Beer: Building the Philippine economy

San Miguel is the undisputed beer leader in the Philippines, with a market share of roughly 90 percent. According to San Mig, “Pale Pilsen is a pale, golden lager with a rich, full-bodied flavor. Its smooth, full-flavored taste makes it a perfectly balanc

We need to turn our attention to something important— beer. Humans and beer have been around for about 9,000 years. Beer—of course—was first brewed in China around 7000 B.C. But there is some dispute whether it was beer or bread that came first.

Some scholars contend that beer was discovered accidentally through grains used for bread making that fermented. Others claim that beer was developed intentionally as an intoxicant. I go for number two, having more respect for the human male’s desire to get high, stoned, or drunk as part of our DNA code.

In fact, one of my regrets in life is that my own father died at too early an age that we were never able to have a beer together. I made sure that did not happen with my own sons.

Beer is the third most popular drink after water and tea, and the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage. Beer is part of culture. “24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not.”— H.L. Mencken. “Beer is the Danish national drink, and the Danish national weakness is another beer.” Indian chef Maneet Chauhan: “Beer is such an integral part of the Indian culture.” “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”—benjamin Franklin.

Life is much easier if you are a beer drinker. While the wine and whiskey folks are talking about their beverage, the beer people have had three and two plates of sisig while singing karaoke.

People became interested in the differences between Lager, Porter, Stout, Blonde Ale, Brown Ale, Pale Ale, American Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, and Pilsner. No longer could you walk in and order a “beer.” For the last 20 years there is a web site called “Ratebeer.”

The number one beer in the world is US “Toppling Goliath Kentucky Brunch.” “An intensely-flavored, reddish-brown to black colored ale. Roasty-burnt malt with deep dried fruit flavors, and a warming, bittersweet finish. Aroma of maple, chocolate, bourbon, vanilla and coffee.” Ok, but does it go well with chicharon bulaklak or papaitan?

San Miguel is the undisputed beer leader in the Philippines, with a market share of roughly 90 percent. According to San Mig, “Pale Pilsen is a pale, golden lager with a rich, full-bodied flavor. Its smooth, fullflavored taste makes it a perfectly balanced beer.”

At “Ratebeer” Pale Pilsen has a score of 2.03 out of 5 from 378 ratings. The best, a “5” with the comment: “The San Miguel from the Philippines is by far the best! The colour of the beer is great and the flavour is very satisfying!!!”

The worst is a “0.5” from a Brit who said, “Awful piss water that is so bad it has to be served nearly frozen to be able to drink it.” Rightly or wrongly this is from a country that made a contribution to global cuisine called “mushy peas,” which is exactly what it sounds like.

Our national beer being maligned by a guy from a country that was rated the “Worst Place to Live in Europe” on the 2011 Quality of Life Index. The “World Beer Index 2021” says that the average price of a beer in the Philippines is $4.25 or P206. That includes beer at a five-star hotel. The index says the average per capita adult consumption is 114 beers annually. And based on the “average” price, the average Filipino spends P23,000 a year on beer.

Maybe so. But I think of my beer drinking as “Building the Philippine Economy.”