Ithaca Nut Brown Ale

Ithaca Nut Brown Ale, 5.0% ABV, 12 oz (bottled)

Color: A thin, bubbly head forms when the ale is poured – which dissipates swiftly, slightly against my preference. The color is a succulent brown/tan, a tad darker than Newcastle’s pastel.

Tasting Notes: A malty, nutty, borderline bready nose greets me as the ale’s first impression upon the olfactory senses. This is a solid, pleasant nose of well-rounded aromas of yeast, malt and mineral-like crispness. Flavor-wise the ale is also welcoming, with upfront malt/barley supported by slight notes of fruit (the fruity flavors are so subdued that I can’t really place it), cashew and hazelnut; a light yet smooth body mitigates these flavors further, giving a very mellow and drinkable impression. Worthy of mention is despite the conspicuous lack of hop flavors and bitterness, this ale felt complete in itself, an established statement of flavor. Ironically, some brown ales taste like it could benefit from hops.

Comment: Brown ales, with its mild and laid-back character, are a nice change of pace from porters, stouts, IPAs or whatever palate-intense brew one would consume for the winter. The Ithaca Nut Brown is officially the second beer I tried from the Ithaca Brewery, and I prefer it miles over the Apricot Wheat. It’s a traditional style, solid and well-balanced. Great things have also been said about the brewery’s seasonal/special beers (some which can only be obtained at the brewery); perhaps a visit to the brewery in the near future would provide great entertainment and an excuse to leave Binghamton aka Cabin Fever Central. Of course, Ithaca is also home to the famous Cornell University; Cornell students (dis)affectionately call the town “Shithaca”. A while ago over Facebook, a classmate from high school who graduated from Cornell last year pondered over my livelihood in Binghamton; a town which he, someone accustomed to “Shithaca”, considered “desolate and industrial”. Well, with my circumstances taken into account, it seems to be a good opportunity for this friend to revise his past resentment and dissatisfaction of a town that has a great music scene and a nice brewery; hell, it may even stir up some nostalgia for him, ha!

1/25/09

9 months.

Nine months ago I left the center of the periphery to come to the periphery of the center. Nine months later a sunny, 19-degree afternoon seems, for the first time in my life – warm.

My impressions so far of upstate New York – Binghamton and the triple cities, to be accurate – are paradoxical.

Here, an air of great openness, of expanse and a streamlined presentation of arbor, dominates. At times mitigating, at times stark, bleak, barren; oppressive. It is immensely beautiful yet frightening: so are the factories covered in metallic rust and crumbling wooden houses. Despite this long-forgotten unfamiliarity of an American town, the torrid rain and overcast skies reminds me of home sharply. That is why I welcome them – as always. It is now spring. The air is clean as ever, subtly decorated with aromas provided by awakening flora. But for 19 degrees it is warmer than I ever imagined.

The trip back to the periphery will not be a trip back home. Where I once called home will never be and has never been the same. Home is now alien, the alien, home. Or vice versa.

I await my departure.

4/18/09

George Dickel Old No.8

Distillery: George A. Dickel, Tullahoma, Tennessee, USA

My first American Whiskey post! Hurray!

George Dickel Old No.8, 40%

試著想像這個畫面。一個抽著煙斗，體形高瘦、臉部線條深遂中年紳士，對某件事恍然大悟後，眼中露出欣喜的光芒，接著滔滔不絕地開始解說。另一位戴著小扁帽，留著八字鬍，體形圓、胖且矮的中年男子則墜入五里霧中，不解地向他詢問。此時紳士靜靜地吸一大口菸，然後嘆氣似地緩緩吐出。他那雙銳利的眼睛瞥向胖男子，說道： “This is elementary, my dear Watson.” (這是最基礎的，我親愛的華生。簡而言之：連這都不懂？你真是個蠢蛋！)

不消說，這是大家多少有些認識的偵探福爾摩斯與其助手，華生醫師。此一場景相當著名，每當擁有天才頭腦的福爾摩斯完成推理後，必定會向助手華生講這句充滿無耐和揶揄的話。事實上，在柯南道爾的原版小說中，從來沒有這一句。筆者直到近年，被身為福爾摩斯迷的摯友M指點前，都抱持這樣的錯誤認知。M解釋，當年美國(或英國，我不記得)的編劇撰寫福爾摩斯的電視劇本時，為了增加娛樂要素和幽默感才寫出這一句。誰知，久而久之，它竟演變成福爾摩斯系列中，最令人印象深刻的一句話。爾後，無論哪個國家拍攝，電視劇中的福爾摩斯永遠維持著天才神探、英俊、高雅的形象，而在小說中貴為第一人稱敘事者的華生醫師，就只能扮演傻呼呼、矮短肥、二愣子的可憐大叔。

事實上，華生醫師受過高等教育，知識豐富、擅長多種技能、人脈廣且具備福爾摩斯略為不足的行動力，是個幾乎不比偵探遜色的助手。多次破案，也都多虧華生的幫忙。被電視媒體扭曲的華生形象，用來形容田納西威士忌的萬年老二─George Dickel再也適合不過。不止是因為威士忌名評Jim Murray用 “A Doc Watson of Whisky, mild-mannered but full of tricks”形容過George Dickel 的 Superior No.12酒款，而是在宛如福爾摩斯般銳氣十足的田納西州老大─Jack Daniel’s的光環下，George Dickel就很容易被埋沒了。

雖然名聲不如Jack Daniel’s響亮，George Dickel的酒質與之相比，卻有過之而無不及。George Dickel蒸餾場名為Cascade Hollow，位於田納西州偏僻的Tullahoma小鎮，1870年由德國移民George Augustus Dickel創設。禁酒令年代前期，田納西比其他州率先禁酒，無奈之下Dickel只得遷廠至波本的故鄉肯塔基州繼續經營。禁酒令廢止後(這才對嘛！)再過二十多年，Dickel才落葉歸根，回到田納西設廠。

Dickel的酒有何特色？簡單來說，田納西威士忌除了使用Sugar Maple製成的炭替剛蒸餾的新酒過濾外(這個手續被稱作Lincoln County Process)，和波本威士忌可說一模一樣。然而Dickel在過濾前還經過一道冷凝(Cold-Chill)手續，創始者George A. Dickel認為這能讓酒的滑順度增加，並把威士忌裡影響口感的雜質去除。許多波本迷認為此舉大大削弱酒的滋味，此一說亦有其理，因為威士忌的許多風味就是「雜質」造成的。除此之外，Dickel的產量較少(相對於Jack Daniel’s以及美國其他工業化、龐大的蒸餾廠)，以small batch調和，並以酒齡8年~12年的木桶為主。個人認為，Dickel的味道較Daniel沉、豐富且多變，價位甚至更低，可謂物超所值的好酒。它的低階款Old No.8足以將其對手Old No.7 (Jack Daniel’s黑標的正式名稱)打得落花流水，更遑論是以10~12年調和而成的Superior No.12和特選的Barrel Select。不過，這兩支酒應和Jack Daniel’s高階產品相比才具公正性。

和全球銷量第一的美國威士忌屬同一產區，對Dickel酒廠來說，是它必須永遠面對的巨大挑戰。即便有出色的味道，Dickel卻缺乏知名度，只能當萬年老二：如同只看福爾摩斯電視版的迷，永遠不會知道小說中華生的好般。但對消費者而言，卻未嘗不是壞事。喜愛Dickel的饕客們能以較低價享用它，且不用擔心酒廠因銷量過大而酒質變樣，也能滿足他們獨佔秘密的欲望。
現在被帝亞吉歐(Diageo)納入旗下的George Dickel逐漸在英美市場受到注意。在強調威士忌「順口易飲」的台灣，是否某日也會出現它經過冷凝、炭濾的身影呢？

Package: 瓶頸長、瓶身矮短，酒標上有相當詳細的介紹。老式的字體給人一種懷舊、質樸的好感。

Color: 帶橘的溫和亮金色。

Nose: 前段有巧克力、香草和麥芽糖等柔和氣味，聞至中段則浮現出一股玉米甜和麥香，兩者融合得相當緊密。最後是石炭、焦糖與類似感冒糖漿(!)的氣息。

Body: 輕至中等厚度，酒體滑順乾淨，感覺得到一些年紀。6~8年？8~10年？

Palate: 首先是圓融的甜味，穀類和麥芽味被整合得天衣無縫；穿差其中則有蘋果、水果類的微酸和略苦的花生；而在這些口味下潛伏、支撐的竟是一般美國威士忌貴為主角的香草&橡木桶香，以及田納西威士忌特有的炭/楓木焦糖口味。

Finish: 悠長的炭火在口中溫文地延燒，感覺略似艾雷威士忌的Dryness，舌上則有香料、胡椒和家樂氏玉米片(哈哈)跳躍著。

Comment: Dickel真是耐人尋味的一支酒！當年德國移民George Augustus Dickel選擇以Whisky的拼法而非Whiskey確實有依據；它的滑順度、纖細且平衡的口感在神韻上(當然，口味還是不大一樣)或許是筆者目前喝過的美國威士忌中，最接近蘇格蘭的。或者說，它不太像在季節溫差大的美國南方熟成的酒─說它是在蘇格蘭熟成的波本比較恰當(Dickel使用Cold-Chill手續的一大目的，便是讓威士忌保持在接近冬天溫度的狀態下過濾)。

九份的笨蛋咖啡。

前天下午，我準備著當晚要招待Diviani，Brendan和Theresa的全素餐。不困難，白米飯，一道白菜，一鍋味噌湯，和一盤加了哈瓦那辣椒的麻婆豆腐。三位客人皆嗜辣成性，不過近日自己的飲食習慣也變辣不少，雖然還不到每餐必辣的程度。

準備的同時，想到今天尚未沖泡咖啡，便索性磨了豆，邊煮邊切菜。不曉得是因為量豆子時考慮著材料比例的關係而多放了，還是先前吃了甜食的關係，泡出的咖啡格外地苦。

這苦味很像去年五月，和妳去九份時，在「笨蛋咖啡店」喝到的伊索比亞咖啡。有點焦，有些黑巧克力的韻味，但比炭燒咖啡強烈。為什麼叫笨蛋咖啡呢？那家店名是Babka，外觀呈顯眼的亮白色，室內佈置是普羅旺斯風格(妳似乎堅稱是地中海風)，有著超級自慢的老闆，問他菜單的什麼都一概回答「我家的XXX很特別」。去掉b就是Baka。笨蛋。我記得那天是廿號，馬英九上任當天。

那是很炎熱但難得清爽的一天。去程的公車上，我們討論著Chevalier的結局，不小心說出很老梗的台詞，被妳唸了一頓。

我們在山城的巷弄中穿梭、探險著，不甘於停留在一般觀光客喜愛的主街上。還找到一間有付庸風雅之嫌的舊書店：找了半天，裡頭沒啥寶，妳倒是被地下室的蟲給嚇跑了。當地笨手笨腳的貓兒數次差點從屋頂跌落，很糗。身為貓，牠們有些失格。除此之外，妳還破除了我對軟Q類點心自小根深柢固的恐懼，共享一碗芋圓。真的很好吃。不過，我買回去給家人的份不曉得是否還在冷凍庫裡頭。

在迷宮山城，妳對媒體報導的大型茶館、咖啡店抱持相當疑慮，卻想去中途經過的笨蛋咖啡店坐坐。說實話，沒有我的方向感，妳大概回不到那兒吧 (笑)。當天的對話出乎意料的順遂，美好，我卻在回程上拼命對妳施壓，真笨。雖然不是完美的一日遊，空氣中粉塵鮮少的傍晚，倒是映照出溫暖而優美的夕陽。

讓我回憶起這一切的關鍵既不是時間也不是天氣，雖然快接近一年。主要是味覺。賓安頓依舊寒冷，移民中心大屠殺甫過一週，人們的內心仍舊騷動著。目睹過這種巨大的不可知性後，不禁想要問問自己：這一輩子，同樣的地方，和同樣的人一起再去一次的機會究竟有多大？或許絕無僅有，就那麼一次罷。

萬萬沒想過自己會寫這種文章。很一般的部落格文。

4/11/09

Clynelish 14yo

Distillery: Clynelish, Brora, Sutherland, Scotland

Oh me oh my. This is a truly delicious gem; its twin distillery, Brora (which was previously known as the original Clynelish) is now mothballed, leaving behind a legacy of spectacular 30 yr olds at Cask Strength. Each offering costs near 600$ USD @@ I wonder whether I'll be able to grab a bottle by the time I make enough to support myself (sniff).

Color: 漂亮、富光澤的金色。

Nose: 前段浮現出奇爽朗的蜂蜜、青草與石楠花香(或是其他種類花香)，到了中段氣味轉為類似機油般的輕淡泥煤，十分特殊。最後可以聞到波本桶特有的香草，以及被它壓抑的一絲雪莉甜。

Body: 口感綿密、柔滑且厚實，酒液裹住整個口腔，不愧是Michael Jackson以「性感」形容的酒體，確實引人遐思。

Palate: 甫入口，繽紛的蜂蜜、青草與新鮮燕麥類甜味擴散開來，作為主體的三種味道受若隱若現的泥煤撐起結構，使其不致於給人一種「華而不實」的印象。稍後報到的海鹽味與花果香呈對比，使這孩子更加令人驚豔。

Finish: 出乎意料，一股類似黃芥末的怡人苦澀在吞下酒液後出現。筆者認為，與同屬花枝招展、香氣逼人類型威士忌的Bruichladdich 10yo相較，Clynelish 特殊的芥末味(苦味)，表現出更多「成熟」的樣態：若將Bruichladdich 10yo比作天真爛漫的海岸姑娘，那Clynelish 14yo肯定是個出淤泥而不染的高地淑女。

Cooperstown Benchwarmer Porter

Brewery: Cooperstown Brewing Company, Milford, NY, USA

Benchwarmer Porter, 6.30% ABV, 12oz (bottle)

Cooperstown is another great American Microbrew Brendan managed to get me into. It is located in Milford, NY, an hour's drive from Binghamton, also home to the Basball Hall of Fame. Family-operated and producing on a small-scale, it is truly a microbrewerey, in contrast to the larger "craft breweries" such as Anchor or Sierra Nevada. Unsurprisingly, Cooperstown's ales are only available in New York state and various locations on the East Coast. However, being the country crazed about Baseball as they are, one select beer pub in Tokyo, Japan also holds their products. I will be writing about our trip to the brewery in later posts. Stay tuned.

Color: This bruiser pours a medium – thick head, with foamy bubbles. The color is extremely dark, with only faint traces of amber projected.

Tasting Notes: A surprisingly fruity nose emerges from the porter, contrary to my expectations of coffee and roasted malt. The fruitiness evokes dry prunes or ripe fresh plums, a little exotic (!) for a beer modeled around a down-home baseball theme. Underneath it all is some earthy malt tones. The roasted malt flavors (not coffee) becomes immediately evident on the tongue; the body is smooth and creamy and the higher carbonation differentiates it from a stout quite definitively. What about the hops? There’s a fine dose of hop bitterness addressed in this benchwarmer – some subdued citrus, musky bitterness and mineral flavor, adding to the nuance. The finish is a little too clean, however – as if the benchwarmer farted in the Fenway and a gust of wind cleaned it up in an instant.

Comment: A very exciting porter to say nonetheless, Cooperstown’s Benchwarmer is a fair reminder for me that modern porters do differ from stouts! This porter has the great features of some hoppy beers, and surely leans closer towards the beer-ish side of dark brews. Some reviewers on Beer Advocate seem dissatisfied with its hoppy and bitter flavor and are disappointed to find little coffee/chocolate notes in this bruiser; perhaps if they approached it less as a stout than a hoppy beer (in the vein of Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale), a different outcome may occur!

1/06/09