Live in the Philippines

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My First Beer in a Year

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And it was well worth the wait. The first week of April, I pigeon holed the right doctor and pointed out that on my own volition a year ago I ceased consuming booze of all types. The other doctors all assume that the original doctor (Him) that operated on me made that decision. Nay not so, I felt so bad after the surgery that I didn’t want any booze. All my doctors since then have been lady doctor’s, don’t place gender biases on that as I don’t care what bathroom you choose to use, as long as my granddaughter is not using it at the same time.. But all female doctors blocked booze from my life. And my wife was the one that told them that I’d stopped consuming the golden elixir and she was very happy to go along with them! My they do stick together!

I never was hooked on drinking, and would only imbibe when I was in the mood, and no one could talk me into it otherwise. On some ship’s I’d just abstain for the entire cruse and watch my savings grow. Unlike my shipmates whom many were “Millionaires for the day”; meaning one weeks’ pay spent in one night out on the town. Oh I’ve done that in the past, In Singapore we were at Raffles “Long Bar” The Ship’s Master, Chief Mate, Chief Engineer, Chief Steward and me! Our bar bill was $350.00 EACH or $2,000.00 total with tips from our group, A vulgar display of “Being millionaires for the day”. And we were only there for 3 hours that afternoon!  Not something I ever want to do again, but fun the few times I did it, as was the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel in Singapore.

Here is the deal worked out with my doctor. No hard Liquor ever, just forget about it! All Though, I’ll miss my rum, but a deal is a deal, and they know Mayang will be the one to enforce the rule, on my one day out with friends for lunch or dinner per week with three beers being maximum for me. Plus ONE glass of wine with meals, but I’m not a wine drinker, until all wine comes with sensible screw top caps. I need no wine snob, to tell me how to open my bottle. Beer bottles come with screw top caps! (Or, at least until after the bumpers on American cars, switched from chrome to plastic.)

So my good friend Mr. Pogue (Loren) or to Lip readers; AKA; “Big “P” met me at Texas Joe’s for lunch last week and there I opened my first “SMB”, or my first San Magoo in one full year! My lord did it taste like the nectar of the gods! Well worth the wait, but here is the shocker, I only had 1.5 bottles, because that was all I wanted, it was enough for me. I was more worried about wanting a smoke to go with the beer, but that didn’t happen. So I guess I still am a new non-smoker, but I’ll say nothing if someone else wants one!

My wife was expecting that first beer to send me off on a tangent like that movie “Refer Madness” similar to those places in the US of A that have legalised Wacky Tobaccy and other violations of Federal Law. That is why I recommend to visitors to America that if a law dissatisfies you, just ignore it.

But that beer caused me no ill effects was pleasant to the taste. And still causes me to wonder; “Is SMB really that good, or is it just where we are when we drink it? I’ve had San Miguel in other parts of the world, and it is never the same as what we drink here. But then I have no reason to ever go there again. 

A friend asked me if I would ever go and visit my Brothers in Boston again? Since never in my life has one of them ever visited me anywhere on earth, and yet I’ve been there many, many times, the ball is still in their court…………………………….

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Tripack;
      Salute and Cheers to you. The other day in town I had 3 full beers. Tasting great!

      • I am not a heavy drinker… But when I go for a beer, I usually go for Tsingtao… I find it more flavorful. SMB seems too heavy on yeast, and I feel blotted with… For rhum, I usually go for Don Papa 🙂

        • Tripack;
          If we all liked the same beer thousands of breweries would go broke. But Rhum, I might use to clean the parts of my car, but I’ll only drink Rum.

    • Paul;
      If the point is to get shitfaced quick, than Red Horse is the way to go a lot of friends like it! ..In my bars in Puerto Rico, the Navy kid would ask for 151 Rum, and I’d ask him if he just wanted to avoid meeting girls that night?
      I never liked the taste of Red Horse is why I never drink it, I didn’t like SMB Apple Beer too. (LOL)

  3. Hi Paul and congrats on being able to enjoy your favorite beverage once again. I tried the San Mig apple flavor beer on my last few visits and found it to be quite refreshing. At home I am not really a drinker at all but it is something I save for good times and enjoyment when on vacation there in PH.

    • Bob;(NY)
      I figured someone was drinking apple beer as they are still selling it, so to each his own, if you like it then you like it and not for me to judge, I’m not fond of Lite Beer, but if it is all you have……

        • HGB
          San Miguel Lite AKA in the Philippines “San Mig”
          San Miguel Pilsner Beer AKA in the Philippines “SMB”
          I don’t think there is one for ordering San Miguel Apple.
          San Mig Is a very popular beer here according to friends who own bars.
          I have drank it and will again, it’s a good beer.

  4. Congrats on having the occasional beer again, Paul. I do need to ask though – I’ve never yet in my 16 years living in the Philippines seen an SMB (San Miguel) with a screw cap, nowhere. Is there one special San Miguel brewery that distributes screw-cap SMBs exclusively to you where you are?
    That’s why quite a few years ago I purchased a PHP50,000 keychain bottle opener – it even came with a free used car!

    • ED
      Why would SMB need a screw cap when with a P-38 or one more full SMB and you can open thousands of them. The screw caps I was referring too were American beers because snowflakes can’t open any on their own. I can open a beer bottle using any chain link fence. My wife could open a SMB with her teeth until I explained I pay the dentist bills, we stopped that 3 decades ago!

      • Being a bit of a snowflake I quite took to the SM lite on my trip late last year. As to taking the top of the bottle off with your teeth there was a young lady doing said trick at a recent party, all of the men were standing around looking very nervious for some reason.

        • Gary;
          I understand their trepidation while watching that, but can it be done with dentures? I’ve been told by bar owning friends that San Mig (Lite) is starting to outsell SMB!

    • Hi Ed,

      I am pretty sure the San Miguel Grande’s 32 ounces have screw tops. That is my recollection.

      Peace

      Jay

        • Hi Paul,

          When I have had that size it has been with my a couple of my Filipino family members. We poor it into glasses. Although back in my drinking days I would commonly get a couple of 40 ounce malt liquers and not share. Like George Thorogood, I drank alone.

          Peace

          Jay

          • Jay;
            In Boston we had a beer by Narraganset called The GIQ using the British Imperial Quart, which was a lot of beer but even in a group it got too warm for me, I like my beer really cold to the point that I will add ice to it on a hot day. I’ve been told it waters down the beer, that never happened to me.

        • No choice around here if you want to buy just *1* normal bottle. A case of 24 singles is impossible to get here in the hinterland in the city one km from the main highway. Strange, don’t know why, anywhere else in the city no problem. That’s why I had a “Grande” bottle handy – that I can get everywhere here, but can’t get a normal personal size; the 1 km walk in the heat to get one then 1 km back would kill me these days.

        • Hi Ed,

          I guess I stand corrected. I swear I remember screw top San Miguel Grande beers, but it was a few years ago and my memory may be off. IDK. I have opened too many screw tops on large size malt liquors here in the USA and killed too many brain cells to have good recall. I may have….oh whatever. Certainly not my first or worst mistake.Cheers!

          Peace

          Jay

    • Ed;
      The screw tops I refereed to were American beers, So Bataan in 25 years has never had one, but all Jeepney’s have that I-Beam in the front, that you can open a beer on, and there is no shortage of them in Bataan.

  5. With or without an Iced Cold SMB, enjoy your day Shipmate. . . . and all the splendors that surround you!

    • Terry;
      Once or twice a week a have a few beers, the rest of the time its the splendors that keep me busy. (LOL)

    • Jeff
      Where ever you were they didn’t have painted label San Miguel so I don’t blame you for waiting (LOL)!

  9. Hi Paul,

    Nice article! I have found that I appreciate the taste of beer a lot more now that I drink rarely than when I used to swill the stuff to get drunk. Glad you are healthy enough to enjoy moderately!

    Peace

    Jay

    • I’ve drank lightly most of my life, because hangovers tear me up, I’ve never drank the following day if I was out the night before.I guess hangovers have been a blessing. Being out to sea so much was another way to curb imbibing. But when I get together with friends a few beers really taste the best. .

  10. Great article Paul. If I drink more than one beer I’m asleep. Yup one is my limit when I go to my friends on Sunday.

    So all know there’s nothing wrong with more. I just fall asleep after one. Coffee is another story.

  11. Yeah Paul, I also have memories of the Long Bar in Raffles. We used to pop in for a Singapore Sling, then off to the cheap bars so our money would last out for the evening, Lol.