A diversity of (beer) flavors

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THE BEER Fiesta: Katipunan ng Mga Alak ng Bayan, a craft beer festival by Philippine Craft Kings (PCK) and the Craft Beer Association of the Philippines (CBAP) was held on June 16 and 17 at The Pop-Up in Katipunan. The location is no coincidence.

Firstly, Jazel Justiniani Paraiso CEO of Philippine Craft Kings (the owners of Katipunan Craft Ales) thought it best to introduce their brewery-cum-pub in where else, Katipunan. Secondly, The Pop-Up is known as the college-level casual hangout across Ateneo de Manila University and near the campus of University of the Philippines-Diliman (though some teenagers from other universities join in the fun as well). “I think that it’s great to introduce something different to a younger market. Craft beer is an experience,” said Ms. Paraiso. “The earlier you experience something of a higher caliber, the earlier you get to know that there is more than one type.”

During the Beer Fiesta though, the young ones mostly kept to themselves by the actual bars in the Pop-Up, though a few with passes still went around the stalls to complete their beer map (which would entitle one to some prizes). Most of the crowd by the beer stalls (more than 20 of them; including Katipunan Craft Ales, Nipa Brew, Gresh Brew, Three Foxes Brewery, Matimyas Brewery, Pule, Beer Bunny, Engkanto, Flat Foot, Crows, Boondocks, Bulul, Santiago, 3006 Brewery, Santa Maria Craft Brewery, Kumintang, Marc & Tony, Gypsy Brewery, Treeline Ales, Banayad Craft Brewery and Manila Mashers) were mostly in their thirties and above.

Ms. Paraiso said that they held the Beer Fiesta to showcase Filipino talent and spirit (pun intended). “Filipino flavor, Filipino culture: I think it’s our time,” she said. “What we’re doing is really trying to get people to try a diversity of beers.”

Because of the influence of old names like San Miguel Corporation, a beer brewery founded in the 1800’s that has expanded to become one of the country’s biggest food conglomerates, beer has a strong hold on the Philippine market. Still, when one thinks about it, little to none of the components that make beer, such as the cereal grains in its mix are actually grown here. It thus necessitates importation, so how can a smaller brewery without the sentimental hold of a conglomerate call its own flavors local? “It’s quite difficult, because in terms of growing malts and hops, you can’t really grow it in this weather,” said Ms. Paraiso. “But what a lot of our local craft brewers do is they actually infuse local flavors,” she said, citing beers made with pomelo, mango, and calamansi.

She also discusses how commercial giants have influenced Filipino palates. “Beer is very much part of our culture. But we’re very used to drinking San Miguel, which is light; it’s sweet,” she said. “(It’s) still very yummy, and very good, (but) we want people to be able to experience beers that taste like mangoes, calamansi, or pomelo — to kind of widen their palate.”

“There are over 100 different beer styles all over the world…ang dami noon (that’s a lot),” she said. “What we want to do is to get people to try a wider variety of beers, and to realize that it’s actually a lot like wine. You can pair it with food, it can be seasonal. There’s a wide assortment and an array of flavors you can experience.”

And experience we did. A pickle-flavored beer sounds quite unappetizing, really, but a brewery called Flat Foot Brewing Co. managed to pull it off. Founder Tak Reyes made his own pickles and processed them to flavor a pale ale. It’s not like drinking pickle juice; it had a crisp, sweetish flavor akin to drinking the scent of pickle relish. We can definitely imagine this with food (and Mr. Reyes suggests pairing it with grilled fish).

Our other favorite was Bulul Brewery’s Patikim, a milkshake IPA. With a name like that (“Patikim” means “a taste”), it was hard to refuse its brew master, Iven Go. Patikim had a rich floral scent and flavor. The beer itself was very sweet, like drinking cotton candy, and tasted like it was made by fairies. The secret, apparently, is lactose: the dairy-borne sugar does not ferment like other sugars, so the flavor remains consistently sweet throughout the process (we asked, it’s friendly for those with lactose-intolerance).

In an ideal world, all of these should be available to everyone, but in the past, one had to go all the way to some obscure store or all the way to Pampanga (as in Bulul’s case) to get these beers (don’t worry, most of them are online now). Ms. Paraiso is a bit more optimistic. “In 2014, we started out with eight breweries. Today, we have over 150. If anything, the number of breweries that are growing in tourist destinations and even just here in Metro Manila is a testament to how the demand grows. The supply will also grow,” she said. “In terms of demand, it is growing, but like in commercial beer (levels), it will take time.”

“I think a lot of the brewers are passionate enough,” she said. — J.L.G.