Philippine Craft Beer of the Year 2019
**This is the first-ever Kasabesa Philippine Craft Beer of the Year as voted by you, the reader. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that the survey I set up wasn’t the best and left a lot to improve. Which is something I plan on doing for future iterations. However, that shouldn’t take away from the eventual winners as they are extremely worthy of being among the best in the country. Before we get into the list, if anyone has any feedback as always, I am incredibly receptible. Together we can make this an actual thing. Anyway, without any further ado, let’s start with the Top Five Craft Beers in the Philippines.**
### 5TH PLACE – TURNING WHEELS BACKBONE DOUBLE IPA
**In fifth place is the Backbone Double IPA from** **Turning Wheels Brewery** **in Cebu. It is known in the craft beer circles that Michael from Turning Wheels makes some fantastic beers – especially his IPA range. So, it’ll come as no surprise to anyone that the Backbone DIPA made the list in fifth place. Brewing in a modified shipping container in a side street in Cebu, Turning Wheels produces high-quality beer regularly. A second converted shipping container sits next to the brewery and hosts a bar and food joint. This makes it a must-visit place** **when in Cebu, even more so as it is rare to see Turning Wheels in Manila.**
**So, make sure if you’re in Cebu, you get down to Turning Wheels and try this Double IPA that despite sitting at 8.5% is all class. Insanely drinkable, you will want to go back for a second or third and enjoy the smooth and fruity hoppiness that each sip provides. This beer is also rated extremely high on** **Untappd, and in fact, would almost be the highest rated beer from the Philippines on there (once it hits 150 check-ins).**
### 4TH PLACE – ED & SON CRAFT BREWERY PULÈ PREMIUM
**It’s been a busy few months for our fourth place Craft Beer of the Year,** **Ed & Son Craft Brewery. They launched a massive investor driven drive to source the capital to open their very own brewery in Batangas. This sort of venture is the first of its kind in the Philippines, and the enthusiasm behind it underlines the growing popularity of craft beer here. In three short years, owner and brewer Edison Subala have gone from brewing on a 5-gallon system to** **breaking ground** **on a 1,500 square metre land.**
**That land will soon become the home of the branded Pulè Premium Craft Beer. It is this beer that comes in fourth place in the voting for the Philippine Craft Beer of the Year. Of the three beers under the Pule banner, we’ve only been able to try the Weissbier. We thoroughly enjoyed the easy to drink beer that featured sweet banana overtones. We’re excited to try the rest of the range and to visit the brewery when it opens. Congratulations to Ed & Son Brewery for their successful fundraising launch and for having the support of the community to finish fourth in the voting.**
### 3RD PLACE – THE MARC’S AND TONY BREWERY ANDROMEDA NEIPA
**When it comes to discussing the trendiest beer of the 2010s, the New England IPA** **style** **will be at the top of most lists. In the Philippines, there are only a handful of brewers that branch out into the uber juicy and tropical style. One of these brewers is none other than** **The Marc’s and Tony Brewery, who has released several different iterations of New England or Hazy IPA’s. One of the most sort after beers is the Andromeda. It is no surprise to see this on tap one day at one of several bars and sold out the next.**
**It is also of less surprise that it was voted third in the Philippine Craft Beer of Year for 2019. One of the reasons for this is the incredible amount of research and development brewer Tony Sindayen puts into each batch. Always striving to improve, every release is quite often that little bit better. Well done to The Marc’s and Tony Brewery for third place and cannot wait to have some more soon.**
### 2ND PLACE – FAT PAULY’S HAND CRAFTED ALES AND LAGERS RANGE
**As we enter the Philippine Craft Beer of the Year top two, we have used a little bit of a creative licence. The top two are very worthy winners and clearly have a very loyal bunch of supporters, which is excellent news for the local scene. With overall voting numbers being relatively small, the top spots were all filled with the beers from two breweries. I decided to combine the breweries to allow a more diverse countdown. So, with that in mind, it is time to announce that one of the very first craft breweries in the Philippines is in second place. That’s right, Iligan Cities very own** **Fat Pauly’s Hand Crafted Ales and Lagers** **has been voted in.**
**Coming up to nearly ten years of providing craft beer to the Philippines, Fat Pauly’s was one of the first in the country to do so. Providing consistent beers, great food and plenty of entertainment – it is no wonder they’re so popular. Even better, their beers have been spotted recently on tap around Manila, giving more access to them. They provide a selection of beers, but the trio that made the votes and propelled them into second were the Ilaya Pale Ale, Iligan Pale Ale and the Sultan Coffee Stout. Make sure you do yourself a favour if you’re down in Iligan City and visit this forefather of the local craft beer scene.**
### 1ST PLACE – PALAWEÑO BREWERY’S RANGE
**If any brewer can lay claim to some of the loyalist fans in the Philippines, it is the team that finished in first. In fact, they’re so loyal I had to combine all the votes cast for the various beers so that some of the other local breweries could get a look in. The brewery in question has already made a** **lot of firsts. Which include the first brewer on the island of Palawan, the first all-female operated brewery and the first brewery to expand operations overseas. They can now add being the first brewery to top the Kasabesa Philippine Craft Beer of the Year. Congratulations to Palaweño Brewery.**
**The brewery has a decent selection on offer, and most of their core range got a look in during the voting process. However, for those of you playing at home, the top three beers to come out of Palaweño Brewery were:**
***Ayahay IPA – A very easy drinking IPA, a very smooth IPA with a slight citrusy sweetness.***
***Palawan Wit – A perfect style for a holiday place such as Puerto Princesa, this clean and spicy beer has the perfect amount of banana overtones.***
***Ambog Ale – This lightly hopped malty ale is a fan favourite and another beer that is extremely easy to put down.***
***It is of no surprise that coming from the tourist area of Puerto Princesa and providing high quality, consistent and very drinkable beers, that Palaweño Brewery topped the tally.***
**There you have the list for the Philippine Craft Beer of the Year. Thanks to all those that voted and congratulations to all those that finished top 5 and more. It’s a positive sign to have seen so many different beers voted for in the process. Next years edition will be bigger and better.**
**Until next time.**
#### [https://kasabesa.com/philippine-craft-beer-of-the-year-2019/](https://kasabesa.com/philippine-craft-beer-of-the-year-2019/)