Being Beer (2 of 3)

Corona Extra

This bestseller beer is brewed by the largest beermaker in Mexico, Grupo Modelo. It is one of the top imports in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Corona's success is largely due to its strong brand image. In the 1980s, it was positioned as the ideal beer for the yuppies. Later in the 1990s, it was advertised as the "fun Mexican beer", a buddy to be enjoyed on the beach, at parties, or while engaging in recreational sports.

In terms of taste, though, Corona doesn't seem to have earned great reviews.

I love this beer's beautiful pale yellow color. It's very drinkable (with an alcohol content of just 4.6 percent pv) and can well be one to have with your food (I'd combine it with spicy tacos). Don't forget THE ritual. Push a wedge of lime right through its long neck and enjoy. Only a Corona can deliver that kind of citrus fizz.
 

Trappistes Rochefort 10

Je voudrais une biere,  s'il vous plaît - oui, une Rochefort. Spoken in true higher-octane beer snobbery.

This tops my list so far, hands down. It's a trappist beer, brewed by the Trappist monks in Brasserie de Rochefort, inside the Abbey of Notre Dame of Saint Remy, in Belgium. (There are only 171 Trappist monasteries in the world, and 7 of these produce beer - 6 in Belgium and 1 in the Netherlands. Know more about Trappist beers here). In operation since 1595, this brewery sells its beers to the public for the sole purpose of maintaining the monastery and some outside charitable works.

Rochefort 10 is a Belgian dark strong ale (or "quadrupel" ale) with an alcohol content of 11.3 percent pv. It has a rich dark reddish color and a unique taste that combines warmth and sweetness. Very much like french table wine, except for the carbonation. It does have a strong smell of alcohol but it gets me in a smooth, medium manner. Having it with an uncomplicated steak or other roasted meats would be da bes.

Being Beer (1 of 3)

You can also call it liquid gold. Suds. Gusto. Or if you prefer, Britney.

Aahhh.. BEER. I met this devil much the same way most of you did: through peer pressure. At first taste, it was to me extremely bitter and skunky I almost puked. I wanted to break my bottle in people's faces and threaten them until they chewed glass.

But the story is different now. I fit snugly into the pinoy beer culture of nurturing friendships, celebrating good times and sitting through emo moments with SMB buckets and peanuts. I readily raise my bottle and stick my head out for a group shot. Yey, iba ang pinagsamahan!

Recently, I've been slowly including foreign beer brands to my drinking choice list, thanks to a beer connoiseur friend. "Just think of it as tastier than water, more exciting than your usual beer and cheaper than (some) wine," he kids me. So far, it's been an intruiging tasting journey. So far, so very good.

Stella Artois

Stella Artois is a Belgian lager originally created in Leuven. The brewery was built in 1336, but the beer itself was born in the 1700s and took its name after then head brewmaster Sebastien Artois. First promoted in the 1920s as a seasonal drink for the holidays, its tremendous popularity made it a year-round favorite. To this day, more than 10 million gallons are produced annually.

Stella Artois has the color of straw, or light gold. It's easy to drink - crisp, clean and very refreshing. Though it tastes light, it's higher in alcohol content

(5.5 percent pv) than the beers I'm used to. One doesn't get a full-stomach feeling after a few bottles, only a faint bitter aftertaste and a dry finish. 

I don't find anything extraordinary in this beer. It's very close to SMB Light in taste, but more subdued. It can easily be a ladies' favorite. I sense that with its sophisticated green bottle and no less than Adrien Brody crooning over it in that Superbowl tv ad, anyone holding up a Stella would do so with a big A (for attitude).

Royal Dutch Post Horn

This beer is brewed in the Dutch city of Breda, Holland, and is exported by UDB Netherlands. The brewery, De Posthoorn, was founded in 1806 in Tilburg, a place once ruled by the famouse "beer duke" John I. Positioned as an affordable but tasty imported lager, it has quite a following from the younger consumers.

I find Royal Dutch unexciting. It pours a watery amber consistency and leaves a sour aftertaste that lingers. With an alcohol content of 4.7 percent pv, it might be a good beer to drink on hotter afternoons, as long as it's served very cold.

Valentine's Day

Here's something I wrote eons ago from an old blog. Mawkish stuff if you ask me now, really. But worth sharing in this month of Cupid.


***

“The universe unfolds as it should.”

Dearest,

One thing I love about you is that buoyant, positive energy you have about the future and about life. You were never much of a worrier … and I hope you keep that quality. You are a lighthearted, giving presence. And I think that's what draws people to you.

I hope you don't let anyone or anything suck that out.

You know what is said in theism: that certain people come at certain times in our lives to teach us lessons we need to learn at that point. Some stay, many go, but it's never a waste. Useless drivel at this point. But soon we’ll realize it to be true, when we finally know that it’s time to move on. Then we’ll be able to summon gratefulness for the gift of people who touched our lives.

Teach me to love without possessing.
Make me see the moment for what it is.
Let me touch you and not want for more.
Give me that which
can make me see you walk away
and still feel you beside me.

Show me faith in forever.

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