遵循古老配方釀製的啤酒(上)
It was just past lunchtime in Jerusalem’s industrial Talpiot neighbourhood. Traffic sat at an uncomfortable standstill, and the thick smog of diesel truck fuel fogged the landscape.
這裏是耶路撒冷 Talpiot 工業區，午餐時間剛過。交通堵塞令人不快，柴油卡車釋放的濃霧讓周圍的一切變得模糊。
In a warehouse across the roundabout of snaked traffic, Itai Gutman’s overnight shift had spilled into afternoon at Herzl Brewery, a local ale distillery that was, until recently, relatively unknown, except by microbrew aficionados.
迂迴穿過蠕動的車流，來到一處倉庫，伊泰•古特曼（Itai Gutman）在赫茨爾啤酒廠（Herzl Brewery）通宵工作已經進入次日下午。直到最近，除了啤酒愛好者外，這家本地啤酒廠還並不怎麼出名。
The young Jerusalemite started creating his own unique beers in small batches some 10 years ago, a process he said grew from “necessity” during his mandatory military service when funds were low and beer was a luxury. “Brewing was a simple choice to get access to the product,” he explained.
大約 10 年前，這位耶路撒冷年輕人開始小批量自己釀造這種獨特的啤酒，據他說，他這樣做源自自己服兵役時，經濟緊張，啤酒價格昂貴，而啤酒又是“必備品”，“自己釀酒是得到啤酒最簡單的辦法。”
Today, beer is not just a profession for Gutman – it’s a labour of love.
今天，釀造啤酒不僅是古特曼的職業，而且是他所鍾愛的事業。
Tall and softly spoken, deep under-eye shadows hint of his tireless dedication. On his right forearm is a large tattoo of what may be the oldest known recipe for creating fermented ale. The original cuneiform – a system of writing developed by the ancient Sumerians around 3500-3000 BC – is believed to describe the protocol for turning grain into ale.
他個子高高的，輕言細語，黑眼圈很重，神情堅毅。他的右臂上有一大塊紋身，這些也許是製作發酵啤酒的古老配方。據信，這些古代蘇美爾人在公元前約 3500-3000 年創造的原始楔形文字描述了將糧食釀造成啤酒的方法。
The inked symbols and markings on Gutman’s forearm were found near the Euphrates River in ancient Mesopotamia – where modern-day Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Iran and Turkey share borders – an area that is widely known as the cradle of civilization.
古特曼前臂所紋的符號和標記是在古代美索不達米亞平原（Mesopotamia）的幼發拉底河（Euphrates River）發現的，那裏是現在的伊拉克、敘利亞、科威特和土耳其的交界處，這個地區是廣爲人知的文明搖籃。
Just last year, fragments of ancient pottery from this period were discovered during a construction project in Tel Aviv. According to archaeologist Diego Barkan, who directed the excavation, the large ceramic basins were used to make ale.
就在去年，在特拉維夫一處建築工地上還發現了出自這個時期的古陶器碎片。指揮此次發掘工作的考古學家迭戈•巴坎（Diego Barkan）認爲，這個古代大陶瓷盆原來就是釀造啤酒用的。
Early inhabitants made their beer from a mixture of grains and water that was baked and left to ferment in the sun. Fruit concentrates may have been added to the mix for flavour, before the liquid was filtered into special vessels and ready to drink.
早期居民把糧食和水的混合物烘焙後放在陽光下發酵，由此釀造啤酒。爲了調味，他們可能會在其中加入濃縮果汁，液體經過濾裝入容器，就得到能馬上喝的啤酒。
At that time, beer was a basic commodity – like bread – to be consumed and enjoyed by the entire population, regardless of status or age. Since there was always a risk of contamination with water, fermented beer and wine were much safer to drink.
當時，啤酒是像麪包一樣的基本商品，無論社會地位和年齡爲何，人人都會享用。由於水總會有被污染的風險，因此發酵啤酒和葡萄酒就成爲安全得多的飲品。
“Beer brewing is the oldest occupation in the world – aside from the other one,” Gutman joked. “This is what I do, this is the tradition I took on to continue.”
古特曼表示，“除葡萄酒釀造外，啤酒釀造是世界上最爲古老的職業。這就是我現在所從事的工作，它是我要繼承下去的傳統。”
Following this tradition has led Gutman to create what might be the closest thing to the very first man-made ale, using a genetically modified strain of wheat that dates back to the beginning of human agricultural cultivation, around 10,000 years ago.
正是遵循這種傳統，才讓古特曼得以利用轉基因小麥釀造出啤酒，它也許是與最早的人造啤酒最接近的東西，這還要追溯到約 1 萬年前人類開始農業種植之時。
