It’s not lost on beer lovers in India that International Beer Day falls during monsoons. But, one can break a few rules, swap chai for beer and pair it with pakodas. While everyone has their favourite draughts, this list of three new launches from breweries in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai could be of interest to most.
Geist Picket Fence IPA
The innovative Bengaluru brewery, Geist Brewing Co., with a sprawling beer garden, has launched a white Belgian-Style Witbier that incorporates the hop expression of an American IPA .The result is a White Beer-India Pale Ale hybrid named Geist Picket Fence IPA. The easy-drinking experimental drink has fruity and citrus notes combined with restrained bitterness of hops. Savour it slowly, and allow the flavours to unfold. It has 5.5% ABV, and is designed to be a wonderful session-able beer.
Millet beer by Great State Aleworks
Few weeks ago, Pune-based Great State Aleworks launched two small batch brews for their Millet Series collection that are available at The Bombay Canteen in Mumbai, and Malaka Spice and Great State Dive in Pune. The first is an earthy Jowar Pilsner named Moral Fibre, and the second is a cashew jowar sour called Salt Of The Earth. The latter is a gose-style brew that uses the cashew fruit, sourced from Goa. It is inspired by the coastal state's ubiquitous cocktail that has soda, salt, green chilli, lime—and feni. It is sour, flavourful and has a hint of chilli. It almost feels like a refreshing cocktail that has been reimagined as a beer.
Rolling Mill’s Pastry Stout Brewery
One of the newest breweries in Mumbai is Rolling Mills, and they have an interesting collection of beers; from a fruity sour ale to an Italian pilsners and hazy New England India Pale Ale. Their newest launch is an indulgent pastry stout named Social Cues. It is brewed to embody the flavours of a dessert with roasted malts that have notes of chocolate, caramel, coffee and vanilla.