This Local Pub Just Released Spicy Beers and Chocolate Ales
It was in 2014 when Noel, Alec, and Raymond Tempongko set up the trendy gastropub, The Perfect Pint, a staunch favorite among those on the lookout for good craft beer and food pairings after a long day’s work. The brothers sought the help of noted chef-restaurateur Gene Gonzalez in crafting their extensive booze and grub lineup, which borrows notes from the latter’s San Juan gem, Café Ysabel. At The Perfect Pint, Gonzalez’s strong suit shines through: a dance between familiar and homegrown tastes infused with a dash of inspiration from Western cuisines. This year, it celebrates five years’ worth of dedication to this interplay.
“The whole pairing experience is greater than the sum of each part,” says Noel. “Every sip of craft beer sets you up for a bite of food. Then, every bite sets you up for the next sip of craft beer, which will taste even better, and so on and so forth.” This cycle is The Perfect Pint’s lifeblood. The pub prides itself in being the pioneer of local craft beer and food combinations, served in a relaxed setting where you can celebrate life’s milestones over gastronomic treats and cheer.
IMAGE: Facebook/The Perfect Pint: Craft Beer + Fine Food
The Tempongkos makes a bold move by shying away from selling commercial beers. “Innovation will continue to be a hallmark of The Perfect Pint, which has since gone deep into brewing its own premium craft beers on premise,” Noel says. “Various flavor notes [from our multitude of craft beer brews] occupy our 22 taps in each store.” At the Pint, one can gorge on a craft beer selection utilizing a wide range of ingredients such as fruits (mangoes, raspberries, and coconuts), spices (ginger, coriander, and cinnamon), and other surprising elements like coffee, habanero, hibiscus, and fresh oyster.
“These beers may be relatively higher priced than commercial beers offered locally, but they are bigger in both flavor and aroma as they utilize only the purest malt and hops,” Noel says. “No adjuncts are used to lower the cost so there are no sacrifices in quality and taste.”
In celebration of its fifth anniversary in the business, The Pint has just introduced five new craft beer-food variants.
The 5th Anniversary Black India Pale Ale (IPA) is a nice blend of intense hop flavors, bitterness, and roasted malt notes. Best savored while fresh, this particular variant ranks pretty high on the alcohol by volume (ABV) and International Bitterness Units (IBUs) scales, at eight percent and 110 units, respectively. Appease the drink’s robust punch with bites of the Pint’s herbed and spiced sausages for a play of stark flavors in one go.
Like the 5th Anniversary Black, The Hot Papa IPA is not one to back down on the taste scale. It features a combination of fruit-forward hops and heat from Tagaytay-grown habanero peppers. This sweet-and-spicy blend has eight percent ABV and 78 IBUs. It is said to go well with deep-fried Crispy Ribs, which the Pint serves with a special black pepper sauce, for a well-rounded rush of flavor.
Coffee lovers will get a kick out of the White Mamba Pale Stout, brewed with smoked malt, cacao nibs, and coffee beans that give off a perfect blend of bitter and roasted endnotes. It has 6.6 percent ABV and 32 IBUs, and pairs well with deep-fried oysters tossed in the pub’s special mayo and gastrique dressing.
To keep cool in the summer, the Pint is offering easy-drink beers such as the Haulin' Oats Milkshake IPA and the Liquid Lunch Session IPA. Both fare relatively low on the ABV scale at 6.4 percent and percent respectively, but are undeniably full-bodied in flavor and texture.The former is brewed in-house with lactose and oats and infused with touches of mango and vanilla beans, making for a fruity contrast against its bestselling peri-peri chicken. Liquid Lunch, meanwhile, builds on the light and refreshing tastes of tropical fruits like pineapple, which fare well with hefty mouthfuls of meat. The Perfect Pint Burger is a default go-to, and it features a play of sautéed mushroom, bacon, onions, and cheese fastened by a golden bun.
Patrons of the Pint can enjoy not only these, but a month-long 20 percent discount on other craft beer and food pairings including the Stinky 5-Cheese Pizza and Thirsty Dog Weizen, Heap of Bacon with Holy Grail Double IPA, and Caramel Brownie S’mores with the Cacao Kick Stout.
Noel is convinced that innovations like these and beer fans’ evolving palates attest to the fact that the craft beer industry is here for the long haul. “The industry has become more defined and [is set to] continue its trajectory outstripping the growth of mainstream, commercial beers,” he says. “The U.S., being the barometer market now, has more than 7,000 craft breweries. Even if the growth has tapered from double digit to single digit, the industry is evolving into a more exciting one as it continues to learn and reinvent itself.”
He adds that now, more than ever, foodies are more discriminating of the consistency and quality of the food and beverage they consume. The shift toward uniquely positioned local craft beers has indeed begun, and the Pint, along with other local brewers, are posed with a challenge to craft crisper, sharper, and more distinct tastes and variations in its beers to create an experience worthy of the discerning craft beer crowd.
Greenbelt 2, Makati City (02-750-0288) and Molito Commercial Complex, Muntinlupa City (02-8159975)
