I am not a beer drinker, have never met a beer I liked. But Monica’s piece has me convinced that there’s hope for me yet. I bet her compellingly written piece will do the same for you. – Lori
I?m not an expert on brewing beer, but one thing?s for sure, I love drinking it. Like most Filipinos, my love for beer started at a very young age. After I took my first gulp from a cold bottle of San Miguel Pale Pilsen, I was in love?and pleasantly buzzed.
Beer has become a part of our lives. How can it not be" We have a century-old brewery that produces some of the best beer in the world. After work, a trek to the nearest bar for a couple of happy hour mugs with the colleagues (five thirsty na!) has become routine. Weekend getaways are not complete without a case (or three!) of beer. Most especially during beach trips, where a chilled bottle of beer is a requisite during a sunset session. Proof that Pinoys love their beer so much is the recent craft beer explosion. Local craft breweries have been popping up, not only in Manila, but in other provinces as well, like Sagada, Baguio, Cebu, and Bacolod, to name a few.

The newest member of the craft beer community is Engkanto Brewery. Engkanto is the passion project of Ian Paradies. ?After moving back to Manila from Jakarta, where I was assigned for work, I wanted to pursue my own thing,? Ian explains. What started as a joke about dreaming of owning a brewery or distillery one day became a reality for the former tr...