An engkanto now haunts Bridgetowne

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INTERIOR of Engkanto Taps Bridgetowne.

(the brewery, that is)

ENGKANTO TAPS, Engkanto Brewery’s taproom concept, has opened in Bridgetowne, beside the Opus mall, right on the border between Pasig and Quezon City

“Quezon City’s by far one of our biggest markets,” said founder Ian Paradies during a group interview at the June 17 opening. Prior to the Bridgetowne branch, their outlets were in Santa Rosa, BGC, and Kapitolyo.

“We wanted a place to be able to communicate directly to the customer,” he said of setting up Engkanto Taps. Before that, the local beer brand was only sold at hotels, bars, and supermarkets.

The June 17 opening also saw the launch of their non-alcoholic beer called Day Shift. (Mr. Paradies makes clear that it’s not 0% alcohol content, rather, it’s at a 0.3% — anything below 0.5% qualifies as non-alcoholic). The idea started while they were at pitch sessions.

“I have to drink a lot because of work,” he said. “The last thing I want to be is unproductive,” he said, but, “I don’t want to be the guy drinking water when I’m the guy selling beer.”

He’s also catering to a more health-conscious Filipino looking for alternatives. But “it’s still a beer, it tastes like beer.”

On tap are their prizewinners: High Hive Honey Ale, named the World’s Best Beer in its category at the World Beer Awards 2024, and Paint Me Purple Ube Lager, hailed as the Gold Medal Winner for Filipino Style at the inaugural Philippine Beer Cup. There are other Engkanto beers as well, of course, but also cocktails and bar chow (the wings are pretty good).

Mr. Paradies notes with pride that the flavorings are locally sourced. “We’re proudly Filipino, but unfortunately, we can’t showcase the main ingredients (of beer).” The Philippines does not grow hops and malt, and as he points out, every country has water. “So to me, where we could showcase something Filipino is in the added ingredients we could infuse into our beers.” They’ve done it with calamansi, cacao, and mango: right now, they’re working on something with coffee.

They’ve also increased their yield: three years ago, they produced 350,000 to 400,000 liters a year. Now, they have a capacity to make 5 million liters. “The only bottleneck at the moment would be fermentation,” which slows them down at 1.5 million liters a year. “We could (add) another 1.5 million liters per annum in four months,” he said. Which is great for their international operations. They’ve changed their US partner, which would allow them to expand outside their former California-only base. They’re also in talks with other countries, but they’ve already arrived in Guam and Malaysa.

“To me, it’s something to be proud of,” he said about their distribution, and the prizes they have won. “Not just as a company, but as a Filipino brand.”

Engkanto Taps Bridgetowne is located on the Ground Floor of GBF Center 1, Bridgetowne, C-5 Road and is open daily from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. — Joseph L. Garcia