Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water — a vital ingredient in beer. – Dave Barry

I am NOT a beer lover. And so I do NOT drink all sort of beer. I’d rather drink some hard liquor than beer. But when a friend of mine told me to try out a relatively new “beer house” in Baguio City last year (July 2014), my nosiness made me try out the place (and eventually, liking beer for the 1st time).

And so, off I went to this “not your typical kind of beer house” along Marcos Hi-way. The moment I set my foot, I felt the cool and homey vibe of the place. It was literally cool since the building i situated a place where fog hovers and a great view of Baguio residences can be seen from their terrace. The homey feel comes from the conspicuously Cordillera feel. I adore the fact that there were a lot of wooden decors and huge barrels that serve as tables. The menu at the bar was written on chalkboards.

The Tasting Room of Baguio Craft Brewery is considered to be Baguio’s first and only craft brewery with freshly-brewed beer with 16 rotating taps. This microbrewery is a brainchild of 6 individuals from 3 countries, who decided to put this place in Baguio for its distinctive artistic character plus the cool weather that is deemed favourable for brewing. Baguio Craft Brewery was formally launched in June 2014.

Despite not being a beer person, I was prompted to taste their various beer offerings. The crew of Baguio Craft Brewery were very convincing and accommodating that I ended up ordering a glass of Kiwi Beer and a glass of Passionfruit Beer.

They also have beer-perfect dishes like Buffalo Wings, Moroccan Spicy Shrimp, Mini Burgers, Fish Tacos, Hungry Bacon and Hungarian Sausage. (I did try their sausages) The price range of these dishes is from P180 – P350/order.

The selection of beers were named after elements of the Ifugao mythology, and are collectively called “Mythic beers”.

• Dalom (an underworld deity) is a brown ale (a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers’ yeast).
• Daya (the Ifugao spirit of the forests, the rice terraces and the mountain streams), this is “a tribute to the realm of the endless mountain spring.”
• Kabunyan (the Cordilleran term  for a divine creator) is a “light, cloudy and inviting” wheat beer, named as a “tribute to the sky realm in the region above.”
• Lagud (deity of crops and harvest), a strawberry beer, is a “tribute to the realm of growth and vibrancy.”
• Pugaw (an Indian pale ale), means “from the earth,” described as “rich, complex, and pleasantly bitter.” It is said to be a tribute to the soil where grains and hops grow.

There are other beer flavors with captivating labels like The Englishman in New York American Pale Ale, Ida Raspberry beer, Ripe Passion fruit beer, Kraken Baltic Porter, Message in a Bottle Black IPA, Hop Attack, Zigzagger, Luscious Lychee, Niyog Stout, and many more. These beers are makes a distinction by degrees of bitterness and alcohol content.

Pharmacy 101: Wayback Pharmacy school, I’ve learned the concepts of ABV and IBU. Here’s a brief description for our better understanding of beers. Cheers!

A.B.V. (Alcohol by Volume) is the measure of how much alcohol is in the beer, the higher the number, the more alcohol there is by volume. Lagud Strawberry beer (and other fruits beers) has 5.4% ABV while Stout Crusader has the highest at 8.5%.

I.B.U. (International Bittering Unit) is the measure of how many hops (a f flavorant accountable for the bitter component in beers, and is from a plant called Humulus lupulus – ooops that is Pharmacognosy-slash-Botany 101) and how bitter the beer is. Hop Attack is said to have the highest at 94.8. So there…

A glass of their beers has a price range of P160 to P230.

And so, if you happen to be in Baguio (or you are planning a Baguio weekend getaway), include this beer place in your list. Cheeeeeers mate!!!

Baguio Craft Brewery
RKC Building, 120 Marcos Highway,
Km 4, Baguio City, Benguet, Philippines

Website: http://www.xavierbier.com/