Filipinos’ love of drinking inspired ‘Vitamin Beer’

MANILA, Philippines -- Invention is 5 percent inspiration and 95 percent perspiration, Thomas Alva Edison, one of the world’s greatest inventors, said.

For Filipino inventor Virgilio “Billy” L. Malang, who invented a vitamin-laced beer, that 5 percent inspiration came from the Filipinos’ love of drinking.

“Tubig sa atin ang beer (Beer is like water to us),” he told the Inquirer. “The Pinoy’s weakness is beer, and his next weakness is the next beer,” he added.

A 2004 Kirin Research Institute study ranks the Philippines as the 5th highest beer consumer in Asia (next to China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand), with 1.4 billion liters consumed annually and projected growth of 15.6 percent per annum. A Filipino drinks an average of nearly 20 liters of beer a year.

“Sa Pilipino kasi, tatlong okasyon lang na pwedeng uminom siya—Kapag siya ay malungkot; kung siya ay masaya; at yung pagitan ng dalawa (Filipinos drink only on three occasions—when they are sad, when they are happy and in between),” Malang noted in jest.

Malang’s Vitamin B complex-fortified beer or Vitamin Beer takes some of the guilt out of drinking.

“If you are looking for an excuse to take a swig, this is it,” said Malang, who claimed that Vitamin Beer replaces the essential Vitamin B which is lost when excessive amounts of alcohol are consumed. continue reading...

PINOY INVENTOR DEVELOPS VITAMIN-FORTIFIED RICE BEER

A Filipino inventor has developed a rice beer that is fortified with multivitamins and can be considered as food supplement.

Dr. Billy Malang, inventor of the “Rice Beer Fortified with Multivitamins,” said, “hindi mo rin lang naman maawat and Pilipino sa pag-inom, ang sweldo, gagastusin niya para sa pakikisama, etc., e di at least, gawin mo nang healthy ang pag-inom (Since we cannot stop Filipinos from drinking beer, as they would even spend their entire salary for the sake of camaraderie, I made a healthy drink made of beer).”

Malang said the rice beer, which can be stored for six months, is considered a health drink and a food supplement as it is fortified with multivitamins, has low calories, and an alcohol volume of only 3.5 percent.

He added that the patent for this particular invention, which he received July of this year, was approved since he had brought back the vitamins in beer, which is not present in ordinary beer because of the fermentation process.

Malang rice’s beer invention recently qualified for the National Inventor’s Contest, which will be held this November. continue reading...