Scott Baigent & Cameron Wallace － 爱尔兰 ‘8 Degrees Brewing’ 的老板 & 啤酒制造家 － Owner & Brewer, 8 Degrees Brewing.
DB: 你们两个是如何相遇的？当初为什么会决定一起合作？How did you two meet each other and why did you decide to work together?
Scott: 我们2002年初识彼此。当时我们都还年轻，在世界各地旅行，并住在爱尔兰。Cam那时在都柏林正寻找一个室友，然后我就出现并成为了他的舍友。之后，我们去了很多地方，但保持着联系。我们都是啤酒爱好者，而且话很投机！渐渐地，我们意识到自己应该弄一个酿酒厂，用天然优质的原料酿出工艺啤酒。
Scott: We first met back in 2002, when we were both young, traveling around the world and living in Ireland. Cam was looking for a housemate in Dublin, I turned up and that was it. After that, we travelled to many places but stayed in touch. We were both beer-lovers and we had many conversations – over pints! – on this. Gradually, we came to the realisation that we should set up our own microbrewery, making quality craft beers from natural ingredients.
Cam：那时候Scott的宿舍位申请者很多。我觉得Scott能在2002年时拿到那个住宿位的原因是，他曾经从新西兰不坐飞机来到爱尔兰，这等史诗般的旅行让他从多个申请者中脱颖而出。而那时，对于我而言他就是个很酷的存在，自此之后我们就成了彼此多年的朋友。
Cam: I think the reason why Scott got the accommodation in 2002 – there were a lot of applicants for his room – was that he had done an epic trip from Ireland to New Zealand without taking a plane and he sounded like a pretty cool guy. We’ve been friends ever since.
DB: 是谁起了“8度工酿啤酒”这个名字？为什么Who came up with the name 8 degrees and why?
Scott：这个名字内涵蛮多玄机。首先，它有一定的地理位置性，从地图上看爱尔兰被经度穿过，而我们想爱尔兰人在看到或听到这个名字时，就能感同身受，因为它不仅仅只是爱尔兰的一片小区域，而是全部。然而，我们又不希望我们的啤酒只局限在爱尔兰得到共鸣，我们希望它能在世界各地的人都能体验到它的美妙。比如，如果澳门产的啤酒只叫澳门啤酒，并出口至香港，这时香港人民不见得想喝这款啤酒。另外，我们希望起一个能代表我们啤酒的名字，我们的啤酒是在8摄氏度酿出的工啤，起“8度”正好可以代表我们的产品。之后，我们来到了中国，碰巧发现数字“8”是中国人的吉祥数字，没想到我们的啤酒能与中国有这么一种特殊又美好的关系。
Scott: The name is quite a story. It is very much geographically grounded as that line of longitude crosses through the middle of Ireland. We wanted to make everybody in Ireland relate to it when they see or hear the name, because it is not just based on one area. But at the same time, we wanted to have a name that was relevant outside Ireland. For example, if you produce something called Macau Beers and you sell them in Hong Kong, it may not be a great success as people in Hong Kong will see it as a rivalry. Also, we want our name to represent our beers, which best served around 8 degrees centigrade so that you can properly taste them. So there is a synergy between the name and the beer serving temperature. We then came to China and we realised that it was the lucky number 8. I think this is quite a bonus as we haven’t expected such wonderful connection between China and our name.
Cam：我认为Scott太谦虚了。当时是他在地图上发现经度8刚好穿过了爱尔兰，我们那时为这一发现感到震惊，因此就初步决定叫“8度”。Scott是名字的灵感者，虽然这是自然的财富。这不仅仅只是一个口号式的名称，它象征着冒险，包含了我们想表达的一切。对于我们而言，不但生产令人兴奋的啤酒是一种挑战；对消费者而言，要勇于尝试新东西也是一种挑战。
Cam: I think Scott is being modest because he had the brainwave while looking at the map when he saw the longitude of 8° W crossing Ireland. We were amazed by this discovery and decided to call ourselves 8 Degrees. Probably Scott should take credit for this, though it should really be the gift of nature (laughter). It is more than a catchphrase or a slogan. The name is naturally adventurous and encompasses everything that we are all about. For instance, we use natural, local ingredients and we let the beers evolve naturally. It is a challenge for us to constantly produce sensationally exciting beers while it is also a challenge for consumers to dare be adventurous with something new.
DB: 我们知道你们分别来自澳大利亚和新西兰，然后搬到了爱尔兰。为什么要选择这里呢？We know that you are originally from Australia and New Zealand and that you have moved to Ireland. Isn’t it usually the other way around?
Cam：我们当时正在环游世界，各自遇到了自己的爱尔兰女孩，最后结婚了。爱尔兰的女生对于某些事情十分执着，譬如她们婚后想住的地方。我曾与自己的妻子谈过这个问题。她问我，婚后能否回到爱尔兰住。我回答说，“如果我们回去爱尔兰的话，我可以和Scott开一家啤酒厂吗？”她告诉我，只要我们能留在爱尔兰，她可以让我做任何我想做的事情。
Cam: We were just travelling the world, met two Irish girls and ending up marrying them. Irish girls are very persuasive about things, for example, like where they want to live. I once had a conversation with my wife. She asked if we could move back to Ireland and I replied, “sure, but can I set up a brewery with Scott?” She told me that I could do anything I wanted to as long as we stayed in Ireland. So, that is pretty much the story from my side (laughter).
Scott：我和许多新西兰人和澳大利亚人一样，大学毕业后就去亚洲和欧洲旅游。我刚开始是到英格兰，然后去了爱尔兰度假，在那我遇见了我的妻子。爱尔兰是一个非常舒服的地方，生活习俗也十分怡人，人们也十分友善。我在新西兰的郊外长大，而这里和那边的人文环境很像，对于我来说这里很适合生活。
Scott: I, just like many New-Zealanders and Australians, went travelling to Asia and Europe after finishing my university. I ended up in England first and went to Ireland for a holiday. There I met my wife. Ireland is a very lovely place to live in where there has a very comfortable lifestyle. People are incredibly friendly. I grow up in a countryside in New Zealand and it is very similar to Ireland in terms of the cultural environment, people’s mentalities and values, which greatly appeals to me.
DB: 你认为哪种啤酒特别适合亚洲市场？Which of your beer you think is particularly adapted to the Asian market?
Scott：我觉得工艺啤酒在香港澳门和中国大陆已有一定的名声。人们也意识到原来啤酒是可以那么多元，味道如此之多，比如甜的、涩的、啤酒劲的等。想让人们尝试工艺啤酒，一般都是从清爽易入口的产品开始着手。对于我们来说，“Barefoot”无论在爱尔兰、香港、澳门或世界各地都成功地深入人心。当人们习惯于喝某款特定的啤酒品牌时，你需要让他们尝试一款特别容易入口的啤酒。一旦他们接受了工艺啤酒并不难喝的事实后，他们自然而然地会接触其他工艺啤酒口味。通过IPA，你可以从啤酒花中闻出许多类似水果的香气，而浅爽型让人十分喜欢饮用。我认为“Full Irish IPA”特别适合澳门的爱啤人士，而“Barefoot”则是适合给那些啤酒新手饮用。
Scott: I think people in such cities as Macau, Hong Kong and Mainland China have been introduced to craft beer and realise that beers can have very interesting and varied flavours like sweet, bitter, hoppy. Getting introduced to craft beers usually begins with something refreshing and light-tasting. For us, ‘Barefoot Lager’ achieves that, whether in Ireland or in Hong Kong, Macau and everywhere. When people are used to drinking one particular beer brand, you need to introduce an easy beer for them to embrace. Once people realise that craft beers are not a scary thing and that is something anyone can enjoy, they will be interested in checking our more of our range. With IPAs, you get a lot of citrus fruit aromas from the hops. But the lighter-colored ones tend to be more refreshing to drink. So I think ‘Full Irish IPA’ is going to appeal people in Macau who like beers and ‘Barefoot Lager’ can be a good introduction for people who are tasting craft beers for the first time.
Cam：气候是影响喝啤酒的另个重要因素。对于中国南方而言，这边潮湿且炎热，人们需要饮用更为清爽可口的啤酒，而这种口感会给人一种欲罢不能停的快感。
Cam: Climate is another factor. In Macau, where it is humid and hot, it will be nice to have a ‘Barefoot Lager’ with you as it is crisp, spicy and refreshing. The little extra flavour gives it a unique mouthfeel that makes you want to drink one after another.
DB: 你们计划在中国大陆出售自家的啤酒吗？Do you sell or plan to sell in Mainland China?
Scott：我们已经给北京一些工啤酒吧出售自己的产品。我们一直看好中国大陆的市场，这里的潜力无穷之大。我们知道中国大陆已经历了一场‘饮酒’革命。人们开始认识到酒的多样性并且对各种酒都充满未知的好奇。而我们的工艺啤酒正可借此机会丰富对酒的了解。中国庞大的人口着实令人兴奋，而北京有许多新生的工啤酒吧正酝酿起这样一个市场，当这个市场萌生出更多对此感兴趣的酒吧时，我们将牢牢抓紧它们。这就是大陆市场的潜力所在。我们希望了解大陆人民对啤酒口味的偏好，了解各地人群的差异，最后为消费者提供他们所需的工啤。
Scott: We have already supplied our beers to Beijing. Definitely we see a lot of potential in the mainland market. I know that mainland China has gone through a wine revolution where people came to realize the diversity and interests in wines. Our expectation is that craft beers can do the same thing. The population of China is mind-blowing to us, but we do think that Beijing has quite a few craft-beer bars where they are stocking many craft beers from all over the world. Very often, this is how the market starts up and if there are a few niche bars that have particular interests in craft beer, they will take them in and take a hold of them. So this is how we see the great potential in Macau, Hong Kong and Mainland China. We are keen to learn people’s preferences in China so that we know how things are different between various regions and are able to provide what consumers need in the future.
Cam：与其它专注于美国市场的工啤供应商不同，我们十分看好港澳、大陆、韩国和新加坡的巨大市场潜力，并将重点放在远东市场。在美国，那里早已有成千上万种工啤，过于饱和。而在中国，工啤市场仍在开发中，充满商机。几年前，中国的酒类多样性仍缺乏，但现在，人们拥有更多的自由去选择不同的酒品。这跟30年前的爱尔兰十分相似，最初那里只有红酒和白酒，但现在的酒业早已欣欣向荣。这个趋势将在中国蔓延，啤酒的多样性将不再遥远，而我们也会趁势提供人们最好的工啤！
Cam: Unlike other craft-beer providers, who concentrate on the market of the United States, we take a different approach, focusing our efforts on the far-east market. We really see Macau, Hong Kong and Mainland China, South Korea and Singapore having a massive market potential. But for the States, there are thousands of craft beers and they don’t need more. However, we do see a lot of opportunities in China. Years ago, China had less access to wine, but now they have more choices all of sudden. This is pretty like the situation of Ireland back in 30 years ago. Initially, there were only red and white wines, now there’s huge diversity – and then they started to brew. This trend will happen again in China, with people wanting more diverse craft beers with different flavours. We want to be there to offer them our beers.
DB: 你们认为澳门“佳酿”酒吧如何？What do you think of Prem1er bar?
Scott：我不得不说Niall（店长）的这间酒吧经营的很好。这里很温馨舒适，一进来就被它的座椅氛围给吸引住。酒吧酒类齐全，员工和客人都十分友善。如果我住在澳门，即便不是在这里卖啤酒的，我也会晚上经常来坐坐喝喝。这个酒吧拥有你想要的一切，带上你的亲朋好友来放松放松吧！
Scott: I have to say Niall (Owner) has done a great job setting up a great bar here. It is warm and cosy, you are drawn into comfortable seats, good beers and friendly people behind the bar. If I was living in Macau, even if I wasn’t selling beers into this place, it would be a good venue that I would choose to hang out in as it has everything that you would possibly look for in a bar. I hope people in Macau can see the bar as a good place to bring a friend and hang out.
Cam：这里很适合结交朋友，扩建自己的关系圈。而我们的啤酒也在这里得到了很好的展示。Niall的人脉广阔，通过这次宣传，我们的名字势必将传到越来越多人的耳旁。他喜欢我们的啤酒，了解我们的目标和感受到我们的热情。对于我们而言，他更像是我们的伙伴，他将帮我们分销“8度”一系列的啤酒，并且我们一直会和这里心连心。
Cam: It is a great networking place and it is able to present the beers in the best light. The owner, Niall has a lot of contacts and so is able to help spread the word of 8 Degrees. He likes our beers and understands our vision and the passion behind it. He is able to distribute the beers through his networks. It is more of a partnership, and we are here to support him as much as anything else.
