Sunday, November 5, 2017

WEEK 117---Breaking up the word B.E.E.R

This came about while having a casual chat with a non-craft drinker friend about beer.
The assumption is all non-craft drinkers knows what BEER is---taking it all in basing on face value of that word and what it represent--yellow fizzy alcoholic piss.
大家都知道BEER就是啤酒,但也有很多人都不知道啤酒是怎么一回事,啤海有多辽阔,不如拆开看看,在craft beer世界这几个字母可以意味着什么。
While having that casual chat--the thought of breaking up the word B.E.E.R just pop up, though it can be anything/ much more than what's interpreted here--for examples the word B can be BEST or BULLSHIT depending on individual interpretation.
B for BREW
sometimes it can be a little hard/complicated to try the technical way of explaining to non-craft drinkers why craft beer, what so unique ? 
the simple way is perhaps to focus on the BREW itself--it's kinda like cooking, first and foremost, what ingredients one uses would have big influence on the flavours of the finished product---and then you need the right process/skills/time factor.... so on.
and the fun part about craft beer is that NOT EVERY beer is of the same level/standards/deliciousness---it's all down to how or what the brewers/mead makers wanted a particular beer(or mead) brewed/become.
the uniqueness of craft beer?choices galore aside, it's all about finding different taste profile, characteristic. and sometimes awesomeness of a BREW.
酿造啤酒和烹饪或做点心甜点一样,是讲究原材料,食材,调味,时间,过程和厨师功力融合的事,同样一道菜式,就算同一食谱,不同人做很可能会有不太一样味道,啤酒也那样,酿造过程,用料还有酿酒师功力都起着关键作用,同一个类型风格啤酒不同酿酒师做出来美味程度可以有天地差别,也间接说明为什么喝啤酒需要选择。
B for BAD
yup-- craft beer can be bad, as in badly made.
again--it can be like cooking--we all know even with the same recipe, same ingredients, when different people cooked, the result can be hugely different---same goes for beer brewing/mead making.
the fact that craft beer is after all still a business means that we would see some half-baked brewers selling their beers under that same( same same but VERY different) label of craft beer---these brewers should be given a nice tick-off, go back to basics, learn how to brew better brew/think properly what the hell they want to achieve in taste profile before throwing half-baked brews into the market. 
*personally---any brew which is remotely/slightly better than commercial lagers DO NOT count as craft beer --and if your brew is even worse than a cold pint of big factory brew--then you should look elsewhere, stop trying to sell your brew under the disguise of craft beer/craft mead.
虽然理论上craft beer应该是好喝美味啤酒代名词,实际上,不是所有啤酒都在同一个水平上,酿出难喝啤酒又敢拿出来卖的所谓craft beer并不少。
喝到自觉难喝啤酒情况有二,一是自己味蕾鉴赏力还不够领略不了那款啤酒的奥妙,二是真的难喝,如果是劣质作品,啤迷间应当分享出来当反面教材。
B for BETTER
YES--while there's some really bad ones, there's also plentiful really nice/awesome brews out there--you just need to keep looking out/try out different brews, open up your eyes/palate/senses, the world of craft beer/craft mead is wide, and thank goodness there's better ones to look forward to than just sticking around drinking shitty ones--the choice is yours really.
craft 好玩之处在于这是个有机会不断发掘更多更新更好的广阔啤酒世界,就像寻找美食那样可以有不少乐趣,如果今天喝到一款很好喝的固然开心,浩瀚啤海不同酿坊作品众多,还是有机会喝到更出色酿品。
E for EXPECTATION
in some ways--drinking craft beer can be like a curiosity process--from hearing about certain brew--to wanting to have a taste--to finally have a sip or two--its all about finding out what a brew taste like--is it within expectation/ is it under or beyond?
and if one were to look at why some people trade beers/mead internationally--why some people willing to pay much higher secondary prices for certain brews--it's all about expectations isn't it?
在寻找不同类型风格啤酒或同类型不同酿坊品牌啤酒的过程中,很有趣一点就是很像个寻求印证期望值和实际喝酒体会感受的过程,不少啤迷会追逐一些盛名酿坊或超高人气酿品,原动力当然是好奇心推动的期望值在作祟,从渴望,寻找,到能喝上几口的瞬间就是最真实时刻,无论是期望过高还是有惊喜,当下就了解。
E for EXPANDABLE
to GEEKS, craft beer drinking is kinda like foodie seeking out for nice food--it's all about satisfying the urge for deliciousness--and that's also about expanding one's palate appreciation level--not keeping to just 1,2,3 same taste profile all the time but trying to savour different taste profile craft brews can bring--and that's really the fun some drinkers are missing, either for lack of curiosity or  pure self-restricting(in trying new/unfamiliar taste profile)--and that's quite  a shame.
人的味蕾是为了欣赏不同味道层次而存在,只是如果吃来吃去只是那两三样固定菜式,就只能是停滞不前, 放在喝啤酒这件事来说也一样,味蕾对不同风味类别啤酒的鉴赏力度需要适当开发,只有给机会自己尝试更多不同风味啤酒才能让味蕾得到提升。
E for EXAGGERATION
craft beer at times can be a little bit similar to vanity fair/fashion items---there would always be some brands/breweries which are in vogue/in trend--and that would inevitably means demands chasing often limited supply--it's like everybody wanted a piece of that brand/breweries--it's not wrong--but can be a little tiring at times just looking at the hooohaaahh on social media.
*if you are a NEWBIE--don't take it all in of what at times a bar or a bottle shop tells you about certain brands/brews they are carrying or they DON'T carry--it could all be business interest infused exaggerations--good or bad you have to digest and decide for yourself.
啤酒的世界某些程度上也跟时尚圈一样,会有某某酿坊的特定作品被啤迷媒体大力追捧,跟时尚圈有点不一样的是,这应该/很可能都不是故意炒作,而是因为量少又一定程度上好喝而被啤迷或媒体传开的,这原本没什么问题,因为就算是很有个性的酿坊,如果是开门做生意,就有买卖,不过,一些炒家的出现让价格变得不太现实,被刻意夸大的炒卖瓶子有没有想象或传言中那么好喝,是个问题。
R for REVISIT
you might find a beer so awesome you keep telling people even after 3 or 4 or 5 years you last had one--it could still taste awesome, or perhaps not--same goes for a beer you last had years ago which you thought was plain awful---but maybe it was because you could not understand or handle that one at those time?
it's always good to revisit beers you had few years ago--regardless if you thought it was the best or worse beer of your life( ok--i'm not gonna revisit any BIG factory commercial lager anytime sooner nor later)---the thing is--by drinking more different styles of brew, and learning to appreciate, one's palate appreciation level would change for the better--so it's good to revisit certain "old" beers to see if the judgement at that time was correct/any changes of opinion.
有时候,三五年前喝过的啤酒可能觉得好喝到不得了,又或是难喝的很 这些都有可能是鉴赏力还不足导致的味蕾错觉,所以,每隔一段较长时间再喝之前觉得很好或不好的啤酒重新审视是有趣的动作.
R for REJECT
this is quite simple--the truth is--world of craft beer is like a big blue ocean--it's so vast with so many different choices--so why limit yourself to drinking only the same old same old all the time? the "joke"is that no matter if you drink an awesome/delicious brew or plain boring commercial lager--it's the same--your body system still needs to work out since there's alcohol to be cleansed--if so why bother drinking bad ones/below average ones/ so so ones--when you have the choice of selecting a really good brew/awesome ones?
啤海是浩瀚无际的,喝什么都是选择,既然每次只能是喝上大概的量,为什么不好好细味品尝,尽量选择好喝的,拒绝没有鲜明特点的平庸之作,更要拒绝不知所谓的难喝啤酒。
要记住,无论是喝佳酿或劣作,酒精都需要身体机能工作化解,那干嘛不尽量只选择喝好的?

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