2024/05/30 
英國十九世紀著名外交家政治家帕默斯頓說，請客吃飯是外交的靈魂。該國首相卡梅倫顯然深諳此道。今年十月習近平訪英，他給習發出酒吧之邀，滿足了外交需要，還不經意成就了一個生意人的大好“錢”景……
By Simina Mistreanu
When President Xi Jinping went on a state visit to Great Britain this past October, British Prime Minister David Cameron invited him for a swift pint of beer at his local pub in Buckinghamshire.
今年十月，習近平訪英，在英國首相卡梅倫的邀請下，去倫敦郊外白金漢郡的一家酒吧品嘗啤酒。
Cameras filmed the two world leaders walking to the counter and Cameron ordering two pints of Greene King beer. Next, the men are pictured having a toast and drinking beer with a snack of fish and chips.
媒體鏡頭里，兩國領導人行至吧臺，卡梅倫點了兩杯啤酒，兩人碰杯后就著薯條下酒。
As in the past, when Xi visited local restaurants in Beijing, Chinese went crazy wanting to replicate the experience. This time, they craved the beer that Xi was drinking.
不出所料，兩人手里的英國麥啤成了人們趨之若鶩的酒桌“逼格”利器。
For Peter Bloxham, a Beijing-based British businessman who imports Greene King beers into China, it was a windfall.
Peter Bloxham，在北京的英國商人，專門從事Greene King啤酒的進口業務。對他來說，這是一場飛來橫財。
“The two days after the event, our phone never stopped ringing,” Bloxham said. “It was ringing day and night. All over China, agents, hotels, restaurants, they wanted IPA. And we haven’t got it because we never knew there was going to be such a demand.”
“新聞出來兩天后，我們的電話就被打爆了。中國各地的代理商，賓館，飯店都想要訂購。我們從沒想過會有這么大的需求量，所以一直供不應求?！?/FONT>
Bloxham started importing British beers into China in 2004 with his company PFB Trading. He brings traditional British brands such as Greene King, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale and Belhaven.
04年開始，Bloxham就做起了英國啤酒的中國進口生意。他引進了一系列老牌英國啤酒，包括Greene King，Old Speckled Hen，Abbot Ale還有Belhaven。
But until now demand hasn’t been so high, as the beer market is dominated by Chinese light lager brands such as Tsingtao, Yanjing and Snow. As for imported beers, German, Belgian and American brands sell much better than British ales in China.
但是這個市場一直沒有做大，國內的啤酒市場還是被青島燕京雪花這幾個國產品牌占領。至于進口啤酒，德國比利時和美國的牌子也比英國啤酒賣的好得多。
Bloxham used to import about 6,000 bottles of British beers and ciders every month. Now, after the famous Xi-Cameron toast, he’s waiting for three shipments totaling 75,000 bottles of Greene King IPA to reach the Tianjin port this month.
過去，Bloxham每個月進口6000瓶左右的英國啤酒和果酒。現在，一個月就有75000瓶Greene King啤酒到港。
“We’d become multimillionaires if it went on like this because it’s just crazy, absolutely crazy” Bloxham said. “I think after Spring Festival we’ll get back to normality, but our sales will go up by then.”
“這太瘋狂了，這樣下去我們離千萬富翁都不遠了。春節后銷量可能會回歸正常水平，不過肯定還是會漲的。”
China’s beer market is the largest in the world in terms of volume. In 2014, it totaled 500 million hectoliters. But this year, the volumes decreased by 5 to 10 percent because the lower end of the market has become saturated, according to research firm Daxue Consulting.
中國有著全球最大的啤酒市場，2014年的消費量就有五百億升。不過今年的銷量跌了5到10個百分點，因為低端啤酒市場漸漸開始飽和。
Out of that market, real ale – known as beer that is unfiltered, unpasteurized and contains live yeast – makes up less than 1 percent.
然而龐大的中國啤酒市場上，只有不到1%是未過濾未消毒含活酵母的麥酒。
Importers such as Bloxham have started to bring real ale into China in the early 2000s, selling it in gourmet stores and at some Western restaurants. Later that decade, local microbreweries started opening in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, catering at first to expats.
像Bloxham一樣的進口商在世紀初就把真正的麥芽酒帶到中國，在美食店和西餐館出售。后來他們陸續在北京上海等大城市建起啤酒廠。一開始，顧客主要都是外國人。
Beijing has several popular microbreweries, including Great Leap Brewing, Arrow Factory Brewing, Slow Boat Brewery and Jing-A Brewing. The bitter, thicker beers are not a familiar taste for most Chinese, who are used to lighter beers, which are had to wash off spicy foods.
北京有幾家小有名氣的小啤酒廠，比如Great Leap Brewing，Arrow Factory Brewing，Slow Boat Brewery和Jing-A Brewing。然而習慣淡啤酒的國人對苦澀濃烈的英國麥啤并不習慣。
But some analysts believe the real ale market will grow in China, as the middle class is moving toward more premium drinks, and people in their 20s and 30s have travelled more and have encountered these drinks abroad.
不過一些人分析，國人對正宗麥酒的需求會越來越大。中產階級開始轉而消費更優質的飲品，二三十歲的年輕人也越來越多出國旅游，嘗試異國風味的酒類。
In the meantime, Bloxham, who also sells British ciders and ginger beers, hopes President Xi will try out another one of his brands during his next visit to the UK.
Bloxham也做著英國果酒和姜酒的生意，想著習近平下一次訪英時能嘗嘗這些酒。
“I contacted them in the UK and said next time he’s visiting, get him to try one of your Crabbie’s (a ginger beer), and then we’ll have good sales of Crabbie’s in China as well.”
“我聯系了在英國的那些人，告訴他們，下次習近平訪問時，讓他試試姜酒，再拉動一下銷量?！?/FONT>