By KARA SANTOS
If brewmaster Paul Stuart del Rosario is to be believed, there’s a revolution brewing in the country these days: a craft beer revolution.
With such names as Kalayaan Amber Ale, Liberation Pale Ale, and Indio Pale Ale, these beers are manufactured by a handful of craft breweries in the country, and could give the established brands a run for their money.
Craft breweries or microbreweries are small, independent operations that focus on the traditional brewing processes, often with limited production capabilities. But put together, they produce local brands that have a taste and kick above the ordinary.
Del Rosario himself produces Fat Pauly’s Hand-crafted Ales and Lagers, which is based in Iligan City, also known as the “City of Majestic Waterfalls” in the province of Lanao del Norte.
Previously only available in limited quantities in Mindanao, del Rosario’s beers have recently been introduced to some markets in Metro Manila through gastropubs and distributors.
“My goal is to give people a tastier alternative to what they have been conditioned to drink all these years. I want the general drinking public to realize that it is ok to drink beers with wilder and bolder flavors,” he says.
Fat Pauly’s beers are uniquely Filipino-made. “I infuse local flavors on certain recipes like wild pukyutan honey, mangrove barks, wild tuba yeast strains, biasong or Philippine lime, kulikot chillies, locally grown crops and fruits, Malagos chocolates from Davao, strawberries from Bukidnon, and Timoga spring waters,” del Rosario said. “Most of these ingredients are indigenous yet germaine to the farmlands of Iligan.”
However, he sometimes uses imported ingredients like Lebanese roses and smoked wood.
While many countries around the world have embraced the culture of microbrewing, the craft beer scene in the Philippines is still quite young. Other local craft beers are Bogsbrew and Primo (brewed with organic local muscovado sugar) made by Negros Island Craft Brewing, Indio Pale Ale from Katipunan Craft Ales, Summer Sessions and Liberation Pale Ale, from Craftpoint Brewing Co.
Beer beginnings
Del Rosario’s passion for beer began in 2009 after a night out in Beers Paradise, a bar in Makati that serves beers from all over the world.
“I was amazed that they offer more than 100 kinds of beers from all over the world. I tried a few bottles and took the empty ones home. I found myself in the same place, doing the same thing the next day and the day after that,” del Rosario said.
He studied beer culture and home-bewing through online sources, websites and beer magazines. He researched about different beers styles, why they were created, the brewer and brew location influence, specific glassware per style and the history behind different breweries and their beers.
“I self-studied home-brewing and started buying the items needed for homebrewing online. On April 16, 2010, I brewed my first batch. It was drinkable,” del Rosario said. “I was so sunk into the whole thing that I have become a beer geek.”
For every sip of beer he drank, he learned a little bit of the history behind the beverage. He even began collecting beer bottles until his living room “started to resemble a beer gallery or a junk shop.”
He started brewing more and more batches and serving the beers to friends, who eventually convinced him to start selling the beers. Thus, Fat Pauly’s Handcrafted Ales was born.
Unique flavors
While Del Rosario eventually aims to to put up a deli-pub in Cagayan de Oro to showcase his beers, he continues to brew beer in small batches, giving him the liberty to explore more beer styles. He continues to experiment and perfect recipes based on the feedback of his customers.
Del Rosario has actually brewed more than 20 styles already, though some variants have emerged as staples. Bestsellers include Iligan Ilaya Pale Ale, an intensely hopped pale ale with a hint of sweetness beneath all the foam, and Lumad Strong Lager, which has a smooth flavor with a distinct bitterness from the hops comparable to some dark Belgian beers. There’s also a Sultan Stout and Diwata Witbier.
He offers some very interesting beer flavors inspired by his travels, such as the Desert Rose, a fragrant beer with a pinkish hue brewed with premium Middle Eastern roses, and recurring limited annual brews such as Smashin’ Pumpkin Ale for Halloween, Kalayaan Amber Ale for Independence Day and Infierno Yuletide for Christmas.
What sets Fat Pauly’s apart from the usual beers available in the Philippines, del Rosario said, is that his beers are “probably the wildest among the other local craft beers out in the market.”
“I tend to digest and profile different flavors from anything from wood to flowers, to fruits and imagine their taste, smell, and texture in beer. Then I design a recipe using those flavors and scents. Within the baselines of traditional recipes, I create my own unique beers.”
Limited stocks of Fat Pauly’s are available in a few bars in Manila such as Barley Gastropub in Quezon City and The Bottle Shop of Global Beer Exchange in Paseo de Magallanes. Del Rosario has been exploring partnerships to supply the beer to different restaurants and resorts in areas like Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan, Camuigin, Siargao and Boracay, signifying the increase in demand for alternative brews in different parts of the country.
(Kara Santos is a photojournalist and travel blogger)