A museum dedicated to one of the Philippines’ most iconic and enduring brands, highlighting over 135 years of history and brewing tradition, and paying tribute to generations of employees, has opened at the country’s oldest surviving brewery in Polo, Valenzuela City.
San Miguel Corporation (SMC) President and COO John Paul L. Ang and San Miguel Brewery Inc. (SMBI) President and COO Carlos Antonio M. Berba recently led the opening of the company’s Polo Brewery Museum — marking the completion of a decades-long effort to gather and preserve archival records, historical objects and artifacts, and oral histories tracing San Miguel’s history as a beer brewer founded in 1890 — before it became a diversified conglomerate operating in multiple industries, today.
The museum, housed in the original building of the Polo brewery, features a wide collection of displays, including once-state-of-the-art brewing equipment, facsimiles of historical documents, classic labels and advertisements, workers tools, among others — all tracing the company’s evolution across generations.
Also featured are other priceless pieces used in the brewing process, including a mash filter used in separating liquid wort from solid grain, in preparation for beer brewing; a washing machine used for the filter cloth for the mash filter; an all-copper centerpiece mash tun, where the brewing process begins; and mash kettle where the liquid wort is boiled.
The items represent the company’s “last remaining connection” to its long and remarkable history.
“This tribute to San Miguel’s beginnings and milestones could not have been better placed. Polo Brewery is our oldest operating facility and it serves not just as a sentimental link to our past, but as a source of strength. It should remind us of our tradition of excellence and hard work through generations of employees. That same tradition powers our company today,” said Ang.
Following the destruction of World War II, San Miguel had to rebuild from the ruins of the City of Manila where it was originally founded in the San Miguel district in 1890 to its then acquired Balintawak Beer Brewery in Polo, when the area was still part of Bulacan in 1947.
It is in this building that the museum now showcases its displays, foremost of which is the Royal Patent issued by the government of Spain in 1890 that granted founder Don Enrique Maria Barretto de Ycaza the 20-year exclusive rights to brew beer at his La Fabrica de Cerveza de San Miguel in Manila.
Also on display are old promotional materials and advertising from the 1950s through the 1990s, as well as the various packaging and bottles developed over the decades.
Berba said preserving San Miguel’s history carries both honor and obligation. “You have to remember, while heritage… is a privilege, it is also a responsibility. It is our responsibility to make sure this legacy continues for SMB,” he said.
Efforts to establish the museum date back to as early as January 2000, but progress came gradually, with archives and historical pieces slowly accumulated through successive plant leaderships.
Stronger resolve to work on its completion came in 2025 as San Miguel marked its 135th anniversary, a milestone that highlights its longevity in Philippine business. Additional resources poured into transforming the space into what company officials described as a lasting source of pride for employees, and a reminder that long-term success is built on adaptation, discipline, and continuity.
For now, the Polo Brewery Museum is not open to the public, with only employee visits and pre-arranged, special visits allowed. It is intended not just to preserve artifacts, but also to highlight how brewing excellence, workforce training, and technological standards helped sustain the company’s expansion locally and regionally, for over a century.
Bukidnon 1st District Rep. Jose Manuel Alba, a long-time human resources officer of SMB, cited in his keynote address how he sees the human side of the company’s industrial story and its connection to the nation’s progress.
“Our rich history deserves to be honored even in a brewery like Polo — people need something that speaks to the heart,” Alba said. “Whether in San Miguel or in the public sector, the calling remains the same: Serve with your heart; struggle if you must; but always choose to be good.” ##30##
PHOTOS:
Leading the ribbon cutting rites of the Polo Brewery Museum are (from left) Bukidnon 1st District Rep. Jose Manuel Alba, SMC President and COO John Paul L. Ang, Polo Brewery Plant Manager Danny Pajarillo, former SMC CFO and now SMC consultant Ferdinand K. Constantino, and San Miguel Brewery Inc. President and COO Carlos Antonio M. Berba.
All-copper mash tun used in brewing beer and the evolution of San Miguel beer bottles.
A collection of vintage tools used in the old brewery.
The original marker of the Balintawak Beer Brewery plant in Polo, Bulacan, which was acquired by San Miguel in 1947 to rebuild its beer brewing business after World War II.
Perhaps, the most important artifact in the collection: the royal patent that gave Don Enrique Maria Barretto de Ycaza the exclusive rights to brew beer in Manila in 1890.
These dated tools and equipment were considered state-of-the-art during their time in the mid-1900s.
The original marker of the Balintawak Beer Brewery plant in Polo, Bulacan, which was acquired by San Miguel in 1947 to rebuild its beer brewing business after World War II.
Perhaps, the most important artifact in the collection: the royal patent that gave Don Enrique Maria Barretto de Ycaza the exclusive rights to brew beer in Manila in 1890.
These dated tools and equipment were considered state-of-the-art during their time in the mid-1900s.
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