There are beer lovers—and then there are those who strive to perfect the art of making their own brews. Call them more passionate (or more fortunate), but the Tempongko brothers, the guys behind The Perfect Pint, are living the dream—or at least, every craft beer enthusiast’s. Straight out of the success of their first gastropub in BGC, the brothers ventured further and set up their own brew pub in Alabang—the second branch of their baby and the first of its kind in the south.
Situated at the Molito Lifestyle Center, The Perfect Pint Alabang is a bigger, better version of its predecessor—a stunning two-story space that houses a restaurant, a pub, and a brewery. It showcases the same design elements as the one in Taguig—wooden walls, hand-painted letterings, chandeliers made of beer bottles—and introduces new ones that guests definitely couldn’t resist taking photos of. There’s a huge board by the bar showcasing the brewing process, and on one corner, a beer elevator that carries fresh kegs from the brewery down to the bar. Above the bar’s chalkboard menu, you can see a glimpse of the brewery.
What makes this branch extra special, of course, is the brewery upstairs, which gives the owners more freedom to experiment with flavors and allows guests to enjoy freshly brewed beers. With the ingredients and equipment within reach, master brewer Alec Tempongko has more time to think of the most unique and intriguing variations.
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| See? The beer came out straight from the tanks. ;) |
Mr. Alec himself toured us inside the brewery when we dropped by The Perfect Pint from a weekend trip in Tagaytay, and as a craft beer lover myself, I found the experience really fascinating. It gave me a peek into the painstaking brewing process, and what brewers undergo just to attain the right balance, the right lacing, the right alcohol content—the right everything, basically! Needless to say, I had a newfound appreciation for my favorite gastropub’s name.
The Perfect Pint’s brewing process is a complex 8-step method that starts from choosing malt and hop types and ends with bottling or serving the beers on tap. The malted barley is first milled and added to the mash tun before mixing it with purified hot water to activate the enzymes that convert malt starch to fermentable sugar. The next step is called lautering, where in the sweet malty liquid called wort is separated from the mash, its flavors extracted as it is being pumped from the boil kettle. The wort is then boiled for 60 to 90 minutes, after which, various hops are added. As you may probably know, hops give flavor and aroma to the beer, including that bitterness which craft beer virgins aren’t used to.
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| Left: what your beer looks like before it became liquid; right: fermenters at work |
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| the boiling kettles where the wort is produced |
The wort and hop mixture is then rapidly cooled to room temperature and transferred to fermenters. In the fermentation process, yeast is added to the mixture to produce alcohol. On the average, ales take 3 to 5 days to ferment. Once ready, the beer is transferred to kegs for conditioning and ageing. This could take a few more days again, and once the master brewer gives the go signal, only then will the beer be bottled or served in the bar.
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| It takes 3-5 days to fully ferment the beer before it is ready for conditioning. |
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| Homebrews kegged and bottled. |
When I first discovered The Perfect Pint two years ago, what struck me the most was their advocacy to serve only local craft beers, exposing the talents of our fellow Pinoys and helping their businesses as well. However, what’s even more commendable is the brothers’ dedication to producing their own high-quality homebrews, which can easily become substitute to your favorite brands, if not your go-to beers in the first place. I especially like the Holy Grail IPA, their flagship brew: an American-style double IPA that’s hoppy, malty, and has high ABV. The aroma is that of citrus, pine, and tropical fruits. I love how balanced it is; even those who normally don’t like bitter beers are drawn to it.
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| The Perfect Pint's homebrew lineup. This mobile bar can also be rented for private events! Cool! |
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| Holy Grail IPA |
For first timers, the Thirsty Dog Weizen is highly recommended—a German Hefeweizen (wheat beer) with hints of banana and clove: sweetish, light, refreshing, and easy to drink. For something stronger, try the Street Smart Pale Ale, which is an intensely hopped brew with note of tropical fruits, grapefruit, melon, and pine. Better still, if you like it truly bitter, get the Hoppy Road IPA.
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| Hoppy Road IPA |
Fans of dark beer won’t be disappointed as The Perfect Pint offers two homebrews: the Black Mamba Stout (a tribute to Kobe Bryant) with its distinct flavors of coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt; and the Oakey Dokey Bourbon Barrel Porter, made from a robust porter infused with bourbon-soaked oak. As someone who prefers the dark side (LOL), I love both, but I prefer the latter more as I find it more intense.
Of course, there’s still the fine food that the gastropub has been known for. The Heap of Bacon (PhP390) is, as always, crowd-pleasing—a pile of crispy bacon with a delicious dipping sauce. The Oyster Sea-sig (PhP385) will delight seafood lovers with the fresh oysters deep fried to perfection before being tossed in a special mayonnaise and gastrique dressing. More seafood? Order the Gambas al Ajillo (PhP430)—delicate shrimps sautéed in butter and garlic, served with crusty bread. It’s even better with crackers made of leftover malt from the brewery!
The Perfect Pint makes some mean pies, and we got to try a new one in Alabang: the Cheesesteak Pizza (PhP640) which is loaded with cheese, slices of beef, and crispy shoestring potatoes, then drizzled with Japanese mayo. While this isn’t my favorite pizza from their brick-oven lineup (hello, Truffle Pizza), it is undeniably an interesting creation. For lovers of cheese, get the comforting Stinky Pizza which comes with 5 types of cheese.
Dining in for lunch? Try the Perfect Pint Paella (PhP650), an excuse to share a platter of seafood goodness with your friends or colleagues. Shrimp, mussels, calamari, chorizo, green peas, and poached egg top delicious saffron rice, and finally adorned with mouthwatering strips of bacon. Craving for local flavors? The Crispy Sinigang from their Lunch Menu is sure you satiate your hunger. Here, a deconstructed version greets guests: rice that has been cooked on sinigang broth is carefully plated with kangkong wrapped in a light batter, slices of tomato, and crispy pork. At PhP250, it comes with coffee or house blend iced tea.
For me, it’s a crime to go to The Perfect Pint without trying the beers, but the truth is that some people would just want to try the food. Good thing that the gastropub serves dishes that are nowhere near mediocre, and whether it’s a weekend family lunch or a night out with friends, I’m sure you would find something you like (my personal favorites are the abovementioned pizza and the Calamari Negra). Of course, the ideal thing to do is to order some bar chow to go along with your beers, as craft beer tends to elevate certain food flavors. In case you’re into the idea, just ask the staff or consult the menu for the recommended pairings.
Followers of my blog and social media accounts know that I’m obsessed with The Perfect Pint: I post about the restaurant almost every other week, and I celebrated my last 2 birthdays there. I don’t know, there’s something about its concept that simply got me hooked. Maybe because it allows me to indulge in two of my favorite things to do (eating and drinking). Maybe it’s because of the classy yet casual ambience that lets you sit back and stretch after a long day at work. Or maybe it’s because of the dedication that I get reminded of every time I see a fresh glass in front of me. Whatever the reason is, all I know is that I feel at home here, and I would be a lot happier if I see any of you in there, and then, we could clink glasses and exchange stories.
~*~
The Perfect Pint
Molito Lifestyle Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa City
+632.815.9975
Operating Hours: 11:00AM – 2:00AM
Budget: PhP500 up
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