Cebu is not exactly known for the quality of its water, but the alkaline level actually mixes well with the enzymes to create the mash, the building block of beer. It took lots of filtration and fermentation experiments to strike the right balance. This is the quest of Marken Aboitiz and Bauhinia Brewery.
I DON’T WANT TO KEEP DOING THE same things. I want to keep learning.” Marken Aboitiz started his brewery in 2019, in a market dominated by the giant conglomerate San Miguel.
“I assumed that people weren’t open to trying new beers when I started this,” explains Marken. “But it’s completely false.”
If you’ve tasted a Bauhinia beer, you’d know that Marken is absolutely right. The reception and demand for his beer have been tremendous over the last few years. More so during the pandemic.
Despite being relatively new to the game, Marken’s passion for brewing is palpable. You can feel it in his energy at the mere mention of hops. In the seven years he has dedicated to the craft, he’s amassed a wealth of knowledge and you can taste the passion with every pour.
“I would have never thought I’d be brewing beer. My first passion was actually building bangkas (fishing boats). I wanted to mass produce unsinkable bangkas. I’ve always loved engineering and I’ve always been interested in chemistry and biology. I felt like I had to find something that had all of that. I researched this and kind of stumbled across brewing.”
The brewing journey took Marken around the word, both literally and telephonically. While he never underwent any formal training, his curiosity inspired him to hone his craft and seek knowledge from other masters.
“I would ask a lot of questions. I spent a lot of time in Oregon and was very lucky to meet some of the craft beer brewmasters there. Michael Nichol sold me my first home brew kit and gave me my first recipe.”
Today, Bauhinia Brewery is located on Bauhinia Drive, the brewery’s namesake and where Marken’s parents first met. But the journey started in his kitchen. On his stovetop, to be more precise, with a mash tub made from a converted cooler.
“My fermenter was just a cookie jar with a hole in it. It was real home brewing but it was good to really learn the process. I got really obsessed with it.”
Eventually Marken wanted to seek more counsel on how to upgrade his operation and gain more expertise. His search led him to Ramon, former assistant manager in San Miguel with 25 years of experience not only brewing beer but also building breweries.
“I got Ramon’s number and gave him a call. He talked my ear off! This guy just knew so much, I invited him to my house for lunch. I asked him a lot questions and I think I kind of intrigued him because he offered to help me out.”
Ramon proved to be an irreplaceable mentor and an integral part of Bauhinia Brewery’s humble beginnings. After that lunch, Marken would call him to make batches every weekend. The cookie jars were traded in for a proper fermenter which was a game-changer.
I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT I’d be brewing beer. My first passion was actually building bangkas…
“That alone helped me control just one parameter of the brewing process and took our lagers from pretty bad, to terrible to actually being pretty decent.” He learned how to maintain quality across different batches. The hard work quickly paid off and the first reviews were beyond positive. “A bunch of German guys tried my beer and told me it tastes like home. That was a huge compliment. From there, the stars really aligned. Forget bangkas, I’ll make beer.”
Any beer lover will tell you that beer from a cold draft is the best way to enjoy it. Marken is adamant about delivering an unbeatable draft which is served from a cask or keg, rather than bottled. He designed his own draft delivery to make them more scalable and user-friendly. “I’m looking for differentiators. If I was in the business to sell bottles I wouldn’t think about fixing these draft systems. I wouldn’t innovate at all. I’d be in the bottling business. I’m not in the bottling business, I’m in the draft beer business.”
Bauhinia Brewery sells their brews in three variances: pilsner, German lager and IPL in 10 and 19 liter kegs, priced from P3,880 to P8,400. They provide cooler bags to make it portable. For large scale orders, their technicians install their draft systems to bars or hotels. They created taps that make it easier to operate.
Marken’s ambitions for Bauhinia Brewery extend beyond retail. He is constantly looking for new ways to improve on his draft systems, borrowing some inspiration from diving regulators to make them more durable and waterproof. He recently broke ground on a new location in Mandaue that will serve as a brewery and an interactive bar where patrons can watch the whole brewing process. Clearly Bauhinia Brewery is putting down roots in the Queen City and Marken wouldn’t have it any other way.
“People keep asking me when I’m planning to bring Bauhinia to Manila. To be honest with you, I don’t see that happening in the next 5 years. I love Cebu, this is home. I just hope Bauhinia can add one more thing to make it special.” He is the perfect example of do what you love and you never work a day in your life.