如今流行新喝法 啤酒真的能越陳越香?

When Russian River released Pliny the Younger in February, 300 thirsty fans lined up outside the tiny Santa Rosa, Calif., brewpub for the first sip of this super-hoppy beer. Hop flavors fade fast, and for IPAs and even stronger Imperial IPAs like Pliny, fresh is best: It's on tap once a year and runs dry in days. But as the screechingly hop-forward brews of the craft-beer movement's first wave give way to deeper, more complex flavors, the revolution is moving down to the cellar. For some beer lovers, the best bottles aren't the freshest, they're the dustiest.
加州 羅莎(Santa Rosa)的小酒館Russian River今年2月份推出Pliny the Younger時，300名發燒友排隊等候在門外，迫不及待地想在第一時間品嚐這款酒花味超濃的啤酒。由於酒花味會迅速變淡，因此印度淡色艾爾啤酒(簡稱IPA)和Pliny這種更加濃烈的帝王IPA(Imperial IPA)最好趁新鮮品嚐：這款啤酒一年推出一次，幾天就會售罄。但隨着手工精釀啤酒第一波浪潮中代表性的刺激酒花味讓位於更加深邃複雜的味道，這場變革正在延伸至酒窖。在一些啤酒愛好者看來，最好的酒並不是那些最新鮮的，而是最有年頭的。

As with many of beer's latest trends -- limited editions, a preoccupation with terroir, cork-sealed bottles -- this one takes cues from the wine world. At restaurants like San Francisco's Abbot's Cellar, the cicerones, beer's equivalent of sommeliers, pour celebrated vintage brews like Baladin's Port-like 2009 Xyauyu Etichetta Oro.
和啤酒界許多最新潮流（如限量版、重視產區、採用軟木塞封瓶）一樣，本輪浪潮也取道於葡萄酒界。在舊金山的Abbot's Cellar 等餐館，侍酒師會爲客人斟上Baladin 2009年產的Xyauyu Etichetta Oro（相當於葡萄酒中的波特(Port)酒）等著名年份佳釀。

But amassing an all-star beer cellar doesn't have to be a white-tablecloth endeavor price-wise. Great age-able beers can be quite affordable. A six-pack of Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot -- a spicy barley wine that turns as syrupy as sweet Sherry after a few years -- goes for about $12.
打造一個全明星陣容的高檔酒窖其實並不一定要花很多錢。有陳年潛力的上品佳釀價格可能相當實惠。Sierra Nevada六瓶裝的Bigfoot（一款辛辣的大麥酒，保存幾年之後會像雪利甜酒(Sherry)一樣甜膩）售價僅在12美元左右。

Still, you can't buy just anything and lay it down to age. Not all beers get better with time. Hop-driven IPAs lose their kick quickly as light, heat and oxygen degrade the flavorful flowers' acids and oils. Stone Brewing Co.'s Enjoy By IPA touts its bottled-on date as a badge, and the brewery's cicerone, Bill Sysak, recommends immediate consumption. Instead, Mr. Sysak stocks his personal cellar -- 2,800 bottles and counting -- with strong, dark and bottle-conditioned beers. The sometimes overpowering fusel alcohol notes of stronger beers, 8% ABV (alcohol by volume) and up, mellow over time; living yeast in bottle-conditioned beers adds character as it continues to ferment residual sugars.
不過，不是隨便什麼啤酒都可以買來放置陳年。並非所有啤酒都是越陳品質越好。酒花味突出的IPA會迅速喪失那股衝擊力，因爲光、熱和氧氣會降解啤酒花中的酸和油。Stone Brewing Co.的Enjoy By IPA以其裝瓶日期爲賣點，這家酒坊的侍酒師比爾·西薩克(Bill Sysak)也建議儘快飲用它。而西薩克的私人酒窖（有 2,800瓶啤酒，而且還在不斷增加）藏有瓶中熟成的烈性深色啤酒。烈性啤酒（酒精含量在8%及以上）中有時過強的雜醇油味會隨着時間的推移而變得柔和起來；而瓶中熟成啤酒中的活性酵母會持續發酵殘留的糖分，從而爲啤酒增添更多個性。

Aging beers truly is an adventure. Sweet, bottle-conditioned Belgians dry out; fiery barley wines turn smooth and caramelly. Stone's Imperial Russian Stout, Mr. Sysak said, 'might be astringent, fresh, like espresso. But aged, it's a delicious chocolate-coffee dessert.' One of the oldest he's tried, a 1968 Thomas Hardy's Ale, 'was like an Oloroso Sherry: nuts, toffee, leather and smoke.'
啤酒的熟成確實是一場冒險。甘甜的瓶中熟成比利時啤酒(Belgians)口味會變幹；辛辣的大麥酒則會變得柔滑並帶有焦糖味。西薩克說，Stone釀製的Imperial Russian 烈性黑啤酒(Stout)“新鮮時也許像濃咖啡那樣有些苦澀。但陳年後就成了美味的巧克力咖啡甜品”。他品嚐過的最陳年的啤酒之一是1968年產的Thomas Hardy's Ale，他說：“這款酒味道很像歐羅索雪利酒(Oloroso Sherry)：它混合了堅果、太妃糖、皮革和菸草的芳香。”

The beers may be strong, but they must be aged gently. Aim for 54 degrees Fahrenheit -- a mini-fridge with a temperature control is nice, but a dark interior closet works too. Mr. Sysak found a sweet spot in his guest bathroom. 'People would open the cupboard and find all these rare bottles,' he said. Above all, you want consistency. Temperature fluctuations will age beer prematurely and might throw its proteins out of solution, turning the brew hazy.
有些啤酒酒性也許很烈，但熟成的過程必須要輕柔。理想的儲存溫度是華氏54度（12攝氏度）——能放在可控溫的小冰箱裏很好，但放入室內避光的壁櫥裏也可以。西薩克就在他的客房衛生間裏找到一處理想的儲藏場所。他說：“人們打開櫥櫃，會發現這些罕見的啤酒。”最重要的是要保持恆溫。溫度的波動會讓啤酒過早熟成，而且有可能會使蛋白質析出，導致酒體渾濁。

There's no need to bother with horizontal storage, even with cork-sealed beers. Most modern corks are treated with wax so they won't dry out, and vertical storage minimizes contact between the beer and air in the bottle, slowing the aging process.
啤酒沒有必要橫放貯存，即使是軟木塞封瓶的啤酒也沒有必要。現代的軟木塞大都會上蠟，因此不會變得乾硬，豎放貯存能儘可能地減少啤酒與瓶內空氣的接觸，減緩熟成過程。

The biggest question is when to drink. Allagash recommends about three years for a Belgian brew like its Interlude, bready and tannic. Alaskan Brewing Co.'s Smoked Porter -- thought up by brewery founder Geoff Larson over a plate of lox with a salmon-curing neighbor -- 'hasn't peaked yet,' said Mr. Larson. Since most of these beers are relatively affordable, buy a bunch and open one from time to time. After a few years, try a vertical tasting: one beer, different ages. Start with the oldest bottle and proceed chronologically, so the younger batch's more intense flavors don't overwhelm your palate at the outset. And, as with wine, sip and savor. Tasting, like aging, takes patience. 'Drinking these beers is like getting into a hot tub,' Mr. Larson said. 'Go slowwww.'
最重要的問題是酒應該在什麼時候喝。Allagash建議，像Interlude這種帶麪包和單寧味的比利時啤酒可以擱三年左右再喝。Alaskan Brewing Co.煙燻波特啤酒(Smoked Porter)的創意是該酒坊創始人傑夫·拉森(Geoff Larson)與加工三文魚的鄰居在享用一盤煙燻三文魚時想出來的，拉森說，這款酒“還沒有達到巔峯”。這些啤酒價格大都比較適中，不妨多囤一些，每過一段時間打開一瓶。幾年之後，可以嘗試一下垂直品酒：即品嚐不同年份的同款啤酒。可從最陳年的啤酒開始，按年代順序依次品嚐，這樣新鮮啤酒更爲濃烈的味道就不會一上來便征服你的味蕾。另外，和葡萄酒一樣，請小口啜飲，慢慢品嚐。 品酒和存酒一樣，都需要耐心。拉森說：“飲用這些啤酒就像泡熱水澡一樣，請慢慢來。”STARTER KIT // BEERS TO HOLD ON TO
新手套裝//哪些啤酒宜久藏？

1. Deschutes The Abyss, 11% ABV
F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal1. Deschutes的The Abyss; 2. Alaskan Brewing Co.的煙燻波特啤酒；3. Hair of the Dog的 Adam; 4. Jolly Pumpkin的 Oro de Calabaza; 5. Ommegang的Three Philosophers; 6. Sierra Nevada 的Bigfoot1. Deschutes的The Abyss，酒精含量11%

This pitch-black imperial stout is devilishly smooth, even when young; given time, tannic molasses turns to rich chocolate, licorice spice to soothing plum pudding.
這款帝王烈性黑啤酒呈深黑色，即使在新鮮時也極其柔滑；經年之後，單寧糖漿味會變成香濃的巧克力味，甘草香料則會變成清爽的李子布丁味。

2. Alaskan Brewing Co. Smoked Porter, 6.5% ABV
2. Alaskan Brewing Co. 的煙燻波特啤酒，酒精含量6.5%

After a few years, the alder smoke turns richer and less sharp, the dark malt gets syrupy sweet and a bracing cold-night nip becomes a warming frontiersman's breakfast redolent of maple-cured bacon.
經過幾年的熟化，榿木的煙燻味會變得更加濃郁柔和，深色麥芽變得像糖漿一樣甜，寒夜裏讓人精神一振的小飲已變身爲拓荒者熱氣騰騰、散發着楓木燻肉香氣的早餐。

3. Hair of the Dog Adam, 10% ABV
3. Hair of the Dog的Adam，酒精含量10%

A boisterous roomful of distinct flavors when fresh -- dark chocolate, espresso, a wisp of cigar smoke, cacophonous and loud. A year's rest or more trains those voices into a warmly lilting chorus.
新釀中截然不同的味道（黑巧克力、濃咖啡，還有一絲雪茄煙味）帶來滿屋喧囂，嘈雜而又吵鬧。經過一年多的存放，這些聲音會變得和諧起來，成爲帶着暖意的輕快和音。

4. Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza, 8% ABV
4. Jolly Pumpkin的 Oro de Calabaza，酒精含量8%

A straw-hued, bottle-conditioned brew, aged in barrels with a bit of wild yeast, Jolly Pumpkin's flagship starts perfect and only gets better -- sliding from sweet, fruity golden raisins to zesty dry Champagne.
Pumpkin這款瓶中熟成的旗艦佳釀啤酒呈現稻草般的色澤，啤酒在桶中熟化時加入了一點野生酵母。這款酒新鮮時就很完美，隨着時間推移更是愈加美妙——甘甜、散發果香的金色葡萄乾逐漸變身爲熱辣的幹香檳(Champagne)。

5. Ommegang Three Philosophers, 9.7%
5. Ommegang的Three Philosophers，酒精含量9.7%

Young, this strong blonde Belgian quadruple is sweet and hot, rum soaked cherries and caramelized figs. Bottled with a bit of live yeast, it'll dry out in time, honing a sharp, peppery edge.
這款酒力強勁的四重發酵比利時啤酒色澤金黃，新鮮時甘甜而辛辣，帶有朗姆酒漬櫻桃和焦糖無花果味。這款酒裝瓶時加入了一點活性酵母，口味會隨時間推移而變幹，打磨出一種犀利的胡椒味。

6. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, 9.6% ABV
6. Sierra Nevada的Bigfoot，酒精含量9.6%

A British-style strong beer, or barley wine, with a decidedly American hop-centric twist. Viscous with Chinook hops' throat-coating pine and citrus resin, this monster sweetens into old age.
這是一款英國風格烈性啤酒（大麥酒），並帶有鮮明的美國烙印，即突出酒花味。Chinook啤酒花讓這款啤酒如同散發松樹和柑橘芳香的黏稠樹脂，包裹着飲酒者的喉嚨。陳年後，這頭“怪獸”會變得溫柔起來。