MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Beer can and should be appreciated just like wine; you can, for instance, examine its bouquet, clarity, flavor, mouthfeel, and finish in the exact same way you might a good vintage. In the same vein, every brew can also be paired with a dish that elevates it and vice versa. That’s exactly what Elias Wicked Ales & Spirits set out to prove last July 19 at the newly-opened Elias Taproom Alabang in Madison Galeries, Muntinlupa City.
Elias Co-founder and Master Brewer Raoul Masangcay just so happens to also be the Philippines’ only certified cicerone, the equivalent of a sommelier for beer. Together with Chef Nikki Macaraig, Raoul put together a menu that aimed to create a curated-yet-casual gustatory experience with five of their signature beers.
“We’re very used to wine and food pairings[…], but we’ll give you an exciting experience today with the beer, because beer has so many flavors,” Raoul said at the top of the program.
“In the wine world, the terroir makes the product, the wine. It’s the soil, the sun, the mountain ranges, right? But in beer, it’s the brewer that makes the product. We have control of the ingredients. We can add spices, we can add fruits, we can add salts, and because of these flavors, we can capture a lot of the complexities of flavors for the food naman,” he explained, before kicking off the tasting.
Opening the meal was a Tuna Killa-win — a zesty Pinoy ceviche served with deep-fried crisps — paired with their Astig Mango Cider, a refreshing, tangy beverage with a delightfully juicy mouthfeel and a flavor reminiscent of fresh summer mangoes steeped in light syrup. The cider’s mild bitterness and fizz helped to mellow the Killa-win’s acidity, while the intermingling of mango and citrus danced on the palate.
As the cider warmed, the drink became more fruit-forward in both bouquet and flavor, while more pronounced sugars also brought forth a taste similar to dried mangoes. While the Astig was best enjoyed with the Killa-win chilled, it also makes a strong case for a mulled drink, perhaps enjoyed solo on rainy days.
The next course served was Chef Nikki’s Tinapa Pasta, a smoky, savory dish brimming with umami. Elias’ Summer Breeze Saison, winner of the 2023 Asia Beer Championship, was a complementary pairing to the dish, with its spicier notes enhancing the tinapa’s meaty profile. The beer itself has strong notes of peppercorn, even in its bouquet, with a slightly watery mouthfeel and a light sourness. That sourness became more evident as the drink warmed, highlighting the beer’s complexity.
The Summer Breeze is best enjoyed ice-cold and, given how well it enhances more umami flavors, would probably also go rather well with either a thick, juicy steak. It’s also this writer’s personal choice to drink while watching a basketball game.
The Grilled Salmon Head followed the pasta, which diners were told was a favorite of Chef Nikki’s. Pairing it with the Lost in Japan White Ale was a smart choice on Raoul’s part, as the beer doesn’t dominate the fish’s more delicate flavors. With a very neutral aroma, dry mouthfeel, and lightly sweet palate—think hints of banana and lightly toasted rice — it’s the perfect drink to elevate one’s experience of seafood, as it actually enhances the sweetness from the maillard reaction that gives the fish some wonderfully caramelly notes. The carbonation also helps cut through the fattiness of the dish, allowing you to more fully enjoy the salmon’s flavors.
Among the beers served during the event, the Lost in Japan was the least favorable warmed but also the most refreshing when served straight out of the chiller on hotter days.
Raoul and Chef Nikki made sure that the main course was a crowd-pleaser, serving a feast of Filipino pulutan: Crispy Pata, Sisig, Fried Hito (creatively served Peking Duck-style, complete with wraps and hoisin sauce), and generous servings of Garlic Rice. All this was served with the Hop Boi IPA, an aggressively hoppy Indian Pale Ale with a wonderfully crisp mouthfeel and notes of citrus peel on the palate. IPAs are traditionally best served with oily foods, as their high carbonation cuts through the richness that normally makes people feel greasy after the meal. The Hop Boi was no different, effectively serving as a pantanggal-umay with every sip.
Warmed, the Hop Boi starts to develop notes of burnt toffee, with additional fruity notes rising alongside the bittersweet profile. It doesn’t compete well against spice at this temperature, so make sure to keep it chilled when having it with more peppery foods.
Raoul brought out glasses of the Tropical Sour Ale as a palate cleanser before dessert, boldly stating that sours were the future of craft beer. A sip of the Tropical is enough to make one think there may be some bearing to his claims; there’s a very strong presence of pineapple in both the aroma and flavor, with touches of lychee, mango, orange, coconut, and guava popping up as it sits in the mouth. Both the citrus and mango flavors become more forward as the drink warms, turning it into more of a fruit punch on the tongue.
One might serve this beer to people who say they don’t like beer, but in all the best ways. It’s friendly on the palate while also delivering the complexity beer connoisseurs look for in their beverages, making it an excellent everyday beer.
Dessert was Chef Nikki’s own invention: the Beeramisu. Instead of soaking ladyfingers in coffee (or coffee liqueur) to make a tiramisu, he instead reduced dark beer into a syrup and used that as the base for his dessert. On paper, it just makes sense — beer and cheese are already a traditionally beloved pairing, so beer syrup and mascarpone would naturally get along. It’s brilliant in its simplicity and merits a visit to the Taproom on its own.
When paired with the Darker Vader Stout, the experience becomes immaculate. The beer is brewed with cacao nibs which, when combined with the coffee flavors stouts normally have, make it a dessert unto itself. In between bites of the Beeramisu, the drink essentially serves as an additional component, with the marriage of flavors becoming dangerously indulgent.
The Darker Vader also warms very well, with the chocolate flavors developing even further to the point that it tastes like a dark hot chocolate with a shot of espresso in it. It may make for a fantastic topping for vanilla ice cream, but let’s be real—the Beeramisu is right there, so why settle for less?
Six beers down and several platefuls of food later, Elias has made its point: beer and food pairings should be just as commonplace as wine pairings. One could even conceivably argue that because of the wide variety beer has to offer, it could even make for the more exciting option between the two. All you really need are the right beers, and Elias Taproom Alabang sure has a lot of them.
