Monday, February 6, 2017

WEEK 97--ROOSTER BEER LINGO

This is the year of Rooster according to Chinese Lunar Calendar, and here's a few rooster related Chinese sayings applicable to beer:-
进入鸡年,来说说几个跟鸡没什么直接关联的啤酒事
鸡群中总有鹤
Craft Beer最吸引之处是不同类别啤酒种类繁多,这是有时候让很多新朋友困惑的事情。
其实,不单只不同风格啤酒繁多,就算同一类别,分身也多不胜数。
比如强调啤酒花功能的IPA, 先不说不同品牌,就是同一家酿坊,分分钟就有数十种以上同一品牌但不同风味IPA
原因很简单,啤酒花有很多不同风味特质,目前已知的不同风味啤酒花就超过百种,而酿造IPA除了可以不同啤酒花混合用(A+B, B+C+D, C+E+F+G, 反正是无限可能组合),还有玩单一啤酒花系列的,所以,一家酿坊单一品牌但无数多不同IPA是常见事。
同样的,放在其他啤酒类别风格也一样,除了啤酒花,酿酒师可以通过不同麦芽,酵母,或是添加食材,桶陈方式把同一款啤酒玩出不同分身。
There's always Flamingo among chickens
The best thing about the world of craft beer is Choices--that's almost the single biggest reason why so many of us willingly dive into the black hole of craft.
take the most popular IPA for examples--the choices of different variants from 1 single brewery/brand can be so many a newbie will have his/her mind mess up..:)
But we all also know Choices basically means comparison--that a particular beer/mead is somehow better tasting than some others or rest of the pack.
那么多不同类别风格,最后成品当然会有高低之分,CRAFT BEER 文化起源最根本的重点就是不想喝水准不佳啤酒,基本来说,CRAFT BEER 是比一般大厂啤酒好喝,不过,一旦是不同酿坊品牌之间的同类型啤酒有比较,就会有鹤立鸡群的情况出现,意思是,总会有几家的啤酒水准高过其他酿坊。
怎样从鸡群中找出鹤?一般做法是参考诸如RatebeerUntappd网上评级,个人觉得只有自己尝味过再判断比较準,因为网上评级还是会有过誉或者是某酿坊太新太小太少人喝过所以评级拉低之类情况而误判。
So how do one pick out a flamingo among chickens?
some people would say just refer to whichever highly rated ones in Ratebeer/Untappd --that's a sign of where Flamingo could be found.
some would say trust your own taste--and pick out your own flamingo...
The choice is yours to make.
Chicken & Duck Talk
It's quite obvious both are talking different lingo.
In Asia--almost anyone who has worked in a craft beer place would have encountered this scenario:-
someone/a few walk into the bar--look at the menu--and pop the question" you don't sell XX brand beer?"
obviously that XX brand beer would not be a craft beer.
鸡同鸭讲很正常
CRAFT BEER 在亚洲很多城市都是小圈子玩意,虽然每个城市都会有一班人(可能是业者,更多时候是给钱喝酒的啤迷)尝试推广CRAFT文化,在大厂啤酒行销无处不在和速食文化包围市场情况下,只靠口碑,据点零零落落的CRAFT文化推动起来总是事倍功半。
亚洲任何一家CRAFT专卖吧工作人员都面对过这样的情况:-
"你们不是卖啤酒的吗?怎么会没有卖XX牌子的大厂啤酒"
"这个啤酒,什么来的?这样苦,那么涩,好难喝。。"
这是完全不了解什么是CRAFT的一般啤酒饮客反应,很正常。照说,只要是有喝过啤酒的任何人就有可能成为CRAFT DRINKER,不过,很可惜,很多时候这些饮客因为不了解,不敞开胸怀眼界,也不听人介绍,结果是懵懵懂懂的,喝了几口或几杯後,从此不再喝CRAFT,错开了真正认识浩瀚啤海的机会。
对于这些“啤酒爱好者”,就让他们继续开心喝着自己熟悉的大厂啤酒吧,反正有些人只是需要一点酒精冷饮感觉,又或是高谈阔论聚点,喝什么完全不是重点。
一直鸡同鸭讲,不如不讲,就由得它去吧。
It is the hope of any geeks to spread the love of craft--"converting" a commercial lager drinker to craft is seen as a natural act - BUT ( yes-there's always a but in life somehow)--it's also true that some are just too closed minded to open up to the idea of a whole new world of beer--there are those who would just act chicken and duck talking...
To those people--just leave them be--if they are happy just drinking loads of big factory beers--so be it.

There's many ways of making a Chicken delicious
Same for beer.--if you are into craft beer that is.
in the world of big factory beer--it's always only 1 chicken 1 taste( or no taste?)
“一鸡几吃”是CRAFT玩法
会煮菜的人都知道这是什么一回事。
说的是同一只鸡,可以煮成几个不同口味。
这在普通大厂啤酒的世界是完全不可能的事,因为那是一鸡一味,甚至是一鸡无味的世界。
CRAFT BEER玩的是各种想法创意,“一鸡几吃”很正常。
比如说一款STOUT,单只是原版就可以有咖啡,香草,烤麦芽香等基本味,要是酿酒师玩高兴了,同一支黑啤可以变成很多不同版本,比如加入辣椒版,加入水果版,加入巧克力版,加入花生酱板,加入甜甜圈版,变化可以无穷尽,更可以进一步玩不同风味木桶熟陈提味。
单只是稍微想想,大概都知道喝什么样的啤酒会比较爽吧?
Enter the world of craft beer/craft mead--you will discover the various way of making a chicken taste differently delicious--OK--i meant to say how a beer can taste so differently delicious--just think how many different possibilities there is for a Stout to taste vastly different by adding food items and the small matter of barrel aging....
Actually you just have to IMAGINE for a few seconds--you should know which beer world to enter--1 chicken 1 taste? or 1 chicken multiple taste?

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