artmageddon
The first time I really understood the meaning of the song Beer by The Itchyworms was the time guitarist Noli Aurillo played it in a halfempty bar in Malate — alone, kundiman-style, with all the shrunken heads in that joint along Remedios Street imagining empty glasses, absent gods and lost loves. And every one of those notes rang true. What do those beautiful losers inside the bar really want, as the classic OPM song asks: is it true love or a bottle of that lovely inebriating flow of golden brewski?
Fast-forward to this moment, as my friend Julius and I have installed ourselves around one of the tables inside Resort World Manila’s Newport Mall for its inaugural Oktoberfest session. Of course, the Jules Man would rather have the girl, who is somewhere under Turkish skies and half a world away. But for now — holy guacamole — there is an ocean of beer before us (from SMB to Sapporo to Corona to what-have-you), a banquet of delightful flavors, as the guys from Itchyworms serenade everyone with their sunshiny riffs and that same song about beer and forgetting.
Cheers, dudes, and welcome to the October country.
The good people from Resorts Worlds Manila (RWM) have decided to give this year’s Oktoberfest celebrations a more Pinoy twist with the “Beers and Thrills Festival.” Picture this: a neighborhood gathering where there are benches, freeflowing beer, hot and spicy pulutan in pots and pans, parlor games, and a couple of people picking up guitars and soundtracking the entire enterprise (only in this case, you have the likes of The Itchyworms and Barbie Almalbis performing their own unforgettable numbers).
The festival is a combination of “German tradition, American drinking games and the effervescent Pinoy spirit.” For the month of October, RWM and Newport Mall restaurants will offer innovative beer-match cuisines as well as beer-infused dishes.
Cantonese Restaurant Passion serves a spicy Szechuan wok-fried chicken dish with a bottle of Tsing Tao beer large enough for a couple (P588+). Café Maxims boasts its sausage-and-mash special — a traditional German wurst smothered in rich onion gravy and partnered with a side of mashed potatoes (P390+).
Franks sports bar gives its all-American hotdog a German flavor with the bratwurst sandwich, a meaty and flavorful sausage on a bun filled with toppings of your choice and a side dish to boot — plus, some beer and soda (P335+).
For customers who want to rev things up, they might want to check out RWM’s