On Oct. 3, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls kicked off its own version of Oktoberfest with the “McKinley Hill Beer Festival.” Beer-infused dishes from the area’s restaurants including Trattoria Poggio Antico, Marciano’s, Wursty Wursty German Beer Garden, Sauceria, Main Street, and a wine-infused dish from Little Asia were served to guests while they geared up for a beer-related quiz night.
The highlight of the evening, of course, was the beer, and the festival was not short of it. Megaworld even invited three craft brewers for guests to a get a new and more soulful beer experience.
SPECIAL BEERS
G point Smorgasbord Bar (with offices in Manila and Tagaytay), presented three of its brands: Red Head India Red Ale, Pirate India Pale Ale, and Extra Special Bitter (labeled with a cross and the letters ESB).
The Red Head ale had a color of strawberry juice and a sweet floral smell. It tasted sweet and gentle, with a light body, and a hint of roses and music. It derives its color and sweet flavor from red beets.
Pirate India Pale Ale had a slight aroma of licorice, and tasted fruity, with unmistakable notes of grain, some notes of ginger and honey, and a bitter aftertaste. The ESB had a slight note of bubblegum at the first sip, and later one can detect more grainy notes, and it has a refreshing swallow — this is what forest sprites in fairy tales get drunk on. Beers from G point can be bought at Perfect Pint and in Bugsy’s, both in Bonifacio Global City.
Great Islands Craft Brewery was founded by Allan Agala in 2009 (with offices in New Manila and Parañaque City). The flagship product is the Pearl of the Orient, a foamy pale ale with an aroma of honey, notes of citrus and passionfruit, and an overall smoky and perky flavor.
There is also the Bicol Express, a beer made with chilies added at the second fermentation stage. It had a heady and strong chili aroma, a deceptively simple first note, which leads to a warmth that moves from the tongue down to the throat and stomach. It had slight notes of charcoal, it is not hard to drink, and the chili flavor shows some restraint. The warmth rarely develops into actual flaming heat, and when it does, it thankfully stays on the tongue. Beers from Great Islands Craft Brewery are available at Black Sheep through a set menu. The company has a monthly yield of about 240 liters.
Xavierbier comes from Baguio, although it is named after Xavierville in Quezon City (the company moved operations to Baguio due to the tediousness of getting city permits for their brewing activities). For the festival, Xavierbier presented four beers, thoughtfully served from lightest to strongest.
The first served was its Keywheat Kiwi Beer, a sweet wheat beer with notes of kiwi fruit, that tasted fresh and crisp, with a light gold color, and a nutty aftertaste. Next up was the Kraken Baltic Porter, with the color of molasses, a scent of coffee, a smooth finish, and a consistent flavor that contained notes of hazelnut.
Message in a Bottle was served next — its greenish-black color is reminiscent of pondwater, but don’t let that put you off. It had a bit of an acidic smell, and a crisp and smoky taste.
Lastly, Xavierbier let guests sample the Hop Attack Imperial IPA. It has the highest alcohol content of the four at 8.3%. It has some notes of oats in its taste, and the rest of the blend lets one imagine that it is something a stablehand in a Victorian novel drinks at the end of a long day. It has an aroma that had hints of tobacco, with a lot of bite in its taste, mixed with a dark floral note. Xavierbier products can be found at the Perfect Pint and Big Bad Wolf in BGC, and Barley Gastropub in Quezon City.
The night ended with performances from Techy Romantics, The Ringmasters, and finally, Up Dharma Down. At that point, the buzzed guests swayed to the music and tried to sing along with their favorites.
OKTOBERFEST CONTINUES
The fun is not over, however, as the Megaworld properties will continue celebrating Oktoberfest.
On Oct. 17, at the McKinley Hill’s Venice Piazza’s Beer Tent, Angelo, Mom’s Cake, Engkanto Reggae, Megan Aguilar, Yosha, Lougee Basabas and Wolfgang will take the stage at 7 p.m. On Oct. 18, there will be a party at the Beer Tent starting at 7 p.m. with Travis Monsod, Martin Pulgar, Aryan Magat, Kyrah Mijares, Bigg Beats and Deuce Manila. From Oct. 1 to 25, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at participating restaurants, guests can enjoy unlimited beer for P299 for local brands and P499 for imported brands, while beer-infused dishes will be served at Trattoria Poggio Antico, Marciano’s, Wursty Wursty German Beer Garden, Sauceria, Main Street, and a wine-infused dish at Little Asia. Those who avail of these two promos have a chance to win round-trip tickets for two to either Seoul in South Korea or Puerto Princesa in Palawan. Guests can present their receipts at redemption booths at the Venice Piazza. The raffle draw is on Oct. 25.
The party is not limited to McKinley Hill. Guests can have their fun in the north with indie performances every Thursday with “Indie Thirstdays” at Eastwood. On Oct. 11, Fuente Circle in Eastwood becomes a party Beer Strip with DJ’s from Beat Project Manila and DJ Mars Miranda. On Oct. 18, laugh along with the guys from Comedy Manila. Eastwood City opens its own Beer Tent on Oct. 24, with performances from Hilera, Sandwich, and Pupil.
For inquiries, call 709-9888 or visit www.megaworldlifestylemalls.com. — Joseph L. Garcia