San Miguel; Light; Cerveza Negra; Red Horse Beer

The San Miguel Brewery is in the Philippines and has been in operation since 1890.  It had never crossed my mind that soldiers in the Spanish-American War (1898) might have been drinking San Miguel, but they probably were.

http://www.sanmiguelbeer.com.ph/

San Miguel - Their Pale Pilsen beer, this is 5.0% ABV.  It pours golden in color, no darker than the light.  There is a short head of white foam that leaves light lacing on the glass. The aroma is similar to the light, but more grain and less apple.  The taste is slightly sweet, grain, very light fruit and a light funky, bitter note on the end.  Much more flavorful than the light, this is not a great lager, but it has a fairly unique and interesting taste.

San Miguel Light - This beer pours a dark golden in color with a half-inch of pure white foamy head that leaves some lacing down the glass.  The aroma is light grain with apples.  The taste is watery, light grain, apples.  There is a bitter aftertaste.  This is a 100 calorie, 5% ABV light beer, and it is unremarkable.

Cerveza Negra - This 5.0% ABV beer pours black in color with a small light brown head.  There is some brown and ruby on the edges if held to the light.  The aroma is somewhere between the regular and the Red Horse, with a touch of roasted, toasted malt.  The taste is a bit sweet, some roasted and toasted malt.  Not much going on here.

Red Horse Beer - A higher alcohol offering from San Miguel, this 7.0% ABV beer pours a dark yellow golden in color, yet crystal clear.  There is a slight head of white foam that rapidly dissipates.  The aroma is grain, apples and wet straw.  The taste is a sweet yet tart grain, with some bright fruitiness and a hint of the funky wet straw.  While this is fairly typical of the high alcohol type of lager, it does have some unique and interesting notes of flavor that put it just a notch ahead of most of its kind.