Our global beer tour did not stop in the Philippines, though it was unfortunately cut short by my foot injury – once antibiotics began, alcohol consumption ceased. Fortunately we had plenty of time to sample local beers before the injury occurred.
The Philippines is similar to many countries in SEA with just a few “main” beer varieties; however with a unique twist: all of the main beers you’ll find are actually from the same brewer – San Miguel Corporation. Headquartered in Manila, the multinational conglomerate brews and distributes 3 main types of beer throughout the Philippines (and abroad): Pale Pilsner, San Miguel Light, and the higher-alcohol “Red Horse.” They also sell a few varieties of “flavored beer,” but we only tried this once.
All of these beers are as you’d expect – nothing notably excellent or poor, all very good for drinking on the beach. Based on our purchasing habits the Pale Pilsner was probably our most favorite; but the real favorite thing was drinking along the seemingly endless beautiful Filipino beaches:
Craft breweries do exist in the Philippines, but are definitely not as large-scale and harder to find than in some other SEA countries. We did find a taproom serving local brews in Puerto Princesa and had a unique experience: We actually got to sample some beers from Elias brewing, which we previously tried in Singapore when we met our friend Jason at the Asia Beer Championships – small beer world!
