Fat Pauly’s Hand-crafted Ales & Lagers is one of the first craft breweries in the Philippines and currently the only brewery based on the large island of Mindanao in Southern Philippines. This proud local brand established in 2010 makes fresh home-brewed beers using the finest imported brew grade malt and local indigenous ingredients like Timoga Spring waters and wild Putyukan Honey.

I remember how excited I was to come across their wide variety of beers being sold in Barley Gastropub in Quezon City back in 2013 and meeting Paul del Rosario, one of the pioneers in the craft beer scene in the country. I was amazed to find uniquely Filipino-made beers infused with locally grown crops and fruits, and ended up writing about it for Yahoo News. I think this was one of the brands that really kickstarted my love for craft beer and the obsessive need to hunt and try all the locally-made ones.

The brewery finally opened a taproom and pub in their hometown of Iligan City last February 2017, serving a range of their craft beers on tap and interesting appetizers with local flavors. I’ve been wanting to visit this taproom ever since it opened, and grabbed the opportunity to come a day early before an official media trip with the #ForMindanao team to document stories in Marawi.

Location

Fat Pauly’s Taproom and Pub is located along Quezon Avenue extension, a strip with lots of modern restaurants in Iligan City. The pub was just walking distance from Fortune Suite, a newly opened hotel where our group was booked. The pub is easily accessible by public transportation and has a wide parking area for those with cars.

Iligan City is located in Lanao del Norte, about an hour’s direct bus ride from the Laguindingan Airport which also serves Cagayan de Oro. I flew here via Cebu Pacific Air, which offers multiple flights from Manila to Cagayan de Oro daily.

Ambiance

The taproom and pub is a cozy, laid back place with several tables inside, and an outdoor area next to a grassy garden where a vintage car artwork process of delivering beer propped up against one wall. The bar has lots of cool beer memorabilia, nice mural artwork, and board games you can borrow. They also have beer shirts for sale.

Travel blogger and fellow craft beer enthusiast Marky of Nomadic Experiences and I passed by on a Monday, and got to sit down with Pauly, take clean shots of the place and chat about the evolving craft beer industry and challenges of brewing in the region.

The tables were full to bursting when I returned the next night with documentary & editorial photographer Martin and Nanardz of My Mindanao to try our luck at the Pub Quiz held every Tuesday. We were late by one round and couldn’t catch up on points, but had a really fun time answering questions on general knowledge and trivia. The very competitive team next to our table was awarded with a 1-Liter tower of beer for winning.

Beer Notes

Fat Pauly’s Taproom + Pub serves their most popular regulars on tap, a non-alcoholic craft soda and a couple of specials / experimental brews. I love how the beers are infused with local ingredients grown in Mindanao like wild pukyutan honey, mangrove barks, wild tuba yeast strains, biasong or Philippine lime, kulikot chillies, and other locally grown crops and fruits.

• Sultan Coffee Stout (ABV: 7.8%): infused with ground arabica from coffee farms in Bukidnon and Cotabato and homemade dark coconut syrup, this robust black beer has a creamy head with hints of chocolates and tart. Good dessert beer.
• Iligan Single Hop Origin Pale Ale (ABV: 5.5%): a classical pale ale style using a single hop variety and blended with some local ingredients that can be found in Iligan to make it more distinct.
• Ilaya Intensely Hopped Pale Ale (ABV: 6.5%): close to a session IPA style, this beer gives out hints of citrus and floral notes mixed with malty sweetness and a bitter finish. This is one of my favorites.
• Lumad Steam Lager (ABV: 5.5%): a hybrid lager fermented in a relatively warmer temperature to help bring out some fruitier esters that blends well with the crisp malty flavors of the beer. Very drinkable.

• Diwata White Wheat Ale with Lime & Peppercorns (ABV: 5.0%): Infused with the rind and zest of local lime or biasong and freshly cracked black peppercorns, this is their take on the Belgian witbier that leans towards spicy and savory flavors instead of the sweet. I liked the refreshing and distinctive taste of this one. Would pair well with ceviche.
• Kundiman Kolsh Style Session Lager (ABV: 4.0%): for those who are just new to craft beers, this light and satisfying beer is a good place to start. I heard this is one of their bestsellers since it’s very sessionable.
• Filemon Craft Calamansi Soda: a non-alcoholic beverage made from fresh hand-squeezed calamansi and natural sweeteners. Good for non-beer drinkers, or if you just want to take a break between beers.
• Radler: a lightly alcoholic, very refreshing beverage made with a combination of Filemon and Kundiman. This is very easy to drink with just a hint of buzz at 2.2%. Good for afternoon drinking.

Specials during the time of our visit were Mercury Bohemian Pilsner (ABV: 5.6%) and a Gose (ABV: 4.5%). During a quick brewery tour before visiting the taproom, we also saw bottles of Malagos Porter, a special handcrafted beer with chocolate notes that Fat Pauly’s made for the famous Malagos Chocolates of Davao City. These gorgeous bottles would make a great pasalubong item for balikbayans!

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Food

Fal Pauly’s Taproom + Pub serves a variety of appetizers you can pair with beers including staple bar chow like hot and spicy nuts, bucket of fries, spam fries, chicken nuggets, and nachos. A crowd favorite is the Chicharones, deep-fried salted pork rind served with local favorite Sukang Pinakurat (one of Iligan City’s top pasalubong items and another business venture of their family.)

They also serve Cream Cheese Palapa Rolls here! Palapa is a spicy local condiment made with local shallots, ginger and chillies, which is traditionally eaten with pater, budget-friendly rice meals wrapped in banana leaves. The pub combines the homemade palapa with cream cheese wrapped in lumpia wrapper, so it’s kind of like dinamita. This is a must-try.

The family behind the brewery also makes their own deli meat products, courtesy of their local Charcuterie, Delisario. Pauly let us try the Fatter Platter special and a few other dishes.

Their homemade artisanal sausages (P150/order) include Blanca White Sausage (fresh pork), Cabanossi Beer Sausage (smoked pork ) and Na’a Chorizo (mildly spiced wild boar sausage), served with kosher dill, sauerkraut, and mustard, while the Thick-Cut Bacon (P200) is served with habanero infused pickles.

The Fat Platter (P500) is a combination of sausages, cured cucumbers, sharp cheddar cheese slices, dill, sauerkraut and mustard, while the Fatter Platter (P750) is a combination of the Fat Platter + Crispy Fried Bacon + Beef Pastrami and spicy nuts. I loved everything on the board, particularly the sausages and the Guava Jelly and crackers, which had a very nice nostalgic taste.

They’re currently developing sausages for pizzas to be served exclusively for the pub, which will have grain-infused dough, and Delisario craft meats like Italian garlic sausage, pancetta and more. Exciting stuff 🙂

Price range

Being used to the price of craft beer in bars in Manila, I find the price range for beers in provinces really more affordable. A full pint here will only set you back P150, while a half pint costs P100. The Beer flight of four costs just P150! Except for the platters (which are good for sharing), the individual appetizers range from P150 – P200. They also hold Happy Hour everyday from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm where you can enjoy drinking beer all you can for just P500.

Side note

I think most people based in Manila or those who haven’t been to Mindanao have this negative mental picture of the entire Mindanao and particularly of Iligan City because of its proximity to Marawi City in Lanao del Sur, which is just a 45 minute-drive away. Iligan City is the common entry point and base of operations for various visitors on official business heading to Marawi.

While Mindanao is still currently under a state of Martial Law, there’s a vibrant night life here and in the boulevard area, which we also visited. As of July 2018, curfew hours in Iligan City run from 12:00 midnight to 4:00 am and eating out and drinking in Iligan City feels very safe and normal.

Aside from being a popular hangout for locals, Pauly told us that the pub has become a watering hole for visiting journalists, photographers, international NGOs, humanitarian workers and soldiers on their way to and from Marawi. If you’re traveling to Iligan City and you like good beer and unique food, this is the best place for you to visit.

Address & contact info

Fat Pauly’s is located in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, Philippines. Business hours are from 4:00 pm to 11:00 pm, with last call at 10:30 pm.  Pub Quiz every Tuesday is held at 6:30 pm.

• Facebook: Fat Pauly’s Taproom + Pub. 
• Contact number: 0917-7050300