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Casa Marcos and Baguio Craft Brewery bring cervezeria experience to QC
It was only a sip, it was only a sip. That's all it took for this writer to loosen her grip around her bottle of Pale Pilsen and give craft beers — especially local craft beers — a chance. But it’s not always that easy.
To get people to try craft beers is a tough hurdle to overcome for brewers. The market is young and still developing a taste for the product. The folks behind Baguio Craft Brewery know this well enough so they’ve put the work in to slowly and steadily build an audience for their beers.
Since opening the doors of their brewpub in 2014, Baguio Craft has become a destination for tourists making the trek up north.
Three years later, it's the brewers who are now hopping down to branch out in Quezon City, making trying craft beers (on tap!) a whole lot easier.
Baguio Craft Brewery found a fan in Casa Marcos partner Kevin Khoe and, with the help of common friend Chef Jonas Ng, the two establishments have paired up to bring a unique cervezeria experience to the public.
Christopher Ordas of Baguio Craft Brewery told GMA News Online that they decided to try pairing the cans of beers he gave Khoe with the food at Casa Marcos.
Khoe's favorite brew, Englishman in New York (an American Pale Ale), effortlessly complemented Ordas' favorite, Callos. The beer offers a sweet overture of caramel to the tomato stew, which immediately erases the stereotype that beer and salty, greasy bar chow are inseparable.
Casa Marcos launched a tapas menu to further explore versatility of craft beers.
There are beer pairing suggestions on the menu to help you navigate, but feel free to mix and match on your own. For example, the recommendation is to have Lengua Salpicao (P350) with the citrusy Pugaw (an English IPA) (P240), but the malty sweetness of Hop Attack (P250) also brings out the umami in the dish.
Another convincing argument for exploring is made by the Gambas (P320) and Kabunyan (a wheat beer) (P230) pairing. The spiciness of the gambas is tempered by the strong honey flavor in Kabunyan, giving you confidence to bite into another plump, garlicky shrimp without worrying about the heat killing the taste.
Casa Marcos has expanded the Gambas selection to showcase the wheat beer, adding Chorizo (P350), Chris Angels (P350), and Aligue (P375) to the menu.
Yes, "Gambas Aligue" is prawns dripping with crab fat. It gives “heavenly” a new definition, Chef Ng told GMA News Online, as the combination might lead to an early meeting with your maker.
Inserting a bit of his personal philosophy into the conversation, Chef Ng declared that if you're going to make your body — specifically your liver — suffer, you might as well do it deliciously.
"Instead of getting buzzed with a bucket of mediocre light beers, why not just drink two craft beers and reward yourself with good flavors?" he quipped.
This is where Khoe, Ordas, and Ng all agree. It's all about quality for the trio and they're all committed to serving something that they love. The experience of drinking with a great view in Baguio attracts tourists, but the focus in this new venture will be on the brews.
"The products come first and then service. I think the experience of the destination comes last...kasi kahit sa kuweba ka uminom ng beer, basta masarap, okay pa rin," Ordas said.
Ordas acknowledges that penetrating the market in Quezon City, where craft beer is relatively new, will be a challenge for Baguio Craft Brewery. But he has faith.
"If you build a good product, kahit nasaan ka, pupuntahan ka naman ng tao and we're hoping to do that here. We believe in our product," he explained.
If all goes well, Baguio Craft Brewery and Casa Marcos will take another leap. Pasig, these two have their eyes on you. — LA, GMA News
