調查:英國再度流行淡啤酒
Mild beer, last in fashion when the Beatles were still at school, is making a comeback in Britain, according to a real ale lobby group.
Responding to a growing number of requests from beer buffs, breweries are beginning to produce more Mild and pubs are finding demand for the dark, malty ale is rising.
In a survey of 500 real ale drinkers across the UK, the group found that 64 percent of them had seen an increase in the number of Mild beers served at pubs and beer festivals over the past 5 years.
Similarly, 75 percent had noted the availability of Mild beers in pubs and brewery shops within a 30 mile radius of their homes.
"There's a real opportunity for the Mild to return to its former glory, when in the 1950's it was the nation's most popular beer style," said Duncan Woodhead of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, which organised the survey.
The origins of Mild go back centuries and it was not until the 1960s that it was overtaken in popularity by bitter and lager, both of which usually contain more alcohol.
In the CAMRA survey, issued in advance of its National Mild in May campaign, drinkers were asked to name their best loved Milds.
Top was "Ruby Mild" from the Rudgate brewery in York, north Yorkshire -- CAMRA's current Champion Beer of Britain.
Second was "Dark Ruby" from the Sarah Hughes brewery of Dudley in the West Midlands and third was "Maggs' Magnificent Mild" by the West Berkshire brewery in the town of Yattendon.
英國一個真麥啤酒遊說組織近日稱，曾在披頭士樂隊還在上學的那個年代十分流行的淡啤酒如今再度風靡英國。
爲滿足啤酒愛好者不斷增加的消費需求，啤酒廠開始加大淡啤酒的生產量，同時，酒吧的黑麥芽啤酒銷量也在不斷上升。
該團體對英國500名真麥酒酒民開展的一項調查發現，64%的受訪者稱他們發現在過去五年中，酒吧和啤酒節上提供的淡啤酒量有所增加。
另有75%的受訪者稱，在他們家附近30英里內的酒吧和啤酒店內有淡啤酒銷售。
組織開展該調查的“真麥酒運動”組織的成員鄧肯•伍德海德說：“現在是淡啤酒重現昔日輝煌的大好時機。在上世紀50年代，它是英國最受歡迎的啤酒品種。”
英國的淡啤酒已有數百年曆史，直到上世紀60年代它的地位被酒精含量較高的苦啤和窖藏啤酒所取代。
這項在本月的“全國淡啤酒”宣傳活動前發佈的調查還要求受訪者列出他們最喜愛的淡啤酒品牌。
其中，最受歡迎的是約克郡北部約克市魯德蓋特啤酒廠生產的“紅寶石淡啤”，這也是“真麥酒運動”組織目前評選出的“英國啤酒之冠”。
西米德蘭茲郡達德利市薩拉•休斯酒廠生產的“黑寶石”位居其次，逸騰敦鎮西伯克郡酒廠生產的“極品麥格斯”排在第三。
Vocabulary:
mild beer: a low-gravity beer with a predominantly malty palate that originated in Britain in the 1600s or earlier（淡啤酒）
in fashion:流行
real ale: 散裝鮮啤酒，按傳統方法制作和貯存的啤酒
buff: one who is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about a subject（愛好者，行家裏手）
bitter: usually alcoholic liquid made with herbs or roots and used in cocktails or as a tonic（苦啤酒，在英國很受歡迎）
lager: a beer stored from six weeks to six months for aging before use（釀造後再貯藏成熟的啤酒，也稱爲窖藏啤酒，味淡，通常多泡沫）
