Style: Strong lager
Brewery: San Miguel Philippines
Origin: Philippines
Size: 33cl
Alcohol: 8%
Price: 45kr
Systembolaget: 89791
First brewed in 1982, this beer was first created in the Philippines. It claims to be the number 1 selling strong beer in the world, available in over 70 countries. Older labels used to show a laughing horse on the front, and due to recycling, some of these bottles still exist in circulation. When I was looking for beers from many different countries for this tasting, I had a hard job finding beers that weren’t standard lagers. I knew I didn’t just want a tasting with 8 standard lagers, as that would have been very boring! When I found this though, I thought it might be able to stand out as it’s a lot stronger than its competitors.
This had a dark straw colour and thin white head that dissipated quickly. The carbonation appeared to be extremely low, which is unexpected. The aroma was a mix of honey, digestive, metal and a heavy dose of alcohol. When combined, they produced a slightly strange smell that made me feel a bit hesitant of the quality! When tasted, the beer seemed to be a bit all over the place. The sweet malts came through in the taste first, but these are quickly replaced by an ethanol type alcoholic hit that lasted long into the aftertaste. The taste was short and didn’t really give a lot in terms of flavour. It warmed the chest after swallowing, which was a bit surprising as it’s just 8%.
This was not the best beer I’ve ever had, it must be said. The alcohol is way too strong to be supported by the aroma and taste profile of this beer. I can only think that people would drink something like this in order to get drunk fast because the taste is nothing to be excited about. I would avoid this unless there’s no other option!