It’s easy to say that San Miguel beer is one of the most ubiquitous things in the Philippines. As ubiquitous as, say, Jollibee, lechon, lumpia, or the Filipino habit of pointing with one’s lips. In every corner of the islands, there’s definitely a “San Mig” to be bought. One of my earliest memories, as the bunso of the family, is seeing my grandfather holding a cool, sweating-with-condensation bottle of San Miguel Pale Pilsen, with that iconic dark brown bottle seen until today, drinking it at dinner, pairing it with whatever we have. Usually, turbo chicken, inihaw na bangus, tinumis, or tiim, a soupy chicken dish cooked in vinegar, similar to pata tim. Rice is served by the bandehado.

Even if there’s no occasion, every evening, he drinks a bottle of Pale Pilsen. He even insists, I remember him telling us kids, that it’s good for the heart. I’m not sure about that (he was an engineer, after all, not a doctor), though he lived to the ripe old age of 85. He even drinks on Sundays, despite the protestations of my devoutly Catholic lola.

That is why, for me, every time I sip a glass of anything from San Miguel, I get an instant “Proustian moment,” a sensory stimulus—whether a smell, flavor, or sound—that can unexpectedly and involuntarily evoke a vivid, emotionally charged memory from the past, often from one’s childhood. For pioneering French novelist, essayist, and critic, Marcel Proust, it is the madeleine cake dipped in tea. For me, it’s beer, and also tinadtad, the beef sinigang of my late mother’s hometown of Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Being invited by San Miguel Brewery to one of their events was an easy yes for me. The yes was made even easier because our chef and friend Josh Boutwood is the collaborating host, in his restaurant Ember by Josh Boutwood. Josh has gone a long way. Now a renowned chef, I remember interviewing him for a seasoning brand collaboration in 2019, still without his now iconic mustache. Even with his Michelin accolade, he is still the same humble, talented, and hardworking chef I interviewed back then.

At Ember the collaboration centers on San Miguel’s premium range: Super Dry, Premium All-Malt, Cerveza Negra, and Cerveza Blanca. The idea behind the collaboration is straightforward, pairing familiar Filipino drinking culture with a studied approach to food.

“The beautiful thing about having San Miguel is the selection of beers that they have can go with anything that’s on the table, beef, fish, pork, chicken, and as you can see, it goes really well with desserts,” Josh said to us during the event.

The meal starts with smoked shrimps served head-on, accompanied by garlic aioli and charred lemon. The shrimp carries a deep smokiness, rounded out by the richness of the aioli, while the lemon cuts through with acidity. It is paired with Cerveza Blanca, whose light, slightly fruity profile balances the dish’s intensity.

A baked chicken thigh fillet follows, finished with sage butter and served with cauliflower purée. The skin is crisp, the meat tender, and the butter adds a layer of savory richness. The purée, smooth and understated, absorbs the juices. Premium All-Malt, with its full-bodied and balanced flavor, complements the dish without overwhelming it.

From Ember’s open-fire kitchen comes marinated grilled pork skewers, lacquered with a caramelized glaze and served with jaew sauce, a cilantro-mint salad, and a wedge of lime. The skewers are sweet and have a distinct umami flavor, while the sauce introduces heat and tang. The herb salad refreshes the palate. Paired with Super Dry, the beer’s crisp, clean finish resets the palate between bites.

The meal closes with a walnut date cake, served warm, dense, and gently sweet, matched with Cerveza Negra. The beer’s notes of caramel, coffee, and chocolate mirror the dessert’s richness, making for a fitting end to the progression.

The pairings, now available at Ember, reflect an attempt to elevate something deeply familiar. It is still San Miguel, still the same beer found in sari-sari stores and family dinners, but here, placed within a more composed setting, it takes on a different role.

And yet, even in this more refined context, the effect remains the same. One sip, and it still brings you back.

“There’s nothing in the world that beer doesn’t go with,” Josh says. “There’s a beer for every time and every moment.” And I heartily agree.