SAN MIGUEL
Scottish & Newcastle
Spain, 5% ABV
Many folks’ first encounter with San Miguel was on the Spanish Costas, where this cerveza has rendered many a package holidaymaker incapable of finding their way back to their self-catering apartment. Now a major brand outside of Spain, San Miguel has become popular in bottles and cans in the UK, and has recently become a common sight on draught. Initially marketed as a premium lager at a premium price, San Miguel’s original strength of 5.4% ABV meant that it was sometimes tagged with the non-PC nickname ‘senorita beater’. Drink awareness campaigns and taxation issues have meant the UK-brewed strength has since diminished to 5% ABV, and the beer has inevitably become virtually indistinguishable from its many mid-market rivals. San Miguel (Spanish for Saint Michael, so not to be confused as a Marks & Spencer own-brand) gets its proper name from the district in Manila where the original brewery was set-up over a century ago. The Spanish company we know today split from its Philippine owner in the 50s. Even after half a century the different beers they produce still share the same name and use a similar style typeface on their labels. The ship on the logo is a representation of the 1773 Spanish Navy 74-gun warship San Miguel. That ship was captured by the Brits and, just like the beer, the British embraced it as one of their own, re-naming it the HMS San Miguel in 1782. GT
