來比利時,你對啤酒的認知將會改變(下)

Farm Brewery

5.農場啤酒廠

In the fields outside the tiny town of Tildonk, father and son team Andre and Dries Janssens operate one of the most unique breweries in the world: Hof ten Dormaal. What started as a simple barley farm slowly evolved into an international brewing venture. Looking for ways to make their farm more efficient, the Janssens decided to set up a small brew operation to get rid of the extra barley. Then, they decided to grow their own hops instead of buying them.

在Tildonk小鎮外的鄉野田間，安德烈·漢森斯與德萊斯·漢森斯這對父子共同經營着一家世界上最獨特的啤酒廠之一：Hof ten Dormaal啤酒廠。這家最初目的只是作爲農場啤酒廠經營的公司卻逐漸成長爲國際級的釀酒企業。爲了讓他們的農場更有生產力，漢森斯父子決定在釀造過程中開設一項小步驟來儘量減少額外費用。最後，他們決定自己種植啤酒花，不再從別處進口。

From that point, they settled on a unique concept: Everything in their beer would be made or grown on their farm. Soon, they were also bottling the finished creations right beside the haystacks. A state-of-the-art bottling line lets them cap 2,000 bottles of their farm brews per hour. Even after they began shipping 90 percent of their output to willing buyers in the US, the Janssens weren't content—they decided to try aging some of their beers in old liquor barrels, and so they took off on a trek across Europe to find wooden barrels that had spent years soaking up the flavors of cognac, armagnac, port, sherry, and whiskey.

從那時起，他們的廣告詞也變得非常獨特：我們釀造的每一滴啤酒都來自我們自己的農場。很快，該酒廠甚至開始就在麥草堆旁進行成品裝瓶操作了。根據他們的釀造效率，該酒廠頂尖的裝瓶流水線能夠每小時裝2000瓶啤酒。即使他們已經能夠將他們百分之九十的產品都運送給美國的啤酒消費者們時，漢森斯父子依舊不滿意——他們決定讓自己的啤酒在一些老舊的酒桶裏走上陳年佳釀之路，所以他們辛苦跋涉跨越了整個歐洲大陸來尋找那些常年浸泡並吸收了白蘭地酒、阿瑪尼亞克酒、波特酒、雪莉酒以及威士忌酒風味的木質酒桶。

pist Beer

4.修道院啤酒

In the silent halls of a 17th-century Trappist monastery, something dark is brewing. The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, commonly referred to as the Trappists, is a monastic order that focuses on the work of one's own hands as the true path to salvation. Although they don't take an official vow of silence, Trappist monks avoid speaking unless absolutely necessary, and any speech that mocks or puts down someone else is a sin. All in all, they're not bad fellows.

在17世紀特勒普修道院安靜的大廳裏，一種黑色的啤酒正在悄然誕生。嚴規熙篤隱修會，通常指的是特拉比斯特派修道士，這是一個信仰全靠自己修行來走上真正的救贖之路的隱修修道會。雖然教會沒有明文規定修行要禁語，但該派修道士都是除了在絕對需要的情況外都儘量不說話，另外任何有關辱罵或者貶低他人的言論都是有罪的。總而言之，這是一羣善良的人。

But regardless of any religious affiliation, Trappist monks brew some of the meanest beers in the world. There are only 10 authentic Trappist breweries in the world, and six of those are in Belgium. Westvleteren XII, a Trappist beer brewed not far from the city of Ypres, is often called the best beer in the world. Everything the Trappists make from their beer goes back into their abbeys in accordance with their vow of poverty.

但這裏我們先撇開宗教背景不談，特拉比斯特的僧侶們釀造的是世界上最稀有的啤酒之一。事實上全世界只有10家修道院釀造啤酒，其中有6家就在比利時的韋斯特勒行十二世，而位於伊普爾市近郊的一家修道院啤酒被譽爲世界上最好的啤酒。僧侶們將販售啤酒的所有收入都用於修道院以此來謹守他們安貧之誓。

d's Largest Beer Menu

3.全世界最大的啤酒"菜單"

The current holder of the Guinness World Record for most available beers on the menu is Delirium Cafe, located in Belgium's capital city of Brussels. They have 3,162 beers available on their shelves. You'd have to drink 8.5 beers every day for a year just to taste them all.

現任的菜單中擁有最多可點啤酒數的吉尼斯世界紀錄保持者是迪勒瑞姆咖啡館,它坐落於比利時首都布魯塞爾。在這家店的貨架上有着3162種啤酒供顧客品嚐。你需要每天喝8.5種啤酒並不停喝上一年才能把他們全部嘗完。

We didn't have a chance to visit Delirium Cafe, but we did stop in for a brew at Belgium's valiant underdog: The Capital, located in Leuven. With the distinction of second largest beer menu in the world, this unassuming little place looks just the same as any other bar on Brusselsestraat—on the outside. Even the inside, at first glance, looks like your typical bar. But then you realize that the frosted tiles on the floor aren't tiles—they're windows. And through the windows is a vision of Valhalla: an entire lower level with row after row of beer-filled shelves standing dark sentinel like Belgium's answer to Qin Shi Huang's terra-cotta army. It works like this: A customer orders a beer. The waitress passes the order to The Capital's underbelly, where a "beer finder" locates the brew. He places it on a vertical conveyor belt that runs up behind the bar, and it's served. It may take longer than a traditional bar, but what are a few minutes compared to the option to drink thousands of beers you've never heard of?

因行程關係我們最終沒能造訪這家店，不過我們還是去了在比利時人氣最低但依舊勇敢地經營着的酒吧小酌了幾口，它叫The Capital，位於勒芬市。這家店可是獲得過世界上第二大啤酒菜單的榮譽，雖然酒吧又小又普通，但它依然看起來和Brusselsestraat其他酒吧一模一樣——當然，你得從外面看。甚至從裏面第一眼看起來仍然和你心目中的酒吧模樣無甚差別。可是，隨後你會發現地板上的磨砂磚塊並不是磚塊而是窗戶。並且通過地上的"窗戶"你會看到如瓦爾哈拉殿堂的景象：在地下室是一行一行的裝滿啤酒如哨兵般站立的貨架，這看起來頗像是比利時版的秦始皇兵馬俑。它的運作流程是這樣的：顧客拿菜單先點單。隨後服務員將單子遞給The Capital地下室的工作人員，他們叫做"尋酒師"，他們會爲顧客找到相應的釀品，最後顧客如願喝到他們點的酒。這可能會比傳統酒吧耗時得多，但能喝到數以千計你聞所未聞的啤酒，等待的這幾分鐘簡直就是微不足道。

ly Consumption

2.毫無顧忌的狂飲

As a country, Belgium has been drunk for over a millennium, but to say that Belgians drink a lot of beer is like saying the ocean has a lot of water—we need some specifics. Country by country, Belgium currently stands at No. 18 on the global list of beer consumption by country per capita. On average, each Belgian drinks 74 liters (19.5 gal) of beer every year.

作爲國家，比利時已經在啤酒裏沉醉了上千年了，但是我們說比利時人民喝了大量的啤酒就和我們說大海里有很多水一樣概念模糊——我們需要具體的量化。把全世界所有國家來做比較，以每個國家的人口數來算比利時已經位列全球啤酒消費榜的第18位。平均來說，每個比利時人每年要喝74升（19.5加侖）啤酒。

But that's a symptom of modern times. In 1900, Belgians were guzzling an unholy 200 liters (53 gal) of the fizzy brown stuff each year. One of the reasons for the drop in beer sales is the rise of soft drinks, and even the beer capitals of the world are getting hit by the shift. Many breweries have even begun to reduce the bitter qualities of their beer in an effort to keep up with a customer base that's gravitating toward sweeter drinks.

這還只是當代比利時人較前人的數據。在上個世紀初，每個比利時人暴飲這種棕色泡沫液體到了每年200升（53加侖）的地步。這種啤酒銷量的減少一方面是因爲軟飲料銷量增加，一方面是因爲全世界都受軟飲料影響而減少了人均啤酒量。很多啤酒廠商甚至開始減少啤酒中苦料的使用以迎合消費者越來越趨向於甜味飲料的口味。

1.A Glass For Every Beer

1.敬所有啤酒！

The above photo is just a fraction of the absolute insanity of everyday drinking in Belgium. Every beer comes with a specially designed glass from which to drink it. This isn't a suggestion—it's a cardinal rule. When you order a new beer, your old glass will be removed so that a new goblet will have a place to rest its crystal stem. The glass styles are split about evenly between the typical beer-style mugs, pints, steins, and plenty of wine-style flutes. One beer even comes in a bowl.

讀者們看到的這張照片不過是比利時人民每天瘋狂痛飲啤酒的冰山一角罷了。每一種啤酒都有一個專門設計的酒杯來盛裝。我們說的這個可不是旅遊攻略——這是在比利時喝啤酒的基本規矩。每當你選了一種啤酒，舊的杯子就會被撤走，這樣纔有足夠的空間給新的高腳杯來放下它們的玻璃腳座。而酒杯的款式更是花樣百出各路酒杯可謂平分秋色，不論是典型的啤酒馬克杯，品脫杯，斯坦杯還是那麼多種類的紅酒高腳杯，悉數粉墨登場。有時候甚至用碗來裝啤酒。

The idea of using a specific glass for every beer is so prevalent in the region that many breweries start a new recipe by first designing the glass. And believe it or not, this long-standing tradition has been backed up by a handful of studies that conclude that the shape of a glass definitely affects the flavor and aroma of the beer inside. So what's in a glass? Quite a lot, apparently. We're just happy as long as one of those things is 'd like to thank Marie Venhellemont at Leuven Leisure for the instructive beer tour on our first day. We're sorry we were so jet lagged. And of course, thanks to Marcos Stupenengo at VisitFlanders for making the whole trip possible. Hope to see you again soon, Belgium!

因爲整個比利時都盛傳每種啤酒配一款酒杯，因此許多啤酒廠商開始在每釀造一款新品啤酒時首先會設計一款酒杯。不管你信不信，這個流傳甚久的傳統其實是有大量實踐總結支持的：酒杯的形狀的的確確會影響到杯中啤酒的味道以及氣味。那麼一個杯子能裝什麼？太多了，這很明顯。但只要裏面裝着啤酒我們就歡呼雀躍了。

翻譯:楊學進 來源:前十網