評論
打印
Home brewing
家庭釀造
A pint well made
一品脫制作精良的好酒
Britain's home brewers are raising a more palatable glass
英國家庭釀酒者杯中美酒更加可口
Mr Nelson's tipple
納爾遜先生的酒
HOME brew was once a phrase that struck terror into the heart of the civilised drinker. In the 1970s, a friend offering to crack open a bottle of foul muck made in a cupboard under the stairs was a common threat and the prelude to an appalling hangover. But the fad took hold because of the dull alternatives and the fact that it was, at least, cheap. Times have changed. The winning entry in a nationwide home-brewing competition went on sale in October in Waitrose, a fancy supermarket, at 2.50 a bottle.
家庭釀造曾是令人心生恐懼的一個短語。在20世紀70年代，如果一個朋友提議開一瓶在樓梯底下的碗柜里釀造的劣質酒，這是一個普通的威脅，也是一場可怕宿醉的序曲。但這一時的狂熱竟就地生根了，因為當時的選擇寥寥無幾，而且起碼自釀酒很便宜。如今時代變了。全國家庭釀造比賽的優勝酒于10月在名為維特羅斯的高檔超市上架，售價為每瓶2.5鎊。
Thornbridge Brewery, a well-regarded small beermaker and one of the sponsors of the tournament, will produce 10,000 bottles of Graham Nelson's Vienna IPA, which beat over 200 other tipples to take the title. Mr Nelson is one of a new batch of home brewers for whom quality rather than parsimony is a guiding principle. To make top-quality beer home brewers can buy equipment that is like a miniature version of a commercial brewery. Discerning drinkers are buying crateloads of pricey craft ales made on a small scale in a fast-growing collection of microbreweries. And like foodies, who roast their own coffee beans or bake sourdough bread, some want to have a go at making the stuff themselves.
索恩橋啤酒廠是一家備受好評的小啤酒制造商，也是該項賽事的贊助商之一，它將生產10，000瓶格雷漢姆·納爾遜的維也納IPA，該酒超越了200種其他的酒摘取了桂冠。納爾遜是新一代家庭釀造者之一，對他們來說，指導原則是質量，而不是省錢。為了釀造質量上乘的啤酒，家庭釀造者們可以購買一整套迷你版的像商業釀造廠一樣的設備。有鑒賞能力的飲酒者從快速成長的小型啤酒廠處大量購買小規模生產、價格昂貴的工藝啤酒。就像會自己烘焙咖啡豆或自己烤制酵母面包的美食家一樣，有些飲酒者嘗試自己動手釀酒。
Adventurous amateurs are well served by a homebrewing culture that has spread like yeast in an airing cupboard. In the 1970s most bought a kit containing malt extract and a gloopy brown syrup which merely required the addition of water and a bit of patience. Kits are still popular for the first-time brewers and there are plenty of online stores that will sell you one. But home brewers are progressing to a set-up like a commercial brewery in miniature: mashing their own grain and selecting from an international array of malts and hops.
敢于嘗試的業余者們處于一個良好的氛圍中，這種家庭釀造文化已如烘柜里的酵母般蔓延。20世紀70年代多數人購買了小木桶，裝入麥精和一種棕色糖漿，只需加水再耐心等待就行了。小木桶在釀酒新手中仍備受歡迎，網上有很多商店販賣這類小桶。但家庭釀造者們也在進步，置備一整套類似于迷你商業釀造機器的設備：自己磨糧食，在國內外各種麥精和啤酒花中精挑細選。
Easier access to information has also helped as beermakers swap tips on the internet. Online videos and forums guide the inexperienced. And some brewers will, for a fee, help newcomers. Beer Lab, for example, offers sessions where enthusiasts can select and brew a beer of their choice at its site in London under the watchful eye of a professional. Microbreweries around the country run similar courses.
信息更易獲取這一點也起到了幫助作用，釀造者們可以在網上交流經驗。在線視頻和論壇為缺乏經驗的人提供指導。有一些釀造者也會收取一定費用幫助新手。比如說，啤酒實驗室就有相應的課程供熱衷者選擇，并讓學習者在專業人士的指導下在倫敦的制作點釀造自己選擇的一種啤酒。國內的小啤酒廠也運行類似的課程。
The numbers involved in home brewing are unclear but equipment suppliers say that business is booming. One firm that makes unbranded kits for smaller retailers says that sales have grown by 25% on average for the past five years and show no sign of slowing. The impact is more obvious. Sales of commercially produced craft beer grew by 8% in 2013 while big brands are drooping. Overall beer sales grew by just 1.4% in 2013 after eight years of decline. Britain now has 1,285 breweries compared with 200 in the 1970s. According to CAMRA, an organisation that promotes good beer, 14 new microbreweries are opening in the country every month. Most of their proprietors honed their skills at home.
進行家庭釀造的人數并不確定，但器材供應商說該行業正在蓬勃發展。一家為小零售商提供無商標桶具的公司表示銷售量在過去五年內平均上漲了25%，這種勢頭還沒有放緩的跡象。影響更是顯而易見。2013年，商業生產的工藝啤酒銷售量上漲了8%，但大品牌正在衰落。在八年的連續下滑后，2013年整體的啤酒銷量僅上漲了1.4%。英國如今擁有1，285家啤酒廠，而在20世紀70年代僅有約200家。據散裝鮮啤酒協會（CAMRA），一個推廣優質啤酒的組織表示，國內每個月平均有14家新小型啤酒廠開業。大多數業主都在家磨練過技藝。譯者：王穎 校對：徐珍
譯文屬譯生譯世
