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Filipino Craft Beer - Baguio Craft

11/17/2016

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I’ve never tried a beer from the Philippines before; I must admit I was very dubious about the quality of this little lot when they were handed over too, as my friend Jon (of Filipino pop-up outfit Kusina Ni Lola) wasn’t exactly bubbling with excitement when he handed me the cans; reserved positivity I guess would say.
 
Thankfully each of the six beers from Baguio Craft Brewery was pretty drinkable in their own right and there are a good range of styles brewed as you can see below, the single effort from Asia Brewery was actually pretty good too and probably the best of the bunch in terms of the craft.  The website the brewery have is also quite amusing, the guys that work there seem to have a sense of humour and enjoyment about their craft.  The link is at the end of the article below.
 
So what about those cans…?

Englishman In New York
 
This 6% American Pale Ale is golden in colour and quite crisp in its pour, though the white head is very poorly retained following the pour.  The nose is very similar to an English Best Bitter style, with a bitter malty aroma driving things, with a hint of dried banana following on.  There is also some wood and that faint metallic tang from the malt.
 
The flavours are headed by a banana loaf flavour, which shunts along into the finish quite heavily along with the malt heavy profile.  The mouthfeel is light but a little too cloying on balance.  Not quite sure how this fits into the American Pale Ale category, as it certainly doesn't drink like one.
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Kabunyan
 
Kabunyan is a 6.1% wheat beer, brewed 'in tribute to a sky realm', where Kabunyan appears to be the name of a tribal deity in the Philippines.  

Kabunyan (the beer) itself is a hazy orange colour with a very poorly retained head and the aromas are of light banana, cloves and a hint of orange but not a huge amount else.  the flavours translate directly from the aromas, though there are hints of the wheat in the beer from this moment.  

The effervescence in the can was a little low, as such the beer went a little flat towards the end of drinking, but it was nicely rounded and balanced with a gentle and soft mouthfeel and a lingering spice in the finish, though this did push through into a very unusual metallic tang at the end.
Busy Bee
 
This honey infused professed West-Coast style IPA is 7.3% in strength and a deep copper colour, carrying a thin white head which was retained for a while into drinking.  The aromas of the Busy Bee were definitely honey led, with some rock candy, pine, woody notes and a malty hum behind all this.   The flavours translated almost directly, with a dry but floral honey note as the lynchpin and woodier, tangy hits coming through afterwards. 

Busy Bee's body is actually pretty rounded in spite of the fizz, giving a slightly slick mouthfeel which benefits from the carbonation to remove any unpleasant residual character.  The finish is bittersweet, quite sharp and has an overt floral quality, lingering in the mid to the back of the tongue.  A definitely more complete effort than the beers above.
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Rolling Fog Wheat Ale
 
Rolling Fog is a coppery yellow colour and at 6.1% appears quite hazy, carrying a fluffy and retained white head.  The nose is slightly metallic, but has plenty of the staple aromas of a wheat beer in banana and cloves, along wih a mildly spiced wheaty perfume. 

The flavours come through with all of these, along with some cereal notes.  The mouthfeel is slightly thin and mildly residual, but acidically fresh, dry and mouthwatering which sharpens up into the finish, lingering in the middle and towards the back of the tongue. 
Old Xavier 56 Bohemian Pilsner
 
Under carbonation strikes again with this can sadly, though it has travelled quite far around the world before it gets into my glass, so it is possible this did no favours to the lager. 

At 6.1% (again) strength, this golden lager is hopped as with any other respectable pilsner, using Saaz hops.  The aromas are very difficult to pick out, with some tangy metallic elements and a slight grassiness to it.  The flavours are somewhat clouded by too much residual sugar in the brew, leaving an over the top sweetness and a full, if slightly slick residual mouthfeel. 

There is a good level of dryness in the finish and plenty of malt character pushing things along, but the sweetness undoes any balance the beer would have had.
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Brew Kettle (from Asia Brewery)
 
A Belgian Wit style ale from Asia Brewery rather than Baguio Craft, Brew Kettle is 5.3% in strength and has a hazy lemon hue to the body under a poorly retained white but initially frothy and well structured head. 

The aromas are of rhubarb and custard, lemons, wheat, egg custard tarts, gooseberries and the obligatory banana ester notes.  The flavours are quite light and pleasingly and acidically clean, with lemons, banana, sherbet, vanilla, cloves and allspice along with a slightly metallic cereal tang.  

The body is light and the carbonation is excellent, to leave a cleansing quality to balance out any residual character.  The finish is malty, citric, and gently dry to all in all, give quite a good bit of brewing from Asia.
Message in a Bottle
 
This Filipino Black IPA style beer poured with very, very low carbonation, so once again had me wondering if it is truly representative of the brew intended, or travel has once again undone any quality.  Nevertheless, at 7.6%, it represents the strongest of the stable from Baguio and is black in body with an off white foam. 

The pour was odd, as the carbonation shows some stout or porter character, in so much that following the initial pour, there was a settling and some fine bubbles gradually appearing 2/3rds way up the glass to contribute to the meagre head.  The aromas were of juicy fruits, lightly roasted and acidic coffee beans, caramel and some light florality and citrus.

The flavours gave up some tropical fruit, leading into liquorice and aniseed, eventually to coffee (again, light roasted) and a citrus pinch towards the end.  The body is chewy but not residual or cloying thanks in part to the acidity present, though the finish lingers with the acidity, it is an odd but not entirely unpleasant take on the black IPA style.
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So there you go, there is craft in Baguio and I would be keen to try these beers as fresh as possible, but there are plenty of other breweries out that way and maybe one day we'll get to sample some of their beers. 
 
Hopefully once again, you enjoyed the read - if you have had any experiences of craft beers from the far east, please comment below and offer up your thoughts!
 
Until next time,
 
Pedro

---------------------------

This article was amended 21st November to reflect one of the beers was in fact from Asia Brewery and not Baguio Craft.

Web: www.baguiocraftbrewery.com/
Web: http://asiabrewery.com/


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ElectroKemist Beer Review - September 2016

11/6/2016

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Welcome to the latest beer blog, featuring some brews picked up through the Summer and drunk in September.  Though this is perhaps a little later than expected, we do have a bumper month for you next edition, which will feature more than the usual eight brews.
 
It’s been a busy time of late and there will be a few extra blogs coming along featuring beer from the Philippines, beers from Hong Kong and an article showcasing some of the newest breweries in and around Liverpool who will be looking to make an impression in 2017.
 
For now though, lets see about those September beers…

London Beer Factory - 8 Hop APA
 
The brewery that first came into local consciousness at the Liverpool Craft Beer Expo 2016 presents this amber to gold coloured American Pale Ale, which at a relatively low (for the style) 3.5% is drinkable and not too heavy. 

This ale is hopped including the use of mosaic, cascade, centennial, colombus, citra, ahtanum and summit; sadly the final hop printed on the can was illegible.  The 8 Hop APA pours with a crisp white head and a light haze to the body and carries some lovely aromas of pine, wood, tropical lychee, mango and some citrusy lime notes alongside a gentle florality.
 
The flavours express wonderfully how juicy this beer is, coming through with notes of pineapple, mango and melon along with pine acidity leading through to a verdant and very dry finish.  The mouthfeel is quite light and crisp with a hint of residue towards the back end; lightly puckering and it pinches on the sides of the tongue.  Enjoyable, easy drinking and a low strength for repeat drinking.
 
(Source from Crosby Beer Bottle Shop, College Road, Crosby) 
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Tempest Brewing Company - Mexicake
 
An absolute beast of an imperial stout, which is brewed with two types of chilli, cacao, cinnamon and vanilla to give a very impressive range of flavours and dimension to the structure of this beer.  At a full on 11% strength, there is plenty to this black, deep and dark imperial stout which carries a solid beige head upon pouring from the bottle.  The aromas give off a huge amount of spice from the cinnamon and vanilla along with some relatively restrained chocolate notes and some dark acidic fruitier notes.  There is almost a dairy note there too, an element reminiscent of an ice cream.
 
The flavours come through direct from the nose, with hits of chocolate ice cream, chilli, cinnamon and vanilla along with lesser coffee and fruit cake flavours.  The mouthfeel is slick and very chewy, the finish is quite interesting; the rich and high spice flavours are balanced out rather cleverly by a latent acidity and gentle sweetness, thus preventing the finish being too cloying. 

An excellent end-of-the-night beer which won't disappoint those searching for something with some oomph.
 
(Sourced from Great Grog, Edinburgh)
Tempest Brewing Company - Mango Berlinner
 
A pale and sour Berlinner style beer, which is generously dry hopped and instilled with the fruity benefits of mango.  At 4% it is in keeping with the lower end of the abv spectrum for a Berlinner-style, this beer is a pale straw colour and is very effervescent and light, carrying a thin white head.  The nose overtly carries notes of mango, melon, pineapple and lime along with a very young and underripe acidic fruit character, perhaps even the hint of spring nettles in there too?
 
The flavours are most definitely driven by the mango along with a backbone of tart citrus, touches of cereal and a punch of tropical fruit.  The body is very thin and fizzy, leading through to a finish which has gentle acidity and a light florality. 

In truth, this is a little on the flabby and watery side, there a lot of lingering fruit and it is easy and mouthwatering upon drinking.  Neat and enjoyable if perhaps a little unpolished towards the end with its finish.
 
(Sourced from Great Grog, Edinburgh)
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8 Wired and Stewart Brewing - Margarita Gose
 
This very interesting take on a 'cocktail' beer is hopped using New Zealand hops (the limey motueka) and kaffir lime leaves along with wheat and salt.  The appearance of the 6% strength margarita gose is a cloudy golden coloured beer which carries a thin white head. 

The aromas are unmistakeably like a margarita, lots of bitter lime citrus, a slight creaminess thanks to the use of wheat, a touch of cereal and a pleasing jammy quality.  
 
The flavours of simply put, margarita-esque.  There's lots of lime, slat, plenty of fruity acidity and this leads into a fresh and easy finish, which has a building acidity which sadly over balances and goes a little overboard.  Overall, it is dry and bitter (but well within acceptable limits) with a juicy and effervescent remit.  This would pair very well with roasted chicken dishes.
 
(Sourced from Great Grog, Edinburgh)
Buxton Brewery - Kingmaker DIPA
 
Another extremely competent and well thought out brew from the Buxton stable, Kingmaker DIPA is a hazy golden coloured ale which carries a white head and a strength of 10.5%. 

The nose gives plenty of toasty cereal, along with a mainly floral hop character, some nuts including toasted almond, candied peel and touches of coconut, pastry and custard.  The flavours do come through somewhat different to the aromas, with deep and strong orange flavours firmly at the fore, along with hints of pine, bitter caramel and toffee.
 
The body is good; solid and satisfying given the strength of flavours, plenty of effervescence and lightly coating but all in balance with the fresh acidity; you wouldn't guess at this being over 10% in strength.  The finish is a lingering one; back of the tongue with plenty of dry and bitter fruit and wood notes.
 
(Sourced from Holborn Trade, Malthouse Business Park, Ormskirk)
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Neptune Brewery - Jack May IPA
 
This tidy amber coloured 6.3% IPA from Neptune Brewery is well conditioned, giving a bubbly and just off-white head sitting above.  The aromas are as would be expected from solid English style IPA; orange, woody cedar notes and touches of honey and wildflower florality along with a very delicate smattering of tropical fruits.
 
The flavour comes through as per the aromas, with plenty of bitter orange, cedar wood and cereal at the forefront of the taste; towards the back end of the flavour are some malty toasty flavours rounding off into the finish nicely.  The body is pretty light and then carries through into a gently residual finish, which is bitter, dry and quite woody with back up from fruitier notes leaving a balanced and gently acidic mark. 

Get something paired with this which is rich in umami; maybe a soy glazed meat dish or stir fry with plenty of sesame and soy.
 
(Sourced from Holborn Trade, Malthouse Business Park, Ormskirk)
Signature Brew - Signature Pale Ale
 
An American pale ale, weighing in at 39 IBUs (international bittering units) and 4.1%, hopped with a combination of cascade, perle and magnum hops, Signature Pale Ale is an amber coloured beer with heavy carbonation and holds a strong and fluffy white head.  The aromas are not as tropical driven as many other American style pales; there is plenty of orange and light pine along with other woody notes, hints of unripened stone fruit are also present in the background. 
 
The flavours come through driven by a bitter cereal element, followed by unripened melon, juicy but bitter and acidic orange.  the body is light and gently residual giving a pleasant mouthfeel, leading through into a finish which is acidic, wildly bitter, dry and everso gently fruity along with hints of grain.  Not really a repeat drinking beer; although the strength is in that category, the aggressive bitterness and imbalance might not be too pleasant cumulatively.
 
(Sourced from Holborn Trade, Malthouse Business Park, Ormskirk)
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Aegir Bryggeri - Littlebro Session IPA
 
A hazy golden session IPA which at 4.7% carries a sudsy white head upon pouring from the rather attractive can.    The aromas are massively welcoming; coconut, mango, some woody notes along with secondary hits of pine, biscuits, florality, honey and an oddly spiced note, reminiscent of the cereal 'Gold Grahams'. 
 
Flavours coming through are as would be expected from such a lovely bouquet, mango, coconut, more wood, gently pine and some underripe tropical fruits.  The body is lightly chewy towards medium and the effervescence is at a good level to assist with the fruit acidity in balancing the beer out.  The finish is exciting quite complex for such an understated moniker of 'session pale'; there is plenty of fruit and malt character together, leading into a gently dry and eventually cereal tinged sharp-hop ending with lots of pine present.  Great stuff from our Nordic brewing bretheren.
 
(Sourced from Honest Brew, online)

So, that is your lot for this month; next month will be an amalgamation of October and November's beers; sadly I was rather ill over this period and as such, wasn't able to make my full quota of eight beers for October; so I will make some effort to make a bumper edition in November!  As ever, there will be a mix of styles and hopefully it will give you some ideas for Christmas stock, or indeed stocking fillers for that special person who loves a brew!
 
Until next time...
 
Pedro.
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