温是大敌）之外，酿造地也有其特殊性，只有在包含布鲁塞尔西南周边城乡，一个统称为Pajottenland区域内酿造的天然发酵酸啤酒才有资格用上Lambic名称，这区域之外任何酸啤酒，就算使用天然发酵方式酿造也不能自称Lambic。（一定程度上这解释了为什么好多欧美酿坊酸啤作品都使用wild ale或sour beer字眼）

如果有人觉得Lambic特殊性只是因为区域名称使用限制所致，那不尽然，Lambic之所以会被啤迷推崇最主要是酿品水平风味层次与众不同，特别是一些酿坊的高水平“复杂版本”风味表现更是会让懂得欣赏的人惊艳回味。

If you are new to sour beers---there are obviously quite a lot to pick up---it would be helpful for newbies to take note that sour beers comes in 2 different ways----those which use Spontaneous Fermentation and those which do Yeast Pitching(which refer to manually adding yeast)---the biggest differences between the 2 is that Spontaneous Fermentation pretty much let good bacteria occurring naturally in the air to handle fermenting job---which is restricted to only during cooler/cold seasons of the year as heat/humid weather is not suitable for spontaneous fermentation. These two different ways of fermenting does bring out different types/flavour profile of sour beers.

To many sour geeks---it is no doubt that Lambic(which is a term referring to sour beers brewed with spontaneous fermentation method at a brewery/blendery located within the Pajottenland area in and around Brussels) is the most highly sought after/worship style of sour beers.

的确，酸啤酒当然不是只有比利时Lambic，以酸味为主轴啤酒类型不少，比如美式酸啤(American Sours/Wild Ale)，德式风格咸酸啤（Gose)或柏林酸麦啤(Berliner Weisse)，比利时旧式酸啤（Flanders Red/Blonde)等等，实际上，在鼓励创意的craft beer世界中，连强调啤酒花鲜香甘涩的印度淡陴(IPA)或是表现浓郁烤麦芽咖啡巧克力等风味为主的黑啤(Stouts)也出现融和酸味甚至以酸味为主轴的趣味实验版或常态版。

众多不同风味酸啤类型中，想了解什么是上佳酸啤酒，喝多几款不同类型比利时Lambic是绝对必要功课，比利时Lambic当然有不少上好酿坊/混酒作坊品牌选择，这其中绝对大师级酿坊Cantillon和 3 Fonteinen的任何作品，无论是Geuze,Framboise或Kriek或其他类型的入门级别或复杂高深作品都是开拓味蕾鉴赏力的美味选择。

Yes---there are many other different styles of sour beers apart from Belgium Lambic---for examples there are American Wild Ale/Sours---or German inspired Gose(sour & salty) or the sour wheat beer of Berliner Weisse---as well as the old bruin/red of Flanders styles sours----in fact there's even sour version of IPAs or Stouts to be found in the "anything is possible" creative world of craft beer including either experimental brew/fusion/play around one off or even regular releases.

本地craft beer市场能找到酸啤酒来说，基本状况只能以差强人意形容，选择有限情况下，想喝佳酿只能往外找，比利时当然最理想（其他欧美啤酒重点城市当然也很不错），亚洲的话东京大阪长期有不少优秀选择，台湾香港新加坡首尔上海北京曼谷不定期也有些不错选择。

有啤迷朋友说过，第一次喝酸啤後脸皱皱逃之夭夭的新朋友不是不能接受酸啤，而是味蕾还没能搞清楚自己喝到的是什么，况且，酸啤也有不同酿坊作品水准高低不一现象，难怪有啤迷霸道的说，“没喝过不同风味比利时天然发酵果酸啤酒（Lambic）基本不能说会喝酸啤酒”！

With so many different styles of sour beers---finding what's nice what's soso what's not nice is something newbies find it a little hard at times since " a sour beer is a beer which taste sour"---that notion is understandable when one is new to the sour beer game---while there is no short cut to improving one's palate appreciation ability--the one "MUST DO" any newbies to sour beers should do is--no matter how many other sour beers one has had---trying out proper Belgium Lambic is a must---while there are some very good Lambic out there---it might be easier to narrow down to 2 absolute legendery masters of lambic for newbies---seek out different styles of lambic( oude gueuze/kriek/frambois) from both 3Fonteinen & Cantillon whenever/wherever you can if new to sour beers---regardless either their entry level brew or more complex/hard to seek bottles---the lambics from these 2( and of course not only these two) will go a long way to opening the senses and palate appreciation ability of newbies.

If you are very new to sour beers---remember these:--

A geek friend once said " newbies who tasted sour beer/s and ran away with a twisted face---the reason why he/she ran away is not because he/she cannot accept sour---it's because his/her palate is not ready for sour beer---they simply cannot figure out what hit emmm"

Another geek friend went a step further by saying "if you have not tasted a few different styles of Lambic---don't say you know sour beers!"

WEEK 153---Know what you are Drinking

Someone very new to craft beer asked " how do new people get familiarize with craft selections easily and rather quickly? "

It is understandable where the question is coming from having seen many a times new people walking into a craft beer bar/ bottle shop and seemingly overwhelmed/ confused/ too excited upon seeing various brands/styles of beers available for selection....

有新朋友说，craft beer那么多不同类型风格啤酒选择，有时候让人看了头昏眼花不知道什么是什么，有没有什么最简单直接的入门方法？

对新朋友来说，开始接触craft beer是有可能感到混淆的，喝酒最重要的是自己喝过品嚐过才能理解酒的味道层次，但新朋友的确有时候搞不清自己喝到什么或只是雾里看花一知半解的不能领略一支酒是好是坏，也谈不上欣赏不同层次变化带来美味。

喝craft beer当然不是件有多么高深难懂的事，只要新朋友有心，可以相当快掌握品饮欣赏分辨酒的好坏基本要诀，虽然过程难免需要一定时间味蕾训练，不变的第一个要诀其实很简单，就是每次喝之前或正在喝时都尽量了解自己喝着的是什么。

The answer to that is simple---newbies just need to do one thing first---know what you are ordering/drinking each time a beer new to you appear---knowing what you are drinking is the single most important thing every new drinkers to craft beer should do---it's the first step to getting to know more about beer styles/flavours profile/nuances and so on.

To people who are are new to the world of craft beer---knowing that drinking craft beer is more of a process to finding deliciousness in a beer form( just like eating good food) is important---the focus is never about downing lots of pints---the focus is about finding different flavours and what makes a beer taste delicious.

是的，新朋友需要做的第一件事就是了解自己在喝什么，craft beer就像美食，嚐的是味道，就像食物有咸酸苦辣甜等等非常多不同味道表现，啤酒也一样有不同味道呈现，了解自己在喝着什么类型风味啤酒是客观评估一支作品水准高低的关键。

一般人绝大多时候在点菜时已经知道要吃的是什么类型味道食物，比如说麻辣火锅香辣，清炖鸡汤鲜美，炸鸡外脆内嫩之类，什么菜色什么概念心里有底。可是来到craft beer世界不同类型啤酒该有什么味道呈现很多新朋友并不清楚，甚至一点概念都没有，换个角度来说，很多时候其实在“盲饮”。 

在酒的世界中，“盲饮”或英文BLIND TASTING是不少人认可的品酒方式，无论喝的是烈酒，葡萄酒或啤酒，盲饮可以让酒名称资料被遮蔽情况下避免喝酒人做出根据酿坊名气/风评或以往作品印象先入为主的评价。啤酒盲饮测试中，喝的人事先只知道酒的类型风格但不知道酿坊品牌资料，通过自己味蕾感受或品酒经验做评断，这种情况下，对craft beer众多不同类型风格啤酒没有基本认识很难做出客观公正评断。

Hence--knowing what you are drinking is really the first step to getting to know more things about why a beer is tasting delicious or otherwise---it's kinda like when eating a Sichuan Hot Pot we expect to experience spiciness/numbness---or when eating steak it should be meaty/beefy/juicy---in another word---most people would have known the expected flavours profile long before eating what he/she ordered.  However--the same cannot be said when it comes to craft beer drinking---many a times some newbies are simply "blind-drinking" not knowing what he/she is having even if they know the name of a beer style.

"Blind Tasting' is commonly accepted as a way to judge alcoholic drinks including craft beer---it's about concealing the brand name/ brewery name/materials used( e.g. hops/malt/yeast used) and such so as to give each and every beer being judged a fair chance of getting judge objectively---not letting the judges being influenced by bigger names/past reputation----but "blind-drinking" by newbies would almost always mean drinking blindly--not giving attentions to the taste profile/nuances of a beer---or don't even care if a beer is in good condition for consumption---some newbies would just drink for the sake of drinking as long as it's "craft-beer' with alcohol----that's definitely NOT what" blind-tasting" is about.

对新朋友来说，什么资料都不看的“日常盲饮”跟正确意义上的盲饮还是有很大不同的，因为什么都不知道情况下尝试craft beer或许是有趣的体会但也可能是会吓跑一些人的体会，有句话说快跑之前先学会怎么好好走，先了解自己喝的是什么才是培养味蕾鉴赏力的正确起步。

那要怎样才知道自己喝的是什么酒？很简单，喝之前或喝着时候看酒标资料就会有相当清楚资讯，有的酒标会有酿酒师说明酒会带来怎样的味道层次享受，要是碰到比较注重酒标设计感所以省略说明的可以上网查找资料了解这款酒是什么，最佳赏味期，用了什么类型麦芽酵母啤酒花，有没有加入什么其他食材比如水果蔬菜咖啡豆茶叶香料等等提味，又或是有没有混合其他不同风味啤酒或不同年份啤酒，是不是经过不同酒类旧酒桶浸泡熟成多久之类的资讯都有助于喝酒人进一步了解酒所该有的味道层次表现是什么，如果是入口啤酒也可以了解是不是运送过程或店家有照顾好酒的品质。

So what do newbies look for to know what he/she is drinking? The most convenient first step is look at label information--at times the info on bottle label/printed on can will be so detail one would know not only the hops/yeast/malts used---bottling/canning date--best before date and so on---but also tasting note from the brewer/s telling drinkers what flavours profile to expect when sipping/when warmer and when finishing....

If you have ordered a glass from the taps with only brewery name/ beer name---or have a bottle/can with very little info except with those two pieces of info---just go on a web search---99% of the time you will be able to find detail or at least basic info about the beer you just ordered...

画个角度看，因为不了解啤酒类型风味特质，只是一直凭着自己喝酒偏见去解读一款酒是不对的，也是很大可能贻笑大方的，经典例子是几年前一位只懂喝大厂啤酒的外国人去了比利时天然发酵果酸啤酒绝对大师级酿坊Cantillon後，在自己完全不懂喝到的是什么类型啤酒情况下，非常关切的在社交媒体上留下了让全世界所有天然发酵酸啤爱好者爆笑的留言 ”如果你爱啤酒，请离这家远远的”！！

另一个例子是一位喝酒人对某一款啤酒写喝後感受，其中一句是”没有什么啤酒花苦涩味道”。咋看之下或许会以为点评的是以啤酒花特色风味（包括苦涩）表现为主轴的啤酒，不过，被点评的那款啤酒特色重点完全不在于啤酒花苦涩味，在这款啤酒寻找啤酒花苦涩味打个比喻就像吃着红番茄芝士披萨然后说怎么不麻不辣的？

"Why do one has to know more about what he;she is drinking? " the answer to that is simple---because you do not want to post on your social media telling the world that the Hawaiian Pizza you had was NOT BEEFY or SPICY or  CREAMY enough---or saying the Vanilla Ice Cream you had does not smell CHOCOLATY---in another word---one should at least know what he/she is/was drinking before judging---above was a guy who went to Brasserie Cantillon and was totally clueless about Lambic but still posted this rather "famous" comment " AVOID this place if you LOVE BEER!"( he thought "it's not beer---it's vinegar!!"

了解自己喝的酒是什么是很简单的动作，也是重要的一步，通过这一步，新朋友可以逐步认识不同类型风格啤酒该有的味道层次表现，也是往后提升自己味蕾鉴赏力必须的基本功课之一。

That being quite a famous/ extreme examples of why knowing what you are drinking is very important apart----for newbies who are interested/keen to improve one's palate appreciation ability as well learn more about what to expect from various beer styles--this is the simple  yet essential first step---only by knowing what we are drinking then one can go on to explore more going forward--much like how we all learn to walk before running.....