balete tree – Travel Up

Bewitching Balete Trees around the Philippines

If I had to pick a favorite tree, it would be the Balete (a relative of the Banyan tree). There’s just something about their haunting appearance, gnarled roots and their close ties to creatures of folklore that I find fascinating. They often look and feel like they could be portals to the Underworld. Or at least the setting for a good horror story.

The Balete tree is infamous in Philippine folklore for being the dwelling place of engkantos or supernatural creatures and nature spirits such as dwendes (dwarves), kapres (tree demons), diwatas (fairies) and tikbalangs (demon horses). If you grew up in the Philippines, you’ve probably been told by superstitious folk not to go anywhere near these trees as these could be gateways to the world of myths. This probably explains why I’m drawn to them.

Alamat Craft Brew: Beer Inspired by Philippine Folklore

I have a fascination for stories about Philippine mythology and think it’s really cool that brewers aim to popularize our folklore and promote local artists through beer. Alamat Craft Brew is a limited batch craft brewery established in 2015. The name Alamat is the Filipino word or legend or myth. All of Alamat Craft Brew’s beers are dedicated by Philippine Cryptozoology, Folklore and Mythology. Since they established themselves in 2015 while working in a homebrew setup in Quezon City, they’ve released a wide range of very distinctive beers.