Coming from one of the most successful microbreweries in the Philippines, this Compadre stout by The Brewery At The Palace is particularly refreshing. There’s a nice sizzle in your mouth before the more expected flavors of chocolate, dark brown sugar, and hints of coffee flood your tastebuds. At Draft Restaurant And Brewery Rockwell, we only paid 150 pesos for the 330ml glass, so it’s hard to go wrong. This is a solid, locally brewed craft beer that’s served in many places.
A beer themed cocktail to represent the state of alcohol during the 1500’s to 1600’s as a gift from the creator. Deep and sweet, “Prescription From Heaven,” has a smooth mouthfeel and definitely gives the sensation of what one might think a stout beer concentrate would taste like. This makes sense, since the cocktail features — among other ingredients — a Guinness syrup, toasted dark malt, and brown butter rum. Storytelling at Stockton is totally on point. Each beverage is a new page in their menu, which is essentially a tour through the bar’s Darwinian philosophy and understanding of alcohol, fully illuminated and illustrated.
This is blood. A tribute to the ancient mesoamerican god, Quetzalcoatl, who planted the first agave plant. Agave, when distilled, gives us tequilla, mezcal, and for the Aztecs, a ritual drink called Pulque. Of course it’s not really blood — this drink, named “The Lost City” in Stockton gets its red color from a beetroot shrub that they make in-house, paired with orange sherbet, kaffir lime, and a unique jalapeño blanco tequilla.
This drink is designed to symbolize a sacrificial offering to the ancient god. A cube of ice in the middle is covered with coco butter and edible rocks which represents the ancient pyramids that served as an altar of human sacrifice for the Aztecs, the beetroot shrub and tequilla is poured over the top to simulate blood flowing down the steps for when the men were killed as the offering. Its a little bit grotesque but it falls right in line with Stockton’s fascination with religion and the balance of god, man, and alcohol.
Note: pairs nicely with Michelin stared goose. Young Master’s Another One turned out to be an interesting find in Hong Kong. We thought that this can was intensely floral, without any undesirable bitterness. The label says “all day session ale.” Between the pleasant and easy flavor notes and the 3.3% ABV, you definitely could nurse this beverage all afternoon.
Special thanks to our location this afternoon, the roof deck of HK Walls’ new space, The Clubhouse. They’ve been excellent hosts to us all of Hong Kong Art Week.
“Connecting cultures through craft beer” reads a mural painted high on the wall of Saigon’s East West Brewing Company’s headquarters and microbrewery. This is because the foundations of East West come from Portland, Chicago, and Germany, finally finding a home in Vietnam. Want a sampling of this depth of knowledge and experience. On Thursdays and Saturdays, you can join a tour where you meet the craftsmen and women operating the facility. You’ll learn how the beverages are brewed, and — of course — taste some delicious beer and food pairings. If you don’t have time for that experience, you can drop in any time for a craft beer flight of 4-6 drinks. We sampled some standards such as a stout and a very aggressive IPA, and were also treated to more unique flavors, such as a rose beer.
Picnic vibes this afternoon for the Art In The Park in Makati City. That same vibe paired nicely with some beautifully labeled and delicious craft beers we found on sale to nurse while browsing through the various pop up galleries and installations. Monkey Eagle’s labels also matched the ambiance nicely, with retro designs reminiscent of old rock and roll vinyl album covers.
