Allan Baldis Agala has a passion for craft beer and a talent for brewing it. In six months from now he hopes to establish Manila’s newest microbrewery (Great Islands Craft Brewing). I spent an afternoon with Allen at his home (and mini brewery) in Paranaque in Metro Manila. We sampled five of his brews which included: Dry Hopped Porter, Sweet Stout, Pale Ale, Brown Bitter and Regular Porter. Once the brewery is up and running, Allen hopes to offer his brews to draft accounts around the city. And just a note for you Guinness drinkers, his stout is on the money so maybe some taps of Stout around the Metro sometime soon!
Much of the supplies as well as some ingredients come from China, which I was surprised to find that the Chinese are growing hops in large amounts including common varieties from North America including Cascade. Allan has taken numerous trips to China in order to procure his equipment for his planned commercial operation.
