I’m an avid supporter and lover of American (style) craft beers, and I love to spend my winter vacation in The Philippines. This presents a problem, and an opportunity!
When one thinks of great cities to visit and enjoy some fine ales, places like Portland, Seattle, San Diego and Denver come to mind. I know for sure that Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Boston all offer a beer-minded traveler a fine selection of local brews, beer bars and brewpubs. But what about Manila?
I spent three years as a 12-15 year old child living in The Philippines as my Dad was working for a Canadian company there. I recall the weekly trips to the store to pick up the cases of San Miguel Beer, taking then home and hosing off the bottles to rid them of spiders and scorpions. I remember the parties my Dad attended where he was served a warm San Miguel beer and a glass full of ice. Is this what I have to deal with in order to escape winter for three weeks? The answer is no.
Enjoying some San Miguel day with a friend on Marinduque Island.
This January, I managed to experience one of the world’s friendliest and most colorful cities, and enjoy my craft beers too. I also took a liking to the local old school beer scene and agree that I can enjoy my warm-climate mass produced macro beers at the same time.
San Miguel Beer is a Philippine institution, and they enjoy a 95% market share in that country. Running a distant second is Asia Brewery and their flagship “Beer na Beer” Pilsner.
Putting my cravings for a good IPA or Stout aside for a while, there is something special about drinking San Miguel Beer in The Philippines, if you do it right. Take for instance a rural setting as the sun sets. The locals gather on the veranda after putting a long day in at work and in many cases, managed to earn the equivalent of just a few dollars. At less than 50 cents a bottle, San Miguel Beer becomes the bonding agent at the end of the day. I spent many evenings and a few hundred pesos sitting back and enjoying a few too many San Miguel beers before catching the jeepney back to my beach house on the rural island of Marinduque. There is something magical about the whole experience.
In the big city of Manila, San Miguel also claims its place in the lifestyle of the metropolis. The Philippine Basketball Association’s “San Miguel Beermen” has been the leagues leading team with 18 championships since 1975. From napkin holders to store awnings, San Miguel Beer dominates the landscape when it comes to beer marketing in Manila and environs.
To truly enjoy a San Miguel Beer in Manila, one needs to remember a few things. Firstly this beer is cheap. At between $0.50 and $1.50 even in restaurants and bars, you can’t complain too much. Secondly, San Miguel makes some pretty consistent beer. Although not a fan of pilsners and beers with adjuncts, this stuff actually knocks the socks off of the swill served in Mexico and other warm climate countries. Finally, remember that many of the folks enjoying a beer next to you see San Miguel as a national identity and the 45 Pesos ($1) they forked out for that beer may be equivalent to you spending $10 – $20 on a beer back home.
I managed to enjoy a San Miguel Beer while watching one of the finest sunsets in the world overlooking Manila Bay and only in Manila, I enjoyed a San Miguel beer at the Beer Station located in various food courts in shopping malls across the city.
Aside from its Pale Pilsen, San Miguel has created a four beer line-up titled “Lifestyle Brews”. These four beers include: Premium All-Malt Beer (developed to go head on with imports such as Stella and Heineken), San Miguel Super Dry, San Mig Strong Ice and my favorite – Cerveza Negra. According to their site: “With its distinct color and flavor, Cerveza Negra suits those who separate themselves from the crowd; those who are non-conformists and unconventional. Bohemians, romantics and sophisticated: Those who know how to appreciate the finer things in life.” I enjoyed a few Cerveza Negras while sitting on the patio at Hooters of Manila Bay and while people watching at Eastwood City.
I could go on for hours on how a craft beer drinker stuck in Manila can enjoy these macro-brews, but that’s not what I went to experience. What does Manila have to offer in the way of good American-Style craft beer? ….enter Jim Araneta of the Global Beer Exchange.
I was excited to meet Jim online and to catch a glimpse of what he was doing in Manila. Jim’s company, Global Beer Exchange (GBX), is actually importing several U.S. craft beers to The Philippines and having success placing them in bars and restaurants around the city.
Jim became a fan of American Craft Beer around 2008, and after visiting a small beer-oriented bar in Makati, Metro Manila called Beers Paradise, came up with a plan to introduce the Philippines to some of his favorite new beers.
GBX began importing beers from Ballast Point, Flying Dog, Gordon Biersch and Rogue throughout 2008 and 2009. In early 2010 they added Anderson Valley Brewing to the line-up and soon will see Southern Tier and hopefully Stone Brewing enter the market in the Philippines.
Jim Araneta and me drinking at Howzat Bar.
With just five employees, GBX has placed selections of their beers in over 60 locations throughout Metro Manila. These places include restaurants, bars and grocery store chains. I managed to visit a few of these locations during my stay.
Beers Paradise (36 Polaris Street, Makati), is a small intimate bar with cozy couches and a large freezer with over 100 brands of beer. Initially offering mostly European imports, this bar recently began selling a selection of all four breweries represented by GBX. I spent a couple nights here and introduced some of my local buddies to the spot. Excited I was to have a very attractive waitress slowly pour me a Ballast Point Big Eye I.P.A. into a Ballast Point glass and make sure I had the perfect amount of head. At around 200 pesos per 12 ounce bottle, it is affordable enough to get your hop fix in Manila. Beers Paradise also offers a very impressive line-up of imported Belgian beers as well as other beers from around the world.
Just up the street from Beers Paradise I enjoyed some great live music at Capone’s Bar while sipping a Rogue Dead Guy Ale. Not far from here is a fantastic sports bar catering to Westerners called Howzat Sports Bar, where one can catch a NFL game and enjoy some fine American Craft Beers and a fine selection of European beers as well. Howzat also operates a highly recommended boutique hotel if you are looking for an affordable and conveniently situated spot in Makati.
Another target of the GBX for their beers is the large foreigner population of Manila, especially those from the United States. In true Filipino fashion, they have created a SMS campaign (like an email list) where weekly specials and latest additions are sent directly to subscribing cell phones. An impressive 25% of GBX’s business is home delivery with those with a thirst for good craft beer paying a small premium to have beer delivered directly their homes throughout the metro area.
One of the impressive elements of the tasting night with Jim Araneta was the fact that all of the beers I drank were in perfect condition. One of the concerns that some may have is how the 45 day transit and multiple logistical issues would affect the beer. After my sampling, I can reassure everyone that the experience and enjoyment of drinking a Ballast Point (and others) in Manila is just as good as drinking a bottle in North America.
Due to the higher cost and ‘unknown factor’ of their imported beer, the Global Beer Exchange has gotten creative in order to better expand their customer base. Consignment is offered to many outlets as an incentive to offer a larger selection to consumers. GBX’s Account Manager, Wyneth Maniquis, visits her accounts on a weekly basis and creates orders for replacement stock. GBX has also created some promotional material that is supplied to many of the restaurants and bars. This includes Global Beer Exchange lighted signs and cards encased in plastic that are placed on tables and at the bars. These cards list what beers are available at the particular location as well as some information on the beer.
Capone's Bar in Makati City (Metro Manila)
When a new outlet comes online, Jim and crew offer a “Beer 101” evening with the staff of the bar/restaurant. Tasting notes, samples and serving suggestions are discussed in an effort to educate the staff to present these fine ales that way they are meant to be served. From my experience at Beers Paradise, this education has paid off.
GBX also hosts beer tasting nights at various venues. Typically 10 beers will be offered and flat rate charged to consumers for sampling all the beers. The beers are set up in small stations throughout the restaurant/bar with information available on each one. Jim likes to set up the stations in an order based on the beers IBU rating.
Of the four brands of U.S. Craft beers distributed by Global Beer Exchange, Gordon Biersch Czech Pilsner is the top selling style. Jim attributes this to the fact that it is a good transition beer. Typically a new outlet will start with six different beers, and in most cases the Czech Pilsner will be part of the offering.
On a surprising note, I took one of my Manila buddies out to a place touted as Manila’s new Beer Capital. Pivo Restobar offers close to 120 beers and is located in the Ortigas area of Metro Manila. Demonstrating the changing tastes of consumers, both the Flying Dog IPA and the Ballast Point IPA were sold out during our visit.
What’s ahead for Jim Araneta and the Global Beer Exchange? Well, Jim would eventually like to open a beer bar in Manila that offers visitors the opportunity to try new beers and be educated about style of beer they are drinking. Jim would like to offer a limited food selection that pairs perfectly with the beer being served. A few new breweries are on his hitlist for importing into The Philippines as well.
I asked Jim about the possibility of offering kegs of U.S. craft ales in The Philippines. As much as he’d like to, the logistics just won’t make it happen if he wants to be profitable considering kegs need to be refrigerated and also returned back to the U.S. He didn’t rule out bringing in a few kegs to his future bar as somewhat of a loss-leader and a premium offering.
GBX distributes its products to a couple ‘higher end’ grocery store chains in select parts of Manila. The Rustan’s Supermarkets in the Ayala Center and Rockwell Powerplant Mall have become great outlets for GBX. I visited the South Supermarket in the Alabang region of Metro Manila and was completely blown away by what I saw. Front and center was a full display of craft beer including a selection of all brands offered by GBX. Five years ago if I was to walk into this place and see the Double Dead Guy and Sculpin IPA, I’d have though I’d died and gone to an alternate universe.
Considering the population of Manila, its emerging middle class and love of all things American, I see incredible potential for what the Global Beer Exchange is doing in this city. Jim Araneta is representing his brands as good or better than any distributor elsewhere in the world. He is being creative and successful as he educates beer drinkers in one of today’s most unlikely hotbeds for American Craft Beer. It’s truly exciting to see.
One of the more interesting places I enjoyed some good beer on my trip was the Hobbit House. Yes, your visions are representative of what you will find. Enter the establishment through a large round rotating door, right out of Lord of the Rings and you are surrounded by the smallest wait staff in the world. The Hobbit House is completely staffed by “Little People” except for the bartender. Live music is its claim to fame, but in my opinion, the 150 beers on their beer list (including a good selection of U.S. Craft Ales) is equally as impressive. The Hobbit House is a must visit location whether on a beer tour of Manila or just looking for a place to enjoy an evening with great live music.
Aside from Global Beer Exchange offerings of American craft beers and the large amount of Belgian/European beers available, I found a good supply of other craft beers on menus throughout Manila. These brands included: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Anchor Steam Beer, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Fat Tire Amber, Redhook Longhammer IPA, Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale, Kona Longboard Lager, Pete’s Wicked Strawberry Ale, Sam Adams and Sam Adams Light. These varieties are imported by an importer known as HoResCa. They have close to 200 different beers in their portfolio.
As for locally brewed craft beer, there is a shining star in Manila. A brewery known as Pivo Praha is brewing some fantastic stuff in Makati in conjunction with Grappa’s Ristorante. Pivo Praha is a Czech-Style brewery creating four different brews; Weizen, Czech Light, Dark Beer and Czech Classic Pilsner. Their beers are served on tap at all three Grappa’s locations and bottles are available at select locations throughout Metro Manila.
–Update March 2011. Grappa’s no longer pours draft Pivo Praha beers. The Grappas restaurant at 1331 Angono St. cor. J.P Rizal in Makati is now known as Bravo Best Food and has the Pivo Praha Brewery in-house. Great Pizza & great beer!–
Pivo Praha Hefeweizen
I thoroughly enjoyed their Weizen at Grappa’s at Greenbelt (Makati) as I sat on the patio enjoying some Prosciutto Wrapped Mangos Topped with Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese. I also enjoyed several bottles of their Dark Beer at The Hobbit House in Manila.
Pivo Praha is not the only microbrewery to make a go of it in Manila. For a few years, Paulaner Brewhaus (German style) had an establishment in the Hotel Dusit Thani in Makati, but was eventually bought out by San Miguel who now operation Fiesta San Miguel in that location and brew two of their beers in-house. Fiesta San Miguel still operates and if you want to try some very fresh Pilsner and a pretty good Happy Hour Promo, head over to the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati.
I also stopped in at Manila’s premier Irish Bar – Murphy’s of Makati for a few cold ones. No Guinness on tap, but they did have some very refreshing San Mig Light on tap. Again, the logistics of getting fresh kegs of Guinness to The Philippines prohibits the ability to make it economical. I’m not really sure what made this place Irish, aside from the name and logo. Perhaps I’ll have to take in an evening here on St. Paddies day to get a better feel for the place. The service was great and had a very mixed crowd.
My Manila Beer Tour had many surprises but one thing is for certain, Manila is not a Beer Wasteland anymore! Whether it’s American-style craft beer or European favorites, one can find what they are looking for in Manila.
If you are looking for an experience, a place to just lay back and enjoy a cold beer, then Manila is a logical choice. No other city can offer the variety of locales to enjoy a cold one as Manila.
SudsCraft 