I don’t know about you, but my beverage of choice is beer. Hands down.

It’s an obvious assertion, one that will make Stanley from The Office roll his eyes, but if you’ll stay with me for a bit, I’ll divulge the reason, which I believe will resonate with many of you or at least leave an idea worthy enough for a few to ponder.   

I don’t know about you, but I used to think the Philippines is among the biggest beer-loving countries in the world, and that the Filipinos are on top of the list when it comes to beer since it seemed that we truly know the drink. I can never be more wrong.  

It turns out, only one local brewery got big for over a century, and that we common folks were underserved and settled for a small range of uninspired beers that are no longer worth a mention.

Several overseas trips opened my mind and palate to beers I never knew existed. Some of them tasted familiar while others were worlds apart. On these trips, my curiosity and excitement about beers kept growing and growing until a conversation with Ian Paradies, founder of Engkanto Brewery, raised my appreciation to a whole ‘nother level. It was also at that turning point when he took me in to write about craft beers.  

Ian’s vision for the underserved locals is as clear as day: present craft beers with better quality because we all deserve better quality beers.   

The goal is simple to understand, much like beer is easy to enjoy, yet I wasn’t fully aware of the complexities of beer, and that there’s a huge wave of beer styles, brewing terms, origin stories, and a boatload of other information that can wipe me out. As luck would have it, the arrival of Brewmaster Michael ‘MJ’ Jordan to Engkanto was essentially the lifeboat that kept me afloat from drowning in details. A pioneer of modern craft brewing, Brewmaster MJ didn’t mind answering any question I have about beer, big or small. He led beer-tasting sessions that allowed me to grasp the basics of ingredients, processes, and more that are vital to my role as a beer writer.  

1 Don Gaoiran, Copywriter - Engkanto and Michael "MJ" Jordan - Brewmaster

1 Team Engkanto

In realizing that the world of craft beers is vast and never ceases to evolve, an idea struck me to evolve as well, spread my wings a bit, and learn to hold a glass on my own. In other words, I was compelled to step up and complete the Cicerone Certified Beer Server (CBS) Exam. 

The CBS is the first level of the Cicerone Certification Program, and it peaks at the highest level called Master Cicerone. Thousands of beer industry professionals from brewers to bartenders, marketing associates to sales directors, hailing from different parts of the world have taken different levels of Cicerone (pronounced sis-uh-rohn) exams to prove their knowledge and cement their loyalty to beer. In a little over three months of review, I’ve completed the exam and received my CBS certificate. It's no small feat since the craft beer industry in the Philippines is still in a growth phase, but there’s still a lot of ground for me to cover to the next level.  

For all that, the real measure of its value is in spreading the word to local beer drinkers about how remarkable beers truly are, and that's what I and the entire Team Engkanto continue to do.  

The late, great Anthony Bourdain might not be too happy that someone’s talking too much about his pint of beer, but I hope you won’t mind. After all, beer doesn’t belong to a single culture or geographical area—it’s democratic and belongs to everyone, says the brilliant, award-winning journalist Simran Sethi.  

Again, I don’t know about you, but my love for the greatest drink in the world is spilling from the brim. Along with my team at Engkanto, we are thrilled to pass on the excitement and invite you all on this exciting journey over a glass of craft beer or two.