Do you know what they say about beers brewed in Bacolod? They taste better than those brewed somewhere else in the country. Most associate this with our water since we source from springs and not from deep wells.
Another theory is that Negrenses are known to be beer drinkers thus the beers are consumed not long after they leave the brewing plant. Unlike wine, beers are best drunk fresh. Besides, the beers do not stay long enough in the warehouses for its caps to develop rusts so you drink beer sans the off-flavor. It’s no wonder then that Bogs Brew, one of the pioneers in Philippine craft beers, evolved from Bacolod City.
It Started with a Dream
A product of a college dream of Architect Felix Emilio “Bugoy” Hagad, Bogs Brew became available to the market in 2007.
“Negros is a sugar-producing island and one of the ingredients in beer is sugar. We have lots of sugar, why not try it in beer?” says Bugoy and he was right.
He recalled that his wife, Cathy Sicangco-Hagad, who was then his girlfriend in college, was acquainted with a brewer in the States who helped him get started. After several trial and errors he finally got good reviews from beer drinkers and he now makes two beer variants which he can proudly claim as original Negrense naturally-brewed beer. He uses the local muscovado, organic rice, corn, wild bee honey and of course, natural spring water.
Bugoy brought Team Tikim to his brewery located beside their Art Energy Factory inside a 10-hectare family-owned compound at Fortune Towne. He showed us inside the brewery and explained the process of beer making. The brewing process takes 8 hours but the whole process including aging takes 12 days.
Barley, the main ingredient of beer is malted by soaking in water until it germinates and releases enzymes which in turn aid in the fermentation process. Don’t worry if you see some sediments in every bottle of Bogsbrew. Those are actually spent brewer’s yeast which are rich in Vitamin B complex.
Bogsbrew is starting to gain attention from beer drinkers and Philippine craft beer enthusiasts. It is currently available at Cafe Bob’s Deli, Korean Grill and Bar, Cafe Uma, Bob’s resto in Paseo de Magallanes, CaB Gelato in Kapitolyo-Pasig.
Beer Pairing at Bob’s
It wouldn’t be complete without Team Tikim trying out Bogsbrew. My partners in crime Betsy Gazo, Bambi Borromeo, and Raymond Bayot enlisted the expertise of beer-drinking couple Raymund and Yves Javellana of The Ruins Talisay.
It was a Friday when Bugoy and Cathy treated us on a beer pairing at Bob’s Jr. which is owned by Cathy’s family. During Fridays and Saturdays Bob’s Jr. at the University Courtyard sells beer, no other beer but Bogsbrew. What’s good with Bob’s Jr. is since it’s catering to the student market, the prices of the food are really budget-friendly. Students and yuppies frequent this joint to enjoy good food and Bogsbrew.
We dined al fresco, with the aroma of roasting meat floats in the air like an appetizer. We let brewmaster Bugoy choose the right pulutan for our beer.
First off, we had barbecued chicken wings (P38 for 3), liog (P18 for 3), fried isol (P55/bowl), and tokwa’t baboy (P45/bowl). This we enjoyed with Primo All-Grain Beer which has a light taste and balanced sweetness and bitterness.
Our next bottle was Bogsbrew which came with house specialty Bob’s Flame-Broiled Flat Iron Steak. The steak was served with vegetables and baked potato and costs only P280! Bogsbrew’s strong and rich taste with toffee and caramel flavors due to muscovado sugar blended well with the tender and delicious Flame-Broiled Flat Iron Steak.
Why flat iron? Was it cooked using a flat iron? It took Cathy’s sister to shed light on us. The cut of the Angus steak looks like a flat iron thus the name. Blame Bogsbrew for our crazy jokes.
Raymund Javellana sure knows how to crack jokes and he provided the evening’s funniest punchlines. However, it was not a joke that before the evening ended, a business deal was sealed. Bogsbrew will now be available at The Ruins Talisay for visitors to enjoy.
If there’s one drink that captures the flavors of Negros, that’s Bogsbrew. Betsy reminded me to drink Bogsbrew bottoms up in order to get the brewer’s yeast. I did so with gusto.
If you’ve been to Bob’s Jr., please share with us your experience at the comments section. Please help guide our visitors by giving your ratings with 5 stars as the highest.