kamotE trails

Japan's Prime Beer; as the label says. I got this one from a local convenience store. I wanted to try Japanese beer and found this one on the shelf.  I don't know what the "First Press" on the label means. Is it really a the first runnings of the mash or just a marketing ploy? It also boasts of 100% malt which is a thing for premium beers in Japan. The label on the side shows the local distributor of the beer. I'm also surprised to see that it was not produced in Japan. Japan's prime beer is made in China. This beer has 5% ABV which is a typical value  for beers. It has a golden colour and clear. There is no IBU value but the bitterness is on the level of San Miguel Light Beer. The 100% malt label lives up to its name. It's very malty flavour makes this beer very enjoyable. The malty taste has a bit of sweetness in the end without being very heavy on the palate.  One can is not enough. 2 to 3 cans of this will definitely...

Last year, I bought a set of Pedro's beer . Pedro is a locally brewed beer produced in my current home town, San Pedro, Laguna. It's a micro brewery that offers a nice set of beer variants. It's a bit difficult to get a hold of these unless you go to a specialty bar which offers local craft beers. Luckily, they have started to offer it in Family Mart, a local convenience store. A bottle costs 150php but at that time they were having a buy 3 get 1 promo so I took the opportunity to sample their beer variants. I got the two Endless Summer Wheat Ales, Procrastination Pale Ale and the Elementary English Ale. They have another flavour, the Wondering Wonderer India Pale Ale which I have yet to try. The Endless Summer Wheat Ale is wheat beer. It has 5% ABV and 13 IBU. Like every other wheat beers, it is citrusy and refreshing. Perfect when lounging in the summer afternoon or even watching a movie. You cannot go wrong with this variant. The Procrastination Pale Ale is mo...

This is another local craft beer from the Philippines from Crazy Carabao Brewery. The Kalinga Kolsch is an adaptation of the Kolsch beer which is like Pale Ale with a kind of fruity flavor. For the beer specs: Alcohol is at 4.5% like most beer. IBU at 14 which doesn't translate to how bitter this beer is. EBC is at 5 which is like Pale Ale. The taste of this beer is bitter. More bitter than the local San Miguel Pale Pilsen. The 14 IBU means that the bitters are low on this beer but the perceived bitterness can be attributed to the malt content of the Kolsch. There are fruity tastes which differentiates it from Pale Pilsen. This is enjoyable on a cold weather while winding down.

As I went through the beer isle, I spotted this Andy Player Whisky and Cola bottle.  I kinda heard the Andy Player name here and there and thought it to be a local whisky.  Now they're selling it mixed with cola. If you like hard drinks with cola as a chaser, this concoction will make you think twice. It has 5% alcohol content in a 330ml bottle based on the label.  Almost the same as other beers but not the same enjoyment. Taste-wise, I found the distinct whiskey taste diluted with a ton of cola. The cola sucks. It's like drinking cola that's sitting 4 hours on a glass when almost all the fizz has disappeared and all that's left is the sugary caramel taste. I can comment on the whiskey flavour since it's so washed out by the cola. I haven't tried their whisky as is either. I would not buy another one of this same with the Smirnoff Mule I tried before. It just doesn't give justice to alcohol. No to the premixed hard drinks. Well, to be fair, th...

Brewery: Crazy Carabao Origin: Laguna, Philippines ABV: 6.5% IBU: 65 EBC: 15 This is my first time tasting an IPA beer. IPA stands for India Pale Ale which was the beer made by British to in their efforts to colonize India. IPA beers are usually bitter and strong due to the abundance of hops in their brewing process.  The beer uses the usual dark amber bottle. Labels are very well done. Their graphics are well thought of and very Filipino.  Let's talk about how it tastes. First sip will greet you with a big citrus aroma and a bitter punch. The bitterness is good and strong. The flavour is very citrusy and tropical. Very nice to pair with meat or any salty pulutan(finger food).  The alcohol content is at 6.5% which is higher than local beers. I had a buzz after a bottle. IBU is 65 which tells how bitter a beer is. For reference wheat beers are around 15 and pale ales are usually around 30.  EBC is the beer color. Exit Wound sits at arou...

  As the name "Cerveza Negra" implies, it is a dark beer. This beer has a very strong roasted malt flavour. There's also a bit of caramelly after taste. If you want a full flavoured beer, this one is for you. Bitterness is less compared to the Pale Pilsen. It seems that the main attraction of this beer is the dark malt flavour. The beer comes in a dark bottle with premium paper labels. Black and gold is the theme for this beer. I think this beer goes great with some meaty snacks and a great movie.

This is the best local all-malt beer that I've tasted so far. San Miguel has a long line-up of beer ranging from its original Pale-Pilsen to its flavoured watered down beers. The San Miguel Premium beer is a bit pricey compared to the usual beers. It comes in a green bottle unlike the brown SMB pale pilsen. The bitterness is medium with a great malt aftertaste. The malt has almost dark chocolate flavour to it. I really enjoy drinking this beer.

If you're a big fan of pizza and also want to eat KFC's fried chicken, you must have heard of KFC's latest abomination, the Four Cheese Chizza. It's a flat fried chicken topped with cheese and sliced into four like a pizza.  It comes in a small pizza box which sells the pizza idea well. When it comes to taste, it's not pizza. It's cheesy chicken in a pizza box. It may go well as "ulam" for your rice. For a pizza lover like me, this is highly disappointing. It's a sad fake pizza.

Origin: Munich, Germany Alcohol Content: 5.3% Bottle Size: 500ml I got this beer from the supermarket. It's a bit pricey compared to other importer beers. According to Paulaner, this is a dark version of wheat beer. The bottle and labels are premium. There are sediments on the bottom of the bottle which is due to the beer being unfiltered. The guy on the logo seems some kind of bearded man in robes. The taste is strong and dark. The flavour is a bit cocoa and roasted malt. There's some hint of citrus that gives a refreshing taste. I think this beer is best enjoyed with a bowl of meaty "pulutan". After a bottle, I'm still looking for another one. It's one of the beer where you need another bottle after finishing up the previous. I need to try the other beers that Paulaner is offering.

I wondered what an original German beer would taste like so I tried Oettinger. I don't know how to pronounce this right and there are weird letters which I don't know how to sound. I got the 500ml can of Oettinger from the grocery. Only the can is available but I would have preferred the bottled version. It came in a yellow and blue can.  It is a naturally cloudy weissbeer according to the label. Alcohol percentage is the usual 4%. I poured it in a clear glass because I don't like to drink from the can. The taste of this beer is okay. I don't have anything good or bad to say about it. It's just "okay". I can drink this with a bag of chips and enjoy a movie without thinking about how the beer tastes.  Not much to say about it. 

This is a Japanese Branded Beer which is also the name of the place where it originated (Sapporo City). It has a crisp and refreshing taste, much like any other pale lager beers. The bitterness from the hops is not so overpowering that gives it an enjoyable taste. Alcohol content is 5.0%. You can enjoy a few bottles before getting the beer buzz. Price is on the high side since it's an imported beer.

I'm a fan of the Fast and Furious movie series.  I must say that their subtle commercial endorsements have affected me.  You've seen Dom Toretto loving this beer. Backyard family scenes that show them having fun, relaxing and drinking Corona. It makes me want to have a barbecue and drink some beer. best enjoyed with a bag of chips I was intrigued and decided to give Corona a taste. I got it from a local grocery store for more than twice the price of a San Miguel Beer. For an imported beer, the price is understandable. In Between San Miguel Pale Beer and Light Beer If you have tried San Miguel Pale Pilsen and San Miguel Light Beer before, you have an idea on how Corona would taste. Corona is a Pale Lager produced in Mexico.  It's exported all over the world and also a top selling beer. At first sip, I it was like SMB Pale Pilsen. Succeeding sips made it seem like a SMB Light beer but not exactly. I could compare its taste somewhere between a SMB Pale Pilsen an...

After a monthly grocery thing with my wife, we looked for a quick fast food dinner around the mall.  We've had KFC the other day so we opted for something else. After spotting a plate of palabok in Goldilocks that look like its been on display for hours we went to Mang Inasal to try their version of the palabok. Unluckily, it was not available so we ordered pork sisig instead. Our luck goes downhill from there. pictured: sad Sad Looking Sisig The plate was served on a hot plate. It's hot but not sizzling hot. Sisig bits comprised 40% of the plate and chicharon made the other 40%. The rest is chopped white onions. The sisig was pale but tasted like a seasoning disaster. It was very salty. You may need to eat a lot of rice to water down the saltiness of the sisig. An Orthodontic Nightmare My dentist always advise me to stay away from chips and nuts to avoid damaging my braces. I still eat chips but take extra care to avoid getting the brackets chipped off. The ...

Japan's #1 beer. I just have to taste this to see if it's really worth the #1 spot. daredevil playing in the background It's a super dry beer. The flavor is light and crisp.  It's more like a session beer. You can have a drink or two without getting tired of its taste. Its comparable to Heineken beer with only a slight difference in flavor. I would like more of this to go with my movie and chips. :)

There has been a surge of this "cocktail"-like drink in Shopwise. It's cheap enough, at around Php 30, so I thought I would give it a try. Smirnoff Mule sounds like something new and classy. It has that new look that makes you want to try it out. The label says that it's a combination of vodka, ginger beer and lime mix. Upon opening, it smelled like mountain dew. I thought its another one of those Tanduay Ice drinks. Initial sip tasted like lime soda with alcohol. It's carbonated so you get that beer or soda feel while drinking. After some time, the tastes grow old in your mouth. I easily grew tired of the taste and wanted to get this over. I don't know if I'm not in the mood for a late night soda drink or the drink is just not meant to please your taste buds. If you like the soda-ish and cocktail types of drinks, then this one is for you. For me, I would stick to beer for that evening movie fix.

I've been reading a lot of praises for this beer so I decided to give it a taste. It's a Belgian Wheat Beer that is unfiltered. It has a cloudy appearance and a decent amount of froth when I poured it on my glass. Taste It's very flavourful. You can taste the spices they put in the beer. It is spiced with coriander and orange peel according to wikipedia. The bitterness kicks in after you taste the spices. It's nice to drink this super cold. If you're looking for something light and easy on the taste, this beer is not for you. But if you're in for some beer tasting and appreciation, you're in for a treat with Hoegaarden. It's a bit pricey here in the Philippines. I got it on the supermarket for more than Php 100. Go give it a try when you see some.