Beer Styles

What kind of beer is San Miguel Pale Pilsen? It's a pale, bottom-fermented lager with, according to the manufacturer, 5 percent alcohol. The name "Pilsen" here simply means "pale lager in the Pilsner style" — it is not a German Pils or Czech Pilsner, since it is softer, sweeter, and much less bitter.

Beer experts classify this type as international pale lager, a category that also includes beers like Mexican and Japanese lagers. Typical traits are a straw-to-gold color, little hop aroma, minimal fruitiness, and a smooth, short finish.

Red Horse Extra Strong has, according to the manufacturer, 6.9 percent alcohol and is considered the country's first extra-strong beer brand. The brewery tested it under the working name "Project Delta" in May 1982, in the Ilocos and Davao regions. It is stronger, sweeter, and fuller-bodied than Pale Pilsen.

The difference between the two comes down to original gravity and fermentation. Red Horse starts with more sugar in the wort, the yeast converts more of it into alcohol, and some residual sweetness remains. Pale Pilsen ferments out more thoroughly, giving it a lighter, drier character.

Then there's Cerveza Negra, the dark lager. Together, these three beers define the brand's identity. Compared with a German Helles, they share a similar color but have less malt body and fewer hops. Munich's Helles is rounder in malt character, while Manila's beer is leaner and more neutral — built to handle both cold storage and tropical heat.