Whenever I travel abroad, I always make it a point to try the most popular beer from other countries. I’ve been documenting the growth of the craft beer in the Philippines, but I’ve never written about the country’s mainstream or commercial beer brands. Mainly, it’s because I feel like all Pinoys know these beers already. I mean, beer drinking is considered a national pastime! But I realize that foreign backpackers and first-time visitors to the country may not be familiar with these beers yet, so I’m listing them down for reference.
The most popular beer brands in the Philippines are produced by two large breweries: San Miguel Corporation and Asia Brewery. Between the two, the beer scene is really dominated by San Miguel which was established in 1890 by the original San Miguel Brewery (renamed San Miguel Corporation in 1964).
Mainstream or commercial beers don’t taste as good as craft
Table of Contents
San Miguel Pale Pilsen
San Miguel Pale Pilsen (5% ABV) is the oldest, most popular and most widely available beer in the country, commonly ordered in buckets in restaurants and bars. this is the largest selling beer in the Philipines which you can find almost anywhere. It’s your average, easy to drink
For first-timers to the Philippines looking for the most famous and number one selling beer here, this is the most iconic beer you can get. Try to get it
Red Horse Beer
Another popular choice for those who want something stronger is Red Horse (6.9% ABV), the high-alcohol beer brand of San Miguel Brewery. Red Horse has a distinctive sweetish taste balanced by a smooth bitterness and a strong alcohol kick.
Red Horse Beer is widely available everywhere in Metro Manila bars and restaurants and is popular in the provinces. It comes in a regular 500ml size, the smaller Stallion (330ml), Litro (1000ml) and in cans (330ml). Be warned, drinking too much of this can lead to really nasty hangovers.
Gold Eagle Beer
Gold Eagle Beer (4.55%) is one of the harder-to-find mainstream beers in the country. I have not seen it being sold in Metro Manila, but I’ve come across it in some provinces in the Visayas region (Guimaras, Capiz, Antique and Iloilo) and in Mindanao (Sarangani, General Santos City). Gold Eagle Beer is moderately light bodied and generally easy to drink.
It actually tastes just like Pale Pilsen but with the very nostalgic branding associated with the 1990s when the beer was popular. Locals refer to this as “
Beer Na Beer Pale Pilsen
Beer
It’s kind of tasteless and there’s too much carbonation. It’s one of the cheapest beers around but usually isn’t served in restaurants. I’ve only come across this in a few grocery stores, sari-sari stores
San Mig Light
San Mig Light or SML is the country’s leading
You don’t get that bloated feeling so much drinking this as the other beers. It’s good enough for afternoon drinking sessions when you have no other choice. Tastes much better
San Miguel Premium All-Malt Beer
A better option to Pale Pilsen is San Miguel Premium All-Malt Beer (5% ABV), a smooth, full-flavored, slightly sweetish, golden, premium lager with balanced bitterness. It’s not as widely sold as the other San Miguel Beer variants and comes in green bottles and cans. I think it’s one of the
Cerveza Negra
Cerveza Negra is San Miguel’s Dark Beer, a full-bodied dark lager with rich caramel tones made from roasted
Brew Kettle
Brew Kettle (5.3% ABV) is a locally brewed Belgian witbier-style drink suited for the Philippine climate brewed by Asia Brewery. Take note, that’s “witbier-style” and not
But Brew Kettle is easy enough to drink and cheaper compared to the real good witbier. Brew Kettle is becoming more widely available in food parks and restaurants around the metro catering to younger drinkers. You can also buy this in grocery stores and select convenience stores. It comes in bottles and cans.
Manila Beer & Manila Light
Manila Beer Strong (7%) and Manila Light (5%) are said to be brewed using 100% malt and is said to use only premium malt, noble hops
San Miguel Super Dry
San Miguel Super Dry (5% ABC) is a light amber lager with strong, aromatic hop notes and flavors that give off an overall dry taste and an elegant quick finish. This isn’t as commonly sold in restaurants, though it’s available in select grocery stores. It’s not as popular as San Miguel Pale or Light though. No one really goes out of their way to order this.
San Miguel Brewery also produces San Mig Zero (2.6% ABV), a beer with only 60 calories designed for health and calorie conscious individuals who want to enjoy their beer guilt-free and San Miguel Flavored Beer (3% ABV), which comes in sweet fruity flavors (Apple and Lemon flavors & now Lychee). This kind of tastes more like soft-drinks than beer. They’re good enough for pairing with a meal in the afternoons.
Discontinued Beers
- San Miguel Strong Ice
- Halili Beer
- Beer Hausen Pale Pilsen
- Max Premium Beer
- Stag Pale Pilsen
- Lagerlite
- Admiral Beer
If anyone has any news about whether these beers are still available somewhere, please let me know in the comments section.
Now that you’ve tried the mainstream commercial beers, I highly recommend you try some of the country’s local craft beer, which tastes much better and has really interesting branding and labels that show different aspects of Philippine history, culture and destinations.
For a full guide and where to get local craft beer, be sure to check out my separate post: Craft Beers in the Philippines.
They look very refreshing, especially when they’re ice cold. Unfortunately, Sheila and I can never enjoy these because we are alcohol-intolerant.
That’s my worst fear. Haha. That and being allergic to seafood.
Worst beer in the world
I wouldn’t say the worst. Have you tasted all the beers in the world? If yes, good for you. I do hope you get a chance to try out some of our local craft beers though.
I had Manila beer light in Naga from a beer and liquor store on Magsaysay so I think it’s still being produced. That’s the only time I’ve seen that one though….
Recently? Haven’t seen Manila Light anywhere lately. Thanks for the tip though 🙂
Last year about August or so. Not really a beer worth going out of your way to find though…
Hi Kara,
Are you still in Subic ? I’ve just taken a photo of Manila ‘Green’ at Johan’s Bar on Baloy Beach.It’s in date until August ‘18.They also have most of the others you’ve listed.Better than that however…..even though the best before date is July ‘17 are the two Crazy Carabao beers…..’Tuff Tuko’ and ‘Exit Wounds’.They have a lot if Belgian bottles too but the first one I had was also best before July ‘17.Not sure if I’m going to risk another one ! Harley’s Bar opposite Wild Orchid Resort has beer from G-Point in Ermita on tap….which is cheap and has always tasted good.If you can meet up I’ll give you two very nice beers I have from Thailand.
Hello Mark. Thanks for the offer but saw your comment late and was only in Subic for one night. 🙂 Have been on and off the road the past week.
True :p
Yes,I saw the Facebook post about Palawan just after I made my comment.Hope you made it to the Palaweno again….with their new outdoor bar.Sadly I couldn’t fit in a visit this year.I went to Cebu but Turning Wheels And Cebruery were both closed while they moved to new locations.Great timing ! Still found a couple of good places that had some of their beers though.Always next year…..hopefully.Happy travels.
Yes, made it to Palaweno Brewery again. They serve bar chow now. Am actually interested in returning to Cebu just for those 2 new breweries as well! 🙂 Turning Wheels new container van taproom looks cool. Cheers!
I’ve found the Manila beer randomly at the 99 cents store in Los Banos, California.
Just recently found Manila beer here too in Subic! I really thought it was discontinued. Will update this post.
I agree with the rankings except the negra number 1 position. It’s just lite with colour added and tastes plain weird to me. All these mainstream beers taste better well chilled so you don’t have to taste the flavour.
Whenever Brew Kettle is available, that’s my choice of number 1 mainstream beer.
I have visited Palaweño brewery since I live in Palawan. There’s usually one good tasting one and one very bad one. They are very expensive, locals cannot afford to drink these beers, that’s for sure. Yes it’s a surprise that Palawan has a brewery but it could be much better.
Hello Ian. Like I said, I ranked these beers based on my personal preference and how widely available they are in the country. I actually used to like Brew Kettle a lot more before I got to try all the different craft beers, now it just tastes so artificial!
I agree with you about the price but I understand their dilemma because it’s really hard for craft brewers, especially those based on the islands, who have to import their raw ingredients from Manila or abroad to keep their costs low. I’ve gotten a bad batch too (bought in Manila) because sometimes the bottles aren’t stored properly or go stale during transit. Either way, I think it’s a refreshingly different take and I am glad that there are more options available for beer lovers. And for budget travelers who don’t want to spend too much, there’s always mainstream beer. Cheers.
What about San Mig Apple or San Mig Lemon? I found the Lemon was harder to find, but I preferred that. The Apple was carried in a lot of places in Puerto Galera and in Manila.
I purposely didn’t include the flavored beers and San Mig Zero, though I guess I could update this post just to include them. I find the Lemon and Apple taste more like juice or softdrinks than actual beer. They have a new Lychee flavor now too. 🙂
Am also fond of beers & collects whenever we travel. Found San Miguel pale Pilsen in Barcelona.
Where can I find the other Ph beers in bars or resto that were discontinued producing like Beer na beer, Beer hausen ?
Hi Raul. Beer na Beer can still be found in select grocery stores and I’ve come across it in some restaurants in provincial areas in Visayas and Mindanano. I haven’t come across Beer Hausen in modern times though.