5.农场啤酒厂
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小镇外的乡野田间，安德烈·汉森斯与德莱斯·汉森斯这对父子共同经营着一家世界上最独特的啤酒厂之一：Hof ten Dormaal啤酒厂。这家最初目的只是作为农场啤酒厂经营的公司却逐渐成长为国际级的酿酒企业。为了让他们的农场更有生产力，汉森斯父子决定在酿造过程中开设一项小步骤来尽量减少额外费用。最后，他们决定自己种植啤酒花，不再从别处进口。
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.
从那时起，他们的广告词也变得非常独特：我们酿造的每一滴啤酒都来自我们自己的农场。很快，该酒厂甚至开始就在麦草堆旁进行成品装瓶操作了。根据他们的酿造效率，该酒厂顶尖的装瓶流水线能够每小时装2000瓶啤酒。即使他们已经能够将他们百分之九十的产品都运送给美国的啤酒消费者们时，汉森斯父子依旧不满意——他们决定让自己的啤酒在一些老旧的酒桶里走上陈年佳酿之路，所以他们辛苦跋涉跨越了整个欧洲大陆来寻找那些常年浸泡并吸收了白兰地酒、阿玛尼亚克酒、波特酒、雪莉酒以及威士忌酒风味的木质酒桶。
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世纪特勒普修道院安静的大厅里，一种黑色的啤酒正在悄然诞生。严规熙笃隐修会，通常指的是特拉比斯特派修道士，这是一个信仰全靠自己修行来走上真正的救赎之路的隐修修道会。虽然教会没有明文规定修行要禁语，但该派修道士都是除了在绝对需要的情况外都尽量不说话，另外任何有关辱骂或者贬低他人的言论都是有罪的。总而言之，这是一群善良的人。
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.
但这里我们先撇开宗教背景不谈，特拉比斯特的僧侣们酿造的是世界上最稀有的啤酒之一。事实上全世界只有10家修道院酿造啤酒，其中有6家就在比利时的韦斯特勒行十二世，而位于伊普尔市近郊的一家修道院啤酒被誉为世界上最好的啤酒。僧侣们将贩售啤酒的所有收入都用于修道院以此来谨守他们安贫之誓。
3.World's Largest Beer Menu
3.全世界最大的啤酒"菜单"
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.
现任的菜单中拥有最多可点啤酒数的吉尼斯世界纪录保持者是迪勒瑞姆咖啡馆,它坐落于比利时首都布鲁塞尔。在这家店的货架上有着3162种啤酒供顾客品尝。你需要每天喝8.5种啤酒并不停喝上一年才能把他们全部尝完。
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?
因行程关系我们最终没能造访这家店，不过我们还是去了在比利时人气最低但依旧勇敢地经营着的酒吧小酌了几口，它叫The Capital，位于勒芬市。这家店可是获得过世界上第二大啤酒菜单的荣誉，虽然酒吧又小又普通，但它依然看起来和Brusselsestraat其他酒吧一模一样——当然，你得从外面看。甚至从里面第一眼看起来仍然和你心目中的酒吧模样无甚差别。可是，随后你会发现地板上的磨砂砖块并不是砖块而是窗户。并且通过地上的"窗户"你会看到如瓦尔哈拉殿堂的景象：在地下室是一行一行的装满啤酒如哨兵般站立的货架，这看起来颇像是比利时版的秦始皇兵马俑。它的运作流程是这样的：顾客拿菜单先点单。随后服务员将单子递给The Capital地下室的工作人员，他们叫做"寻酒师"，他们会为顾客找到相应的酿品，最后顾客如愿喝到他们点的酒。这可能会比传统酒吧耗时得多，但能喝到数以千计你闻所未闻的啤酒，等待的这几分钟简直就是微不足道。
2.毫无顾忌的狂饮
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.
作为国家，比利时已经在啤酒里沉醉了上千年了，但是我们说比利时人民喝了大量的啤酒就和我们说大海里有很多水一样概念模糊——我们需要具体的量化。把全世界所有国家来做比较，以每个国家的人口数来算比利时已经位列全球啤酒消费榜的第18位。平均来说，每个比利时人每年要喝74升（19.5加仑）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.
这还只是当代比利时人较前人的数据。在上个世纪初，每个比利时人暴饮这种棕色泡沫液体到了每年200升（53加仑）的地步。这种啤酒销量的减少一方面是因为软饮料销量增加，一方面是因为全世界都受软饮料影响而减少了人均啤酒量。很多啤酒厂商甚至开始减少啤酒中苦料的使用以迎合消费者越来越趋向于甜味饮料的口味。
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.
读者们看到的这张照片不过是比利时人民每天疯狂痛饮啤酒的冰山一角罢了。每一种啤酒都有一个专门设计的酒杯来盛装。我们说的这个可不是旅游攻略——这是在比利时喝啤酒的基本规矩。每当你选了一种啤酒，旧的杯子就会被撤走，这样才有足够的空间给新的高脚杯来放下它们的玻璃脚座。而酒杯的款式更是花样百出各路酒杯可谓平分秋色，不论是典型的啤酒马克杯，品脱杯，斯坦杯还是那么多种类的红酒高脚杯，悉数粉墨登场。有时候甚至用碗来装啤酒。
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 beer.We'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!
因为整个比利时都盛传每种啤酒配一款酒杯，因此许多啤酒厂商开始在每酿造一款新品啤酒时首先会设计一款酒杯。不管你信不信，这个流传甚久的传统其实是有大量实践总结支持的：酒杯的形状的的确确会影响到杯中啤酒的味道以及气味。那么一个杯子能装什么？太多了，这很明显。但只要里面装着啤酒我们就欢呼雀跃了。
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