瞎逛啤酒節 / Wandering Around the Beer Festival

某個週末，我突然發現人群都往一個方向前進，於是懷著好奇心之下，我就跟著人群走，越靠近所謂的目的地時，人們就越喧嘩，原來這裡有個啤酒節活動啊！叫做鈴蘭通啤酒節，為甚麼叫做鈴蘭通是因為，活動主辦地是以中山路向外延伸，而中山路是台中市，最早以鈴蘭街燈點亮的第一條近代商店街，所以，主辦單位，參照日本的街區活動，轉譯為現代的啤酒節活動，真是很會聯想啊！

想當然而，有一堆的酒商參與著這個活動，不過，光有酒，沒有配酒吃的美食，怎麼可以呢？所以，也有不少美食攤商進駐，我看攤位賣的酒，多是我完全沒聽鍋的私釀品牌，為了推廣商品，有部分攤位，有提供試喝，但是提供試喝的攤位不多，完全無法和我之前去過的各大酒展相比，在酒展上，是全部的店家，都很大方的提供各式商品的試喝，完全不怕人們只喝不買，不過，每個領域都有其各自的生態，買賣本來就是你情我願的。

不過，假如是喜歡杯中物的酒友，在這裡應該非常開心，因為可以品嚐到各家的招牌商品，我看了幾家店的狀況，掌門精釀啤酒是一家精釀啤酒的老品牌，有多家實體分店，一杯啤酒價格大約200元起，妖怪釀造是我之前在某家餐酒館看過的品牌，那家餐酒館剛好就在附近，價錢也是一杯200元左右，其中，最吸引我的是行動啤酒車，燈光一打上來，氣氛立刻就不一樣了，整排的啤酒閥，只要一扭開，就可以品嚐各式特色啤酒，真是露營烤肉時的最佳良伴。

坐在路旁觀察來往的路人，發現來這裡逛的人中，有不少是外國人，可能是國外的酒吧文化，使得外國人對這樣的氛圍，不會陌生，但我還真好奇，他們是如何知道這樣的活動的，我是無意間逛到的，他們呢？不意外地，這裡有著眾多的年輕人出沒，他們男女成群，一邊喝酒、一邊喧嘩，好不熱鬧，而且看他們消費都不手軟的，一攤接著一攤的喝，喝到面紅耳赤也不停歇，年輕真好啊！

One weekend, I suddenly noticed a crowd moving in one direction, so out of curiosity, I decided to follow them. The closer I got to the destination, the noisier the crowd became. Turns out, there was a beer festival happening! It's called the "Suzuran Street Beer Festival". The reason it's named Suzuran Street is that the event is held along Zhongshan Road, which is the first modern shopping street in Taichung, originally lit by Suzuran streetlights. The organizers, inspired by street events in Japan, translated it into a modern beer festival. Quite a clever idea!

Naturally, many beer vendors participated in the event. But what's a beer festival without food to go with it, right? So there were plenty of food stalls as well. The beers being sold were mostly from small, private craft breweries that I had never heard of before. Some stalls offered free tastings, but not many did, unlike the large beer expos I've attended before, where all the vendors generously offer samples. It's a different scene, and business is always about mutual agreement.

However, if you're a beer lover, you'd probably have a great time here, as you can try signature brews from various brands. I checked out a few stalls: Zhangmen Craft Beer is an old brand with multiple locations, and their beer starts at around NT$200 per cup. Yokai Brewing is a brand I saw before at a nearby wine bar, with prices also around NT$200 per cup. What really caught my attention was the mobile beer truck. When the lights lit up, the atmosphere completely changed. A row of beer taps stood ready, and you could just twist them open to sample all sorts of unique beers—perfect for camping or a BBQ.

Sitting by the street, observing passersby, I noticed there were quite a few foreigners around. Perhaps because of the global bar culture, they seemed very comfortable in this kind of setting. I was curious how they found out about the event. I stumbled upon it by accident, but how did they know? Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of young people around, in groups, drinking and chatting loudly—it was lively and fun. And it was clear they weren’t shy about spending money, moving from one stall to another, drinking until their faces turned red, but never stopping. Youthful energy is really something!

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