A Filipino's Guide to Beer: March 2009

Thursday, March 12

Contributors

Paolo Halagueña, 20, Management Student

"The Binge Drinker"; Enjoys Red Horse and Stella Artois

Julio Ingco III, 19, Management Student

The Resident "Social Drinker"

Edward Lim, 20, Management Student

"The Dry Drinker"; First time to try drinking beer

Alyssa Nano, 19, Management Student

"Cocktail Lover"; Enjoys a Frozen Margarita once in a while

Raisa Sanchez, 19, Management Student

"The One Who Easily Gets Drunk"; Super low-tolerance

Joeward Valdez, 20, Management Student

"The Hard Drinker"; Super high-tolerance
Enjoys Tequila Shots, White Russians, and Black Russians

More often than not, the little luxuries we encounter in everyday life are disregarded as if they have been present since the dawn of man. Beer is a luxury Filipinos take for granted since it is readily available and rampant in the market. It is important that these little daily realities be examined more closely and given new light. The project will also provide more culture to the Filipinos. It is very curious that despite being a significant consumer of beer, Filipinos are not exposed to the different kinds of beer which are manufactured outside their country. The project aims to examine and educate.

Beer

History of Beer

Beer is the oldest alcoholic beverage. Several historical artifacts can attest to this. Egyptians, Mesopotamians and Sumerians are known to consume beer in as early as 6000 BCE. It spread through Europe in 3000 BCE by Germanic and Celtic tribes on a domestic or local scale. These beers may not be considered as beer today since a distinct ingredient, Hops, was only recorded as an ingredient in 822 CE by a Carolinginian abbot. Monasteries were also the first breweries to produce beer for commercial purposes and wide distribution. Monasteries definitely play an important role on the development of beer.

Come the Industrial Revolution, this all changed. The production of beer shifted from an “artisan” production to an industrial production. This can be seen in the beers that will be discussed below as most of their histories point to the Industrial Revolution as their beginnings.

It was from this that we come to know beer today. “More than 133 billion liters (35 billion gallons) are sold per year (the equivalent of a cube 510 metres on a side), producing total global revenues of $294.5 billion (£147.7 billion) in 2006.” In fact, it is credited to be the one of the most popular beverages in the world; third only to water and tea.

Important Ingredients

Water –Beer is mostly made up of water. Different minerals in water in different locations provide suitable environments for manufacturing different types of beer. Examples would be Dublin, Ireland’s hard water which is best for making stout, and Pilzen, Czech Republic’s soft water which is best for pale lager.

Barley –Barley is a cereal from the grass family. Malted barley provides for the starch which is the fermentable material in beer. It provides most of the flavors of beer. Different ways of malting barley provides for the different flavors of beer. This provides for the sweetness of beer.

Hops –While Barley provides for the sweetness, Hops provides for the bitterness and aroma of beer. It also acts as an antiseptic and preservative of beer. It can add to “head retention” as well.

Yeast –Yeast is responsible for the fermentation of wort (unfermented beer) to beer. It provides for the alcohol content. Before yeast was isolated as the active ingredient for fermentations, worts were exposed to open air for them to ferment with the use of airborne yeast. It also provides the carbonic acid of beer.

The Process of Brewing

Brewing is the process of making beer. The process involves the extraction of starch into a liquid form called wort and ferment wort using yeast to produce what is called beer:

Mashing is the process of mixing malted barley with hot water to extract the starch in a liquid form called wort. This involves filtration to separate the extract solution from the insoluble used grain.
Boiling is the process of heating the wort in order to isolate the sugars as the water is evaporated. Hops are added to the wort to provide bitterness and aroma to the wort. The longer wort is boiled with hops, the more bitter the beer produced.
The hopped wort is then cooled to prepare for fermentation.
The cooled hopped wort is then transferred to the fermenter where yeast is added. In some cases, when the beer can be fermented a second time in another vessel.
The fermented wort or beer is then packaged to kegs, bottles or aluminum cans, ready to be consumed.

Different Styles of Beer

Beer can be divided into two main divisions: the ale and the lager. It can be further divided into different parts under each main division.

Ale – Ales are brewed with top-fermenting yeasts and are usually fermented at a higher temperature than Lagers. They are considered to have a more full bodied taste and are bitterer than Lagers. There is also a significant different in the color—they are known to have a darker more amber color than Lager. It is also fermented faster than Lager beer.

Pale Ale
Light Ale
Red Ale
Brown Ale
Dark Ale/Porter/Stout

Lager – Lagers are brewed with bottom-fermenting yeasts and are fermented at a lower temperature than Ales. It is also the more popular of the two main divisions. It takes longer to ferment, usually stored several months for fermentation. Lager is considered to have a light taste and color. It has a more mild taste compared to the imposing taste of Ales. Lager is what most Filipinos consume and what San Miguel Brewery most commonly manufactures.

Pale Lager/Pilsener
Weissbier
Bock

There are other hybrid beers and other special ones. They cannot be classified under the two main and common divisions of ale and lager. Some examples would be champagne beer, fruit beer, lambic beer, and even herb beer.

Beer in the Philippines

Alak

The indigenous in the Philippines have long enjoyed drinking alcoholic beverages. It is locally called alak and was a fixture in very important events in history. Palm wine was present in the Sandugo Ceremony of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and Datu Sikatuna in Bohol, Philippines. It was also the main reason for the Basi Revolt of 1907 when the Spanish occupation outlawed production of Basi and locals were forced to buy wine at seller's price in government outlets.

The consumption of alak was an important rite in the pagan rituals of pre-colonial Philippines. The lambanog, tuba and basi are an important part of the Philippines' drinking culture. These are one of the few remnants of its tribal past.

Spanish Period

The Spanish period can be credited for the introduction of foreign alcoholic drinks to Filipinos. Jerez wine was introduced to Ilustrados through the demand for its importation by the colonists. Soon beer made its way to Manila through English, Dutch and German merchants in Binondo. Although it took a while before Filipinos learned and grew to liking these foreign alcoholic beverages.

"The new lager beers developed in the 1850s, after all, kept well and took kindly to long sea voyages. In its issue of October 5, 1890, the trade journal Gaceta de Manila listed among the month's importations 58,886 liters of beer and cider..." ("Beer Drinking in the Philippines, Philippine Beer).

San Miguel Brewery

Its beginnings can be traced to September of 1890. It was the 29th of September when La Fabrica de Cerveza de San Miguel was set to be inaugurated--it was the feast day of its patron saint, Michael the Archangel. Typhoon season did not permit this event to push through until the 4th of October. "Manila's elite in their open carriages turned up for the much awaited inaugural at No. 6 Calzada de Malacañang, next door to the Governor General's Palace." (San Miguel Corporation Centennial Celebration book).

"One of the alcaldes, undoubtedly quite happy, raised his mug of beer and offered an extravagant toast: 'I drink to the prosperity of the brewery, and I wish that each time the faucets of the beer barrel are opened, doblones will flow forth!'"

It offered the first beer brewed in the Philippines and was in fact, the first brewery established in Southeast Asia. Although before 1890 beer consumed in Manila came from Europe and beer was never embraced by Spaniards unlike wine, it was quickly loved by Filipinos.

During the American period, San Miguel beer quickly took over the market. It quickly eliminated demand for European beer. This would explain the scarcity of European or any foreign beer in the market today.

It has become the 10th largest brewery worldwide in terms of production volume in 1990.

Today, it offers 8 different styles in the Philippines: San Miguel Pale Pilsen, San Miguel Light, San Miguel Strong Ice, San Miguel Super Dry, San Miguel Draft Beer, San Miguel Premium Lager, Cerveza Negra and Red Horse Extra Strong Beer. Among its different styles, San Miguel Pale Pilsen is the leading brand in terms of demand and sale.

Trivia lifted from Wikipedia: In the television series Friends when they would drink beer at parties San Miguel bottles were often used because the bottle is recognizable from its shape.

Chimay Bleue Beer Review by Paolo Halagueña

The Chimay Brewery is located at Scourmont Abbey in Chimay, Belgium. It was founded on 1862. It is one of only seven Trappist breweries existent today. Trappist beer is brewed or under the supervision of Trappist Monks. It is one of few products produced with the Authentic Trappist Product logo; others would include wine and cheese.

The Chimay Brewery produces four types of beer. Chimay Rouge, Chimay Blanche, Chimay Dorée, and Chimay Bleue. Chimay Bleue is a 33cL dark ale beer with an alcohol content of 9%. Its bottle is of dark amber glass with a blue crown and a blue label which is reminiscent of medieval period. It has the Chimay coat of arms which is a shield with the text Chimay and two fleurs-de-lis on top of the text. The back label has text written in French, Dutch and German.

Beers Paradise houses this brand and has a special glass chalice manufactured by Chimay to use for consumption of its beers. The back label in the bottle also recommends the use of this glass chalice and highly discourages the use of any ordinary glass. The shape of this glass chalice is important to give the beer the right amount of head. It is characteristic of Chimay Bleue to have little but creamy head. Its aroma is very subtle and almost not noticeable. The taste is strong, dark and bitter. It can be described as having a full body. This can be credited to the dark-roasted barley malt used as an ingredient. It is not just the head that is creamy, but the consistency of the beer itself is creamy. The taste is very rich and different from the regulars of the Philippines.

I would recommend this beer for the Filipino who has acquired a liking for the bitter taste of beer. It is also for someone who wants to deviate from his regular San Mig Light. If you can appreciate Cerveza Negra, you will find this beer more to your liking. It is one of the highly recommended products found in Beers Paradise.

Duvel Beer Review by Edward Lim

In 1871, Jan-Leonard Moortgard founded the Duvel Moortgat Brewery that would later produce the famous Belgian beer, “Duvel”. “Duvel” was brewed with white sugar and Pilsner malt, finished with Saaz and Styrian Goldings. It is a strong, golden, and pale ale. The beer was originally called “Victory Ale” to commemorate the end of World War I. However, in the 1920’s, because of its strong alcohol content, the beer’s name was changed to “Duvel”, meaning “a real devil”.

“Duvel” had become the brewery’s flagship beer. However, the beer’s company was struggling financially in the early 1970’s. Consequently, to save itself, the Duvel Moortgat Brewery entered into an agreement with another brewery to distribute the Danish beer, “Tuborg”. In the early 1980’s, the two companies fell into disacord and this ended the relationship. Despite this, the Duvel Moortgat Brewery was able to stay afloat as they had already managed to set up distribution channels for their beer, “Duval”.

Today, the beer has given way to many more products for its company. These products include Jan’s Pilsner, “Vedett”, the beer “Steendonck”, the beer “Passendale” and recently in 2007 and 2008 respectively, “Duvel Tripel Hop” and “Vedett Extra White.”

Judging by the looks of the beer, I would say “Duvel” has a rather warm way of enticing beer lovers. Its packaging is the classic bottle used by beer brewers to sell beer. Like most beers, its liquid is gold and pale. Its smell is that of regular beers here in the Philippines. In comparison, it tastes just like the San Miguel Light. It even looks and smells the same. I would say the beer banks on familiarity to sell itself to consumers. Asides from the Alcohol content being high, 8.5%, I believe the beer is a perfect 10. It is a good drink for the occasional party-goer.

Kasteel Bruin – Brune (Kasteelbier Donker), 11% ABV by Joeward Valdez

History

Van Honsebrouck brewery is located in Ingelmunster (West Flanders, Belgium) and is well known for its special beers. The history of the brewery started way back in 1900 when Emiel and Louisa Van Honsebrouck bought a small farm. In 1922, Paul and Ernest Van Honsebrouck succeeded the founders of the brewery. However, during its time, the brewery was not that successful. And in 1953, with the help of Luc Van Honsebrouck, the brewery had its big breakthrough.

The present day castle or building in Ingelmunster goes back to 1736 (with its cellars dated back in the Middle Ages) is classical of its period. It is when castles had lost it function for the purpose of the military.

The castle of Ingelmunster has owned by the Van Honsebrouck family since 1986, who had been brewing in Ingelmunster since 1900. The company that Van Honsebrouck established was called “Castle Brewery Van Honsebrouck.” Unfortunately, the brewery was completely destroyed when a fire broke on September 17, 2001.
The flagship or the most important product of the brewery is the Kasteelbier or Kasteel. It has five (5) kinds, the Kasteel Bruin, the Kasteel Triple, the Kasteel Blond, the Kasteel Rouge, and the Kasteel Gift.

Kasteel Bruin

The Kasteel Bruin is brewed traditionally and is re-fermented in a bottle. This beer is a strong brown ale style beer which contains 11% alcohol. A bruin is another name for a brown bear and that is how Kasteel Bruin got its name because the color of the beer is dark brown to reddish hue with little head or small tightly packed bubbles. At first, it might smell like wine. It has actually a strong smell of malt with a little hint of caramel and chocolate. The taste is mild and very tasty. It is sweet and alcoholic at the same time. You would not recognize the alcohol until you finish the whole bottle. The alcohol is not overpowering. It is full-bodied because of the abundance of flavors. It is rich and very smooth, a soft and easy texture. It is well-balanced because of the perfect combination of sweet and bitter tastes. It has a good finish because of its richness, smoothness and subtlety. The bitter taste does not linger. All the flavors seem to interlock. And because of these, the pleasant nature of the beer tempts us to take another sip.

Recommendations

In drinking this beer, remember to sip and slowly absorb the flavors to totally appreciate it. This beer is quite strong because of it 11% alcohol content. It is quite deceiving when you taste it because the alcohol is not overpowering. It is after you finish the bottle that you really feel the kick. One bottle is enough. It is best if served cold.

Kwak Beer, A Beer for the Eyes by Julio Ingco III

There are over 1000 types of Belgian beer and not all carry a distinctive taste that stands among the others. However, the creation of a Pauwel Kwak, a brewer and the owner of De Hoorn inn, based it all in the basics, the senses.

For a person with little or much drinking experience, Kwak beer will definitely be something unique from its competitors starting with the glass that comes with it. The eyes are the first to be given pleasure with this intriguing round-bottomed glass, that when left alone will definitely fall, is captivating and unusual for a place that would want you to fall because of the beer not the beer itself. It comes with a wooden frame that assists the glass so it would not fall for consumers to be able to settle down their ice cold Kwak Beer. The wooden frame was originally intended for the use of coachmen back in the 1980s it became the primary factor of how it became known international beer market.

The drink itself is toffee colored making it pleasantly significant as it contrasts with the wooden frame that stabilizes the glass to stand. Making the drink and its vessel a set of wonder to the eyes that makes beer drinkers go for more.

After looking at the design of the Kwak Beer glass. It would be the taste that will be the one to confirm the curiosity settled in when you first looked at it. Interestingly enough the smell of bitterness emitted by the liquor appropriately suggests what it would taste like. The head of the beer is quite present as it flows down into your mouth. Yet the bitterness of the beer intensifies the experience of a malty flavor. Having the beer be composed of 8% alcohol the taste of it is full-bodied justifying the crisp taste and clean smell of Kwak beer.

As an occasional drinker of beer I recommend that Kwak beer will be good for first time drinkers. For one, it carries the traditional taste of beer that is appreciated among many drinkers. Second, it does not carry a high content of alcohol. Third, its design never fails for consumers to be enticed to have a taste or to experience with a unique kind of vessel. However, with regards to taste it only fairs a little better among the rest of Belgian beer because of the use of standard ingredients that are present in it.

Overall, Kwak Beer has caught my eye but has not come to stay.

St. Louis Kriek Beer Review by Raisa Sanchez

In 1830, several immigrants from Germany and Bohemia found its way to St. Louis. The majority of them settled in Soulard, the oldest neighborhood of the city. Soulard happens to be home to a number of breweries for many years that it even became home to Anheuser-Busch, the world's largest brewer before. In addition to this, the immigrants also had building skills, that led them to put up a number of breweries. St Louis also had a lot of advantages because of its location and resources such as a numerous German population, plenty of water, rail connections, limestone caves and an entrepreneurial spirit which all paved way for successful beer industry in the city. Also, the caves in Benton Park neighborhood provided the perfect temperature for brewing and storing beer.

In fact, one of the group's favorite drink was the Belgian beverage, St. Louis Kriek Lambic. This beer is brewed by Van Honsebrouck company, which was started by Emiel and Louisa Van Honsebrouck way back in 1900. They purchased a small farm in Ingelmunster, a Belgium province of West Flanders where their brewery business first began. In 1953, they started specializing on high quality beers. Come 1986, the Van Honsebrouck family bought and restored a historic castle built by the Count of Flanders, Robrecht de Fries in 1705. This particular castle was constructed on top of the ruins of a convent that was first built by English monks back in 1640. When the family bought it, they made it open to the public and used the castle's cellars for maturing beers from the brewery. One of Van Honsebrouck's specializations is St. Louis' Fruit Lambic variants where in fruits are added after fermentation. Once fruits are mixed in, the beer undergoes further maturation before bottling. The fruit is generally dominant, making the alcohol content low.

Kriek meaning cherry uses fresh black cherry juice and natural sugar, which explains a lot of the beer's characteristics. Before tasting it, you can already smell the strong and sweet aroma of cherry, adding to that is its dark red beer color with a light shade of pink as its head. With only 3.2 percent of alcohol, one can distinguish right away its fruity characteristic. However, the flavor develops sourness but still stays predominantly sweet. Our group highly recommends this beer to teenagers, particularly to females, who are after for a good and delicious drink but does not want the lingering and strong taste of alcohol. This drink would also be suitable during light drinking parties.

Tripel Karmeliet Beer Review by Alyssa Nano

Tripel Karmeliet is a brand of beer brewed by Brewery Brosteels in Belgium. Originating from the Carmelite monastery in Dendermonde, the beer is made with brewing three kinds of grain: wheat, oats and barley. Therefore its name originated from its recipe and in-bottle refermentation.

Look: Color is light golden brown with moderate head. Head stays for a while but eventually subsided after a few minutes. It has small, bubbly, tightly-compacted and cloudy-looking head. The beer pours smoothly has a clear flow but also some hazy qualities.

Smell: It has a nice dominating, fruity smell but has a mixture of some spice, vanilla and the smell of alcohol although just a faint smell, you can tell there is alcohol. I cannot tell whether the fruity smell is of orange or some berry but it has a faint mix of both making the drink quite exciting to taste.

Taste: Initially, the taste is similar to that of our local beers but when you linger on it, the moment it touches the mouth you get the hint of the fruity smell translating to a slightly-fruity taste but with a hint of alcohol. It finishes with a flat taste- quite in the middle of a dry finish and not-so dry one. Also afterwards, that’s when you really taste the malt and the alcohol.

Overall, Tripel Karmeliet has a bittersweet taste, and I must say perfect for beer-drinking ladies who wants a kick of beer with a taste of their ladies’ cocktail drinks. Like I said, I would recommend the Tripel Karmeliet for ladies and gentlemen who’d like to experience the mixture of cocktails, coz of its fruity component, and beer brought about by its bitter aftertaste. I would also recommend that one bottle is not enough and the drinker should try out a couple to be able to fully grasp the beer’s kick because one bottle wouldn’t do it.

Glossary of Beer Terms

Ale is the World’s oldest style of beer that is top fermented, usually at 60-70°F.

Amber describes the style or color of a beer between pale and dark, sometimes with a reddish hue.

Body is texture or viscosity in the mouth as a result of malt proteins and dextrins that have not been fermented.

Character is a beer of any quality, which has unmistakable and distinctive features.

Crisp is a desirable feature in Weiss beers and pils; firm, refreshing, positive acidity.

Fermentation is scientific term for the process that converts sugar into alcohol and CO2.

Flat is dull, insipid, lacking carbonation and/or acidity.

Full-bodied is an abundance of flavors, especially malt, in the taste of beers. Not necessarily high in alcohol.

Head is the foam on top of a glass of beer. The best beers can have a head composed of small, tightly packed bubbles, or a large, billowing, uneven head. The head can easily be ruined by using a glass that is not "beer clean" (thoroughly rinsed with cold water until no soap residue remains).

Hops is the female flowers of the perennial hop plant, Humulus Lupulus.

Lager is a brew that undergoes a secondary 'cold' fermenting process; from the German word meaning 'store'. The cold-conditioning encourages the yeast to settle out, increases carbonation, and produces a smooth, clean-tasting beer.

Lambic is of Belgian origin, a beer made by spontaneous fermentation. Often includes fruits as adjuncts.

Malting is the process of moistening grain, allowing it to germinate, and then stopping germination by heating or drying in a kiln. Malting converts insoluble starch in barley into sugars that can be fermented.

Pilsner or Pilsner or Pils, an international brand name for a light lager. In the Czech republic, the term is meant only for beers brewed in Pilsen or Pilzen where the style was perfected.

Porter is a dark brown or black beer originating in London; its name comes from the street-market porters who originally drank it.

Stout was once an English term to mean the "stoutest" beer of a brewery; early origins identified it with porter style beer. Now generally considered an Irish style of a sweet, very dark and rich beer.

Styles is the traditional categorization of classic beer tastes based on different recipes.

Trappist are ales brewed by monks originally of the Trappist order now mostly located in Belgium; known for their old open fermented yeasts. A subject of itself; try a Chimay "blue" for an explanation.

Wort is the liquid resulting from sparging, or rinsing of the malt with water to come up with a fermentable sugar solution. The wort is heated to destroy bacteria, then cooled and mixed with yeast to attain the desired outcome of beer.

Yeast is an organic compound that feeds on the sugars present in the sweet wort and creates two by-products: alcohol and carbon dioxide. Louis Pasteur first discovered its true role in the late 19th century. In the Middle Ages, it was known as "God is good."

*directly lifted from:

http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/2_ale_university/aleu_bt_glossary.html

http://www.bitterrootbrewing.com/beer_terms.html

Acknowledgements

Thank You to Dr. Jovino Miroy, Ph.D. for approving our proposal and mentioning Beers Paradise to us. This project would not be possible without him.

Special Thanks to:

Beers Paradise
39 Polaris St. cor. Durban St.
Makati City, Philippines
895.9272

Supervisor Anna Tuaño for assistance.

Sources

Book Sources:

*all from Rizal Library, Ateneo de Manila University

Ira, Luning Bonifacio. Philippine Beer. Manila: Philippine Advertising Counselors, Inc., 1981.

Reyes, Cid. San Miguel Corporation. Hongkong: Reyes P, 1995.

Internet Sources:

A Filipino's Guide to Beer