Category: Beer

Crazy Carabao Brewing Company

Crazy Carabao Brewing Co. (CCB) is one of the newer microbreweries in the Philippines. Launched in late 2015, this Laguna-based brewery aims to deliver the freshest and finest locally made boutique beers to quality establishments throughout Metro Manila and beyond.

crazy carabao brewing company laguna philippines beer

I first got to taste their beers last October 2015 during Brewfest PH in Circuit Makati and absolutely loved everything about it. Last week, I ordered cases for a party at home, so I got a chance to take better photos of the different beers and savor it. Aside from the amazing taste, the design and packaging of the beers are distinctly Filipino, which I like.

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JAPAN: Beer & Food Trip Diary

Some people collect ref magnets or mugs when they travel. I collect beer. Or at least I try to drink as many variants of unique beer as possible when I travel to a different country. Though Japan is really known more for sake (rice wine), I was glad to be able to add a few new ones to my beer collection during our trip around Nagoya, Takayama, Gamagori and Gujo Hachiman with Cebu Pacific.

japan nagoya travelup akamiso beer

There are 4 major beer producers in Japan: Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo and Suntory, who produce mostly easy to drink pale-colored light lagers with an alcohol strength of around 5.0%. While some of these beers are widely available internationally including here in the Philippines, it’s always nice to pair a great Japanese meal with the local brew. Here’s a look at of some of the beers we tried and the delicious meals we consumed them with. Continue reading “JAPAN: Beer & Food Trip Diary”

JAPAN: Savoring the Flavors of Takayama

The streets were buzzing with the chatter of locals and tourists alike admiring the ceremonial yatai – ornate wooden structures that display traditional Japanese craftsmanship. It was hard not to get overwhelmed as we walked along the streets of Takayama, a city in the mountainous Hida region, roughly two hours away from Nagoya, Japan. Our visit coincided with the Takayama Autumn Festival, so the streets were extra lively.
takayama autumn festival japan yatai floats people

The crisp morning air, the aroma of fresh meat and seafood sizzling on hibachi grills and the naturally beautiful backdrop of the old town’s streets put everyone in a festive mood. Continue reading “JAPAN: Savoring the Flavors of Takayama”

Cebu’s First Craft Beer at Irie Gastropubliko

Irie Gastropubliko is a bar and restaurant in Cebu City that’s been around for a couple of years. Located on the Ground Floor of Skyrise 4 Building in the business district of Cebu I.T. Park, it caters mostly to those living and working in the area. They also get a lot of expats and craft beer enthusiasts from all over, who really seek out the place since it’s apparently the only place that you can try beers on tap from Turning Wheels Craft Brewery, Cebu’s first craft beer.

irie gastropubliko cebu city turning wheels craft brewery

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The Tasting Room at Baguio Craft Brewery

What’s that? Beer brewed in Baguio City inspired by the five realms of Ifugao Mythology? Shut up and take my money!

Xavierbier, which launched their flagship line in 2014, is one of the newest microbreweries to hit the craft beer scene. Their line of Mythic beers represent five realms: Pugaw (Earthworld), an India Pale Ale; Kabunyan (Skyworld), a Wheat Beer; Dalom (Underworld), a Brown Ale; Lagud (Easternworld), a strawberry beer; and Daya (Westernworld), a German Lager.

baguio craft brewery xavierbier the tasting room (2)

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Khmer Booze: Must-Try Beers in Cambodia

Aside from temple-hopping by bike and sampling crispy bugs and spiders, we ended up trying a lot of different local beers in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh during our week-long trip to Cambodia earlier this year.

cambodia beer travelup

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Cambodia: The Yellow Sub Beatles Bar

While having dinner and drinks on Pub Street in Siem Reap during our recent trip to Cambodia, we noticed 3 couples carrying backpacks with camera crews in tow. They all headed in a hurry to a small side street. They looked like the cast of some reality TV show, so of course, we followed them. We didn’t catch them, but we spotted a red and yellow route marker flag by a yellow building with street signs of Penny Lane and Abbey Road on one corner. Amazing, right?

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Books Bites & Brews Craft Beer and Food Pairing

Lately, beer has become sort of an obsession of mine. In particular, I’ve been very interested to sample all the variants of craft beer made in the Philippines. I was browsing through Facebook when I came across an announcement for a Craft Beer and Food Pairing Dinner organized by Books, Bites & Brews to be held on February 1, 2014.

books bites and brews craft beer pairing craftpoint katipunan craft

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A Taste of Germany: Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant

Here’s a cool restaurant for those looking for a different place to get inebriated. Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant in Shangri-La offers authentic Bavarian cuisine and excellent German beers on tap.

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Collectible Items IRL (In Real Life) Travel

Updated February 2016

In the latest edition of video game Tomb Raider, Lara Croft can choose to deviate from the main quest and search for relics and GPS caches hidden off the beaten path. In Arkham Asylum, Batman can opt to track down the Riddler’s trophies while trying to foil the Joker’s plot.

Many video games, especially the role-playing/adventure types, usually have sidequests where the goal is to collect certain items. Usually these items are not really essential to finishing the overall game. Most of the time it’s just for bragging rights. Among the memorable collectible items in games I have played are those rare cards from the Triple Triad card mini-game in Final Fantasy VIII, the insanely hard to complete 100 stray beads from the game Okami, and memories and bottles in Alice: The Madness Returns.

Credit: The Last of Us meme

The latest game I played, The Last of Us, had me searching for Firefly pendants, training manuals and comic books while trying to fight off the infected and survive in a brutal post-apocalyptic world. Continue reading “Collectible Items IRL (In Real Life) Travel”