Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia is a treat for -- and has lessons to impart -- both the young and old (Film review)

 

Animator-filmmaker Julian Chheng answered questions after 

the Hong Kong International Film Festival screening of his movie :)

 

Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia (France-Luxembourg, 2022)

- Julian Chheng and Jean-Christophe Roger, co-directors

- Voice artists: Lambert Wilson, Pauline Brunner 

- Part of the Hong Kong International Film Festival's Gala Presentation program

 

Ten years after I was charmed by Ernest & Celestine (2012) at the Hong Kong International Film Festival, I viewed its sequel at this year's fest.  Although the two cinematic offerings have different sets of directors, the titular characters (originally created by Belgian author-illustrator Gabrielle Vincent) are voiced by the same actors in both animated movies: with Lambert Wilson giving his voice to Ernest, the big bear with a big love for music, and Pauline Brunner giving her voice to Celestine, the little mouse who has far more courage and daring than most creatures many times her size.

 

After met and become fast friends in the 2012 movie, Ernest and Celestine now are house mates in this thoroughly entertaining follow up film. Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia begins with Ernest having just woken up from a nightmare (that shows his having encountered political oppression in his past) and three months of hibernation. The big bear is very hungry and is not happy to discover that there's not much at all to eat in the house.  It gets even more disgruntled after Celestine accidentally breaks his prize violin, and more upset still to discover that the little mouse has headed off to his home country to get it repaired by its maker -- the bear version of Antonio Stradivari.        

 

Although Ernest had told Celestine that Gibberitia was a land where much music could be heard, this turns out to not be the case when they get there and find that all but the playing of one musical note has been outlawed -- and that the maker of Ernest's violin is now a wanted criminal.  The bear's impulse is to get out of there (again) as soon as possible but this is not easy to do.  And soon, Ernest -- and Celestine -- find themselves embroiled in matters concerning Ernest's family (who consist of an authoritative doctor mother, imperious judge father and cute younger sister (named Mira) who looks set to follow in their mother's professional footsteps) and Gibberitia at large.

 

At the Q&A session that followed the screening of Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia here in Hong Kong, co-director Julian Chheng (who shared that his mother's originally from Hong Kong) was asked if this animated work had been banned or otherwise censored anywhere in the world.  This should tell you something about the film having political themes that involve rebelling against the authorities (as well as Hong Kong being the kind of place where tales of bears and a mouse as well as, most certainly, sheep and wolves can be considered problematic).       

 

Another question asked pointed to Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia also having subject matter that Hong Kongers (and other Asians) can relate to: including offspring wanting to pursue interests and careers that their parents -- at least initially -- frown upon their doing.  And when Julian Chheng divulged that he had drawn upon his personal experience with regard to this, there was much amusement indeed!

 

On a (still) lighter note: there is little doubt that this enchanting animated offering is a wonderful celebration of artistry -- visual and musical  Put another way: Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia is absolutely an audio-visual treat (with the voice work of the voice artists being top notch, as is the musical score by Vincent Courtois); one that I can see children loving and adults being able to appreciate it too.  In addition, the lessons and messages its makers seek to impart are ones that are worth taking by both the young and old.  (If any confirmation was needed: animated movies are not just for kids -- and, in fact, there were none at the Hong Kong International Film Festival screening I attended!) 

 

My rating for this film: 8.5     

Plenty of good beers to sample at Beertopia 2018!

Chilling at Beertopia early yesterday afternoon

Still standing and imbibing after several hours at the craft beer fest!

A far busier scene at the same event come evening!

It was sunny and hot when I got to the Central Harbourfront shortly after 12pm, the official start time of day 2 of this year's edition of the now annual Beertopia craft beer fest.  The crowd was on the thin side but I didn't mind -- and, to be honest, preferred it that way as I'm one of those people who actually likes to drink in quiet, mellow surroundings rather than feel a need for there to be a party atmosphere to get me in the mood! 

Upon walking around and surveying the scene, I was pleased too to note that three out of the four breweries whose offerings I was looking forward to imbibe had them on tap rather than just bottles or cans.  On a related note: while there appeared to be fewer beer booths about the place this year than last year, a greater percentage of them seemed to have draft beers on offer this year.  On a probably not unrelated note, I also liked a higher percentage of the beers I tried at Beertopia 2018 over the previous year's.    

I already was on my second 6 ounce glass (actually, plastic cup) of beer when two friends joined me for some beer imbibing of their own.  Soon after two other friends also came over for Beertopia, things got rather crazy after our party was gifted with more than HK$500 worth of extra beer coupons by an organizer pal!

By the time I decided to call it a day several hours later, I had enjoyed ales from: Shanghai's Boxing Cat Brewery, whose very reliable Contender XPA was what I chose to begin the imbibing with; Japan's Far Yeast Brewing Company, whose Tokyo IPA was deliciously crisp yet also smooth; Brooklyn Brewery, whose Defender IPA as well as Brooklyn East IPA are both very drinkable; Edinburgh Beer Factory, whose brown ale proved to be a pleasant surprise; and Belgium's Vedett, whose Extra Ordinary IPA actually lived up to its name!  I also tasted but didn't care for brews by Chicago's Goose Island Brewery, Lebanon's 961 Beer, Germany's Zoller Hof and Hong Kong-New Zealand collaboration Seven Brews.

With lots of coupons still to use up after all that, I ended up getting nine bottles of beer to take away and share with friends (except for the Samuel Smith Imperial Stout, which I plan to drink all by myself one cold winter's day!).  One added thrill of the day came from meeting Brooklyn Brewery's brewmaster, Garrett Oliver, and telling him that I began drinking his beers in the late 1990s in Philadelphia and was happy to find that they're now available in Hong Kong too!

And for those who wonder: no, I did not have a hangover this morning.  Yes, I did drink quite a bit of beer yesterday but I also made sure to drink a good amount of water throughout the day and make sure that I lined my stomach with food.  Also, it may come as a shock to some people but I actually tend to sip my beer -- as opposed to chug it -- so as to be better able to taste it.  In addition, I actually don't like getting drunk because, among other things, I really don't like feeling nauseous or that the whole world around me is spinning like mad afterwards! ;D

Studio Ghibli's first international co-production is a worthy and beautiful cinematic work (film review)

The 41st Hong Kong International Film Festival drew to a close

a week ago but visual reminders of it remain in the city :)

The Red Turtle (France-Belgium-Japan, 2016)

- Screening as part of the HKIFF's Animation Unlimited program

- Michael Dudok de Wit, director and scriptwriter

There were a few children in the audience at the Hong Kong International Film Festival's sole screening of this animated work but I wouldn't be surprised if their parents enjoyed the movie more than them.  Slow paced and pretty much dialogue-less, The Red Turtle also is on the philosophical side, depicting as it does the milestones in the life of a castaway on a tropical island with way more crabs, green vegetation and rocky surfaces as it does human beings, their structures and constructions.  Oh, and its many night scenes are largely black and white, with very few elements in the movie being red and colorful besides its titular turtle.

London-based Dutch director Michael Dudok de Wit's maiden feature-length offering begins with scenes involving a nameless man being tossed about by huge waves in a turbulent sea on a dark and stormy night.  Perhaps because of my awareness of its Japanese connection (thanks to Studio Ghibli's iconic O-Totoro appearing on screen at the start of the Oscar-nominated movie, for The Red Turtle is actually the studio's first international co-production), I got to thinking of Katsushika Hokusai's famous Great Wave and also the powerful anthropomorphic waves that feature in Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo, On the Cliff by the Sea when viewing the beautifully as well as dramatically rendered waves that prominently feature in the movie's early segment. 

Miraculously, the man doesn't drown but, instead, wakes up on the sandy beach of a desert island that's quite a bit bigger than those which often get rendered in jokey cartoon strips (and almost distractingly reminded me of Hong Kong's larger but at least as equally rocky Po Toi).  Actually admirably resourceful, he thrice builds a raft and bids to sail away from the island, only to be thwarted by what he eventually discovers to be an enormous sea turtle.

Soon after his third escape attempt, the red turtle pays a visit to the island that the man is stranded on and he sees his chance to take his revenge against the sea creature.  At first, all goes as planned but then he becomes overcome by guilt at having harmed the turtle and something magical happens that makes him feel up for looking upon the island -- which turns out to be a veritable Eden, where he is adequately supplied with food, drink and others of his needs -- as a happy home rather than bleak and lonely prison.

Its minimalist storyline is matched by a spare visual style that makes the human figures in the film seem on the simplistic side.  At the same time though, quite a bit of care looked to have been spent on illustrating the background scenery (which one has quite a bit of time to focus on as well as gaze at for much of the movie due to its measured pacing).  Also, there's little doubt that this primarily hand-drawn offering was produced by people who love nature and are eminently aware of its rich bounty but also its vastness and at times scarily temperamental quality.   

For those who're wondering: it's in the appreciation of nature where The Red Turtle feels most like a Studio Ghibli movie more so than its animation style.  Also, it's worth noting that the Studio Ghibli members helmer Michael Dudok de Wit identified as having been the most involved in the production of this film are Isao Takahata (credited as the artistic producer as well as "regular" producer) and Toshio Suzuki (who also has producer credits for this work) rather than Hayao Miyazaki; with Takahata's influence being quite noticeable too in the plot trajectory and the film possessing the kind of depth that animated offerings, even full Studio Ghibli productions, are too often insufficiently appreciated for possessing.    

My rating for the film: 7.5

An afternoon of beer tasting (and some food consumption too!)

Think four beers are enough for a tasting session involving 

seven people, only one of whom is a bona fide beer geek?

 If so, you need to think again! ;b

The kind of hearty food we needed to imbibe

to make sure we wouldn't get wasted that afternoon!

It being a foodie gathering, the featured dessert

was on the fancy side though... ;b

I have a friend who told me more than once that "beer tastes like a burp".  Determined to prove her wrong, I decided to organize a beer tasting session -- one that finally took place at her place yesterday afternoon.  

With a number of foodie friends also present, this meant that we also had plenty to eat (including fried chicken wings, fried sweetbreads, a three cheese macaroni and cheese, a brussel sprouts dish to make sure we had some greens that day, and a dessert that involved cranberry juice and the kind of preparation that totally is beyond me!) along with enough people to make it so that we could try a fair number of beers -- though, in the end, we still fell two beers short of the total number of beers I had thought we would be able to sample!

Geek that I am, I had a definite idea of the order for which the beers I brought were to be sampled.  For the record, it went like this:-

1) Kagua Blanc - Designed in Japan, featuring Japanese ingredients (including yuzu), but brewed in Belgium. Tastes citrusy and refreshing, so it can be a shock to find out that it's an 8 ABV beer!  I had wanted to start the session with a bang -- and if there was one beer that I'd say was an unqualified hit among pretty much everybody present at the beer tasting, this would be it.  So... maybe sometimes the first is the best! ;b

2) Yards IPA (India Pale Ale) - The first microbrew I was introduced to after returning to the US (specifically Philadelphia) from Tanzania in the 1990s was the Yards ESA (Extra Special Ale).  This was my first taste of the Yards IPA -- and I expected a hoppier version of the ESA but one which still wasn't as hoppy as the West Coast IPAs; and that's what we did in fact get with this 7 ABV ale that was complex rather than predominantly bitter tasting.

3) Founders Centennial IPA (India Pale Ale) - This Michigan ale was another beer that I tasted for the first time yesterday afternoon.  Although brewed in the Midwest, I used it as an example of an aggressive West Coast (as opposed to milder East Coast) IPA -- because it's a pretty intimidating 65 IBU (i.e., is pretty heavily hopped!) as well as 7.2 ABV beer!  People were split on this beer -- something which confirmed for me that not everyone really wants their beers to be super-hoppy (and consequently bitter)! 

4) Fuller's Past Masters Old Burton Extra - Wanting the beer neophytes in the group to have a base ale to compare the IPAs and such with, I opted for an old school English ale -- so old school, in fact, that it's actually a revived style!  The second most expensive beer (at HK$40) among those sampled yesterday afternoon (with the Kagua Blanc topping the price list at HK$55), I have to say that I found it kinda boring.  Especially with a 7.3 ABV, I expected more bang for my buck but, instead, got something more solid than spectacular tasting.

5) Flying Fish Red Fish - Like with Yards' beers, I developed a taste for Flying Fish beers during my time in Philadelphia.  In the case of this brewery that originally was located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, it was their XPAs which I adored -- and still would be my number one choice of session beer, when available.  But for this tasting session, I went for the stronger tasting as well as more alcoholic (as in 7, as opposed to 5, ABV) red ale that is my favorite of the four English style ales tasted that afternoon.

6) Sierra Nevada Porter - This is another beer that's from an American -- in this case, Califronia -- brewery I've been long familiar with, but which I don't know as much as their signature beer (in this case, the very drinkable Pale Ale).  If truth be told, porter beers for me come across like a weak compromise -- specifically when you're pining for a stout but thinking you want something less strong on the day (maybe because it's too hot out -- that sort of thing), and this particular 5.6 ABV example of the style did little to change my mind about the matter!

7) North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout -- Until last week, I didn't know that this California beer was available in Hong Kong -- and until this week, when I finally allowed myself to sample it again, I had not tasted this beer for some 12 years... since the winter of 2002-2003, in fact!  Without exaggeration: I have to say that this is one of my favorite beers of all time -- if not the very one.  I love its complex taste, its succession of coffee, chocolately, malty and other notes.  Sadly though, I've found few fellow fans of this 9 ABV beer in Hong Kong. I think it's too heavy for many folks -- and I have to admit my surprise that what I knew as a seasonal (specifically winter) beer is now brewed and available all year round in its native US!

8) Lindemanns Pecheresse - There's no two ways about it: for me, this Belgian peach lambic is a chick beer -- and it's not just because it's a 2.5 ABV beer either.  Rather, this 30% peach juice infused beer is way too sweet for my liking.  On the other hand, I predicted that my (formerly?) anti-beer friend who said that "beer tastes like a burp" would like this best of all the beers she consented to taste yesterday afternoon -- and I was right!  ;D

My inner beer geek unleashed at Beertopia 2014! (Photo-essay)

Early in the week is when I usually put up hiking photo-essays (like this one) but for the second week running, I'm opting for something different. Last week, it was an excursion to Yim Tin Tsai.  Today, I'm going to share some photos from the time I spent at Beertopia this past Saturday!

Hong Kong's largest international craft beer festival was started back in 2012. The first two years, I was afraid of going because I had this vision of it being overly packed with the kind of people I sometimes see on the puke- and broken glass-ridden streets of Lan Kwai Fong on a Friday or Saturday night -- or worse, full of sleazy folks looking to hook up with others for an easy drunken lay (like the bar quarter of Wan Chai at its worst).

But after scanning the list of of over 400 craft beers that would be on offer at Beertopia this year and seeing some old Philadelphia area favorites that I've yet to encounter here in Hong Kong, I decided to give it a go.  Having gone for an early bird Saturday afternoon pass, I headed over to the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade that was the venue for this year's three day fest at around 12.30pm.  

Although I was supposed to only stay until 5pm, I ended up only leaving at 9.30pm -- having had a grand old beer geek of a time sampling various beers, chatting to brewers, walking around, hanging out with some friends I discovered had separately decided to check out the fest... and scoring a vendor's pass at some point that allowed me to stay on late into the evening! ;b

I think the dragon would be a more suitable mascot 

than a panda for a Hong Kong event -- but will give that 

there were plenty of amusing signs about for Beertopia

 The Kagua beers -- in particular, the blanc -- of Nippon Craft Beer

were the revelations of the day for me, and I loved that I got to talk 

to company CEO Shiro Yamada (on the left of the pic) at Beertopia :)

Japanese microbrews were well represented at Beertopia, with 

Hitachino Nest beers being among those with a dedicated stall

The Hong Kong Beer Company stall featured new beers

brewed by new brewmaster Simon Pesch (facing the camera),

including freshly brewed batches of the Big Wave Bay IPA he says 

is his personal favorite of all the company's all-year-round offerings

The beer geek in me got all excited when I saw 

that the Affligem Blonde Abbey Ale was

actually available on draft at Beertopia!!! :b

I spent quite a bit of time hanging about at the Boxing Cat Brewery 

stall sampling its beers, chatting to brewmaster Michael Jordan 

(yes, really!) and other team members -- but forgot to take

a photo of it until the night had fallen! :O

 The first (and final, on the way out) stall at Beertopia that I visited 

was Artisan Beer Imports', whose managing director Keita Oka 

and I talked beer, in particular those from the Philadelphia area such as my old 

favorite Flying Fish XPA (which I had for the first time in over 10 years there)! :)

All too soon, it was time to call it a night -- and here's 

offering up proof in the form of my final snap of the evening

that I wasn't so soused that I could no longer take clear shots

(despite my having sampled some 12 different beers that day)! ;b

Five films viewed over the past five days

Belgian star Deborah Francois charmed at 

the post-screening Q&A of Populaire :)

For those who haven't yet noticed: I have a Most recently viewed movies section on this blog's sidebar that lists the five most recent movies I've viewed.  As I write this entry, all five films on the list are ones that I've viewed in the days since the 37th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) got going this past Sunday -- and are indeed films that are part of the fest's program.

Since I'm planning to view another three movies this weekend (at least one of which will be a Hong Kong production!), some of those entries will soon be replaced by others.  So I figure I might as well note down the five films currently on the list, and add a few comments re them of my own for posterity's sake. So, here we go, without further ado...

The Berlin File (South Korea, 2013) 

- From the Gala Presentation program

- Ryoo Seung Wan, director

- Starring Ha Jung Woo, Han Suk Kyu, Jun Jyi Hun and Ryu Seung Beom

 

So many characters in this spy thriller that's set in Berlin -- but has mainly Korean (North as well as South) protagonists -- get introduced into the picture in the first 20 minutes or so of the film that it can feel well nigh overwhelming.  But once things settle down -- at least in terms of it getting more obvious who are the key personalities in the work -- the movie becomes one with a number of involving and intriguing stories and sub-plots.  

Well-acted, as might be expected from it boasting several star thespians (at least one of whom -- i.e., Jun Jyi Hun -- I actually failed to recognize because the character plays in this offering is significantly different from her My Sassy Girl (and The Thieves) personae), the film also benefits from being well paced.  And while it does get too overly melodramatic for its own good towards the end, I, for one, still am looking forward to a sequel that looks to have been planned right from the start! 

My rating for this film: 8

Linsanity (USA, 2013)

- From the Reality Bites program

- Evan Jackson Leong, director

For the record: this documentary about Jeremy Lin that its director (who was present at the screening I attended) described as "a legacy film" was actually the first work I viewed at this year's HKIFF (since I viewed The Berlin Files at Filmart), and I consider this offering that had its world premiere at Sundance and was given its international premiere at the HKIFF to be a solid enough work with which to begin my film festing this year.

If truth be told though, I was hoping for something more magical -- considering that the Jeremy Lin story can't help but be a great subject, and that this film's makers had had access to the basketball player who's currently the only Harvard University graduate as well as Asian-American playing in the NBA from before he turned pro as well as burst into the limelight and caused the term Linsanity to get coined.  Greater depth of coverage and analysis also would have been appreciated -- including in looking at the racism that Jeremy Lin has had to face.  Also, what was with the insertion of the Gangnam Style music into this documentary's mix?!

On a more positive note: it was cool to see the film footage of Jeremy Lin from before he went to college -- and of the young man who comes across as pretty likeable indeed outside of the basketball court.  And even though we've seen the highlights of Linsanity (many times) before, it still was pretty cool to watch again those incredible moments such as that shot in the game versus the Toronto Raptors (which probably still ranks as my favorite Jeremy Lin sporting moment thus far). :)

My rating for this film: 7

     

Populaire (France-Belgium, 2012)
- From the Galas program

- Regis Roinsard, director

- Starring Romain Duris, Deborah Francois, Berenice Bejo and Shaun Benson

A few weeks ago, I viewed another France-Belgium co-production in Rust and Bone that's as heavy as Populaire is light. A breezy period romantic comedy revolving around a young secretary with super fast typing abilities (and her boss who coaches and enters her for speed-typing competitions), this film that's set back in 1959 has a generally fun fantasy feel to it.

A work whose makers looked to have aimed for it to be loved (and, yes, popular), there's also no denying its nationalist (in particular, a "rah rah France") overtone.  When coupled with its overall picture being pretty white (despite the 1950s having seen waves of immigrant arrivals to France), it can feel like this was one of those movies that was intended to travel far from its homeland(s).

Still, it's easy to not think too much about such matters when viewing the film and be charmed instead by its charismatic lead actor and actress.  More than incidentally, Deborah Francois also proved to be quite the charmer when making an appearance at the screening I attended -- so much so that she made the post-screening Q&A quite enjoyable despite others who participated in it.

My rating for the film: 7.5

The Gardener (Iran, 2013)

- From the Master Class program

- Mohsen Makhmalbaf, director

- Starring Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Maysam Makhmalbaf and Eona Ririva

The kind of work that definitely falls into the art house film (and even "strictly (film) festival fare"), this Mohsen Makhmalbaf offering is a discussion of the pros and cons of religion that largely takes place in the garden of the Baha'i faith's Haifa headquarters.  In a novel development, the film's makers also are the main people on screen -- with their being filmed filming as well as debating, with the film's director looking at the positive side of religion and his son Maysam focusing on its negative side.

A rare Iranian film that was shot in Israel, it also is notable for the international quality of the people featured in the work -- with such as a Papua New Guinean man (Eona Ririva is the titular character, in fact), a woman with an African-American mother and a Namibian father, and a number of American accented individuals -- all of them Baha'is -- being profiled in it.  In addition, some mention is given to the historical leaders of this religion that was founded in Iran less than 200 years ago -- but even with that, the distinct sense one gets is that the filmmakers are actually less interested in making a film about Baha'is and more about religion in general (and its role(s) in the world). 

My rating for this film: 6.5

An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker (Bosnia and Herzogovina-France-Slovenia-Italy, 2013) 

- From the Global Vision program

- Danis Tanovic, director

- Starring Senada Alimanovic and Nazif Mujic 

Back when I was living in Philadelphia, I viewed -- and was blown away -- by a war drama called No Man's Land, so much so that the name of its director was etched in my memory. So when I saw that there was a film by Danis Tanovic screening at this year's HKIFF, I decided to check it out -- all the more so upon learning that this particular work had won some awards at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.

A documentary-like work with people playing themselves (and essentially re-enacting some events that had happened in their lives), it is a powerful depiction of impoverished, lower class life and plight in Bosnia and Herzogovina. Early on in the film, it's really noticeable how the adults in it still do so many things manually and so much of what the men do involves -- nay, requires -- sheer brute force.  All in all, the work serves as a valuable reminder of how terribly unequal the world is, and how (having or not having) a little money can be the difference between life and death for some.

My rating for this film: 7.5

Cheers to beers!

"Beer is the drink of the moment", it was announced in The Guardian today. In fact, according to a survey by international marketing analysts AC Nielsen, beer is now officially "the most popular beverage on the planet"!

That English newspaper's article which caught this beer geek's eye goes on to discuss the state and status of that popular tipple in China (where there are some 850 different breweries); the Czech Republic (whose denizens drink more beer per head than their German neighbors); the U.S.A. (which now has more than 1,300 microbreweries); India (whose first commercial brewery was established in the 1820s); and South America (where Aztecs and Mayans made beer long before the arrival of the Europeans).

And it proceeded to cause me to raise at least one eyebrow when its British author, Roger Protz, who edits the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)'s Good Beer Guide, went on and named the Goose Island IPA brewed by Chicago's Goose Island Beer Company as that which "just may be the best beer in the world."

Stepping back a bit for some perspective: The fact that American microbrews are capable of brewing some fine beers is not news to me. But the best beer in the whole wide world? And yes, it's true enough that I've not tasted the afore-nominated beer. Nonetheless, I would have expected that to be brewed in either one of the countries whose traditional beer styles I most admire, and have influenced the American microbrews I most like (e.g., the North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Russian Stout or Celis White): i.e., Britain or Belgium.

Starting first with Belgium: This, after all, is a country whose national tourist authority trumpets the fact that it is home to "over 450 varieties of beer and "almost as many beer styles". And while I had the misfortune of having visited Belgium before I became a beer geek, I also was lucky enough to reside for some years in a city -- Philadelphia, the legendary City of Brotherly Shove -- which had a very good Belgian eatery in Monk's Cafe which prided itself on being a "beer emporium" as well as restaurant.

Consequently, I've been introduced to such beery delights as the agreeable white (or wheat) beers whose brewing tradition inspired Celis White, heavenly Trappist ales (e.g., those from Chimay like the 8 percent alcohol level Chimay Tripel) and those famously strong beers (e.g., the smooth and sweet but also dangerously alcoholic Duvel). And then there's -- but of course! -- those exotic as well as fruity lambics like Lindemans Frambroise Lambic that, at the risk of being accused of beer blasphemy, bring to mind champagne more than most other types of beers.

Still (and yes, you can chalk it down to my general Anglophilia!), I have to say that my own preference is for the beers of Britain. More specifically, my absolute tipples of choice would include such as the peculiarly named but flavorful Old Speckled Hen (that I've been ecstatic to find on draft in at least one British-style pub over here in Malaysia) or the dreamy Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout (which, alas, I haven't seen available anywhere in my home country).

Then there are those dark and full provincial English beers known as Milds; malty libations that, as their style's name implies, are low on alcoholic content despite being dark in color and, therefore, in the popular imagination, supposedly stronger in terms of alcoholic "kick". Unfortunately associated with "old men in flat caps" in some parts of Britain, they're virtually unknown in others and generally not to be found outside of that country.

In point of fact, I can recall more than one occasion when I asked the bartender at a London pub whether they served Mild, only to get a return query as to whether I was, in fact, asking for "light" beer. Should you be a beer geek (or even -- pun intended! -- mildly interested in trying out a different kind of beer) though, here's encouraging you -- should you find yourself in England at somewhere in the future -- to look out for and sample this tasty variety of beer that, after imbibing a pint or more of, you, too, might decide was worth seeking out after all. :)