OnTap Magazine

WORLD OF BEER said Shannon,my partner inbusiness and life, who is filed inmy cell phone as ‘The Boss’. “India?” I thought. “But there are no microbreweries for me to visit in India. What am I going to do while you’re being a tree or a mountain or a downward- facing dog?” But as most of my friends know, you don't argue with Shannon, so off to India it was. Her yoga mat was rolled and ready to go and I think she had a more spiritual adventure in mind, but as hard as she might try, it is tough to hide beer fromme. I wasn’t holding my breath but I googled “craft beer India” and there, to my surprise, something like 745,000 hits came back. So with bags packed and surf board under arm (just in case) it was off to India: Goa to be precise or as some people know it, ‘India Light’. It is hot, it is noisy and it takes longer to get out of Mumbai than it takes to get to India in the first place, so the first thing you need to do is grab a beer. And of course, the first beer that I grabbed was Kingfisher, the local lager. Don't knock it until you’ve tried it – it’s not easy drinking double IPAs when it’s 36 degrees outside, with what feels like 115% humidity. People who know me know I'm not opposed to a few lagers when I'm exploring the tropics, and as we journeyed down the coast to Arambol, I suspected I would see a few more mainstream lagers in my not-too-distant future. BEACH BEERS OK, enough about lager. In India, the law around alcohol is different in every state, with Goa being the most relaxed. You can pretty much pull up to any beach shack with a fridge, grab what you like and head on down the beach drink in hand. And imagine my surprise when the first fridge I opened was filled with monkeys. Bira91 monkeys to be exact – and in cans! Bira91 has been around since early 2015. They initially produced the beer in Belgium, but demand quickly forced them to find a suitable brewery in India. The cartoon monkeys splashed across the cans hit me with a hip, light- heartedness I somehow didn’t expect to find in the Indian beer scene. I grabbed a can of each and headed down the beach for my first sip of Indian craft. The Blonde was clean, easy drinking and refreshing – everything I needed from a beer in that moment. Next up was the White Ale, a wheat beer that I found a little heavy on the citrus. But it was undeniably light and refreshing, and you can see that they have definitely taken the weather into account when designing their brews. And if the temperature ever dips below 30, there’s the Strong Ale, a souped-up version of their wheat: 7% ABV and with a rich honey flavour. India’s craft beer scene began to take shape about 10 years ago and things have moved pretty quickly. The challenges are plentiful: cultural taboos, a total ban on booze advertising, high taxes, low wages – and getting a licence in India makes starting up a brewpub in Jo’burg seem like a walk in the park. But despite all the hurdles, craft beer is making waves in India. The Craft Brewers Association of India was founded in 2014, there have been a number of small-scale craft beer fests and it seems that in any given city you can easily swap your Kingfisher for something with a bit more flavour. PUSHING BOUNDARIES It’s a new day, a new town, another beach, another bar and to my surprise – and Shannon’s dismay – more craft beer. In the town of Anjuna I find The Goan Hub – the closest thing the area has to a craft beer bar, with Bira91 on tap, plus I googled ‘craft beer India’ and 745,000 hits came back “I WANT TO GO TO INDIA,” Greg takes some time out from the breweries to find his zen. Greg shares a beer with Susegado brewer-owner Aditya Challa. Susegado Brewery in Baga Beach is breaking boundaries and producing excellent, innovative beers. The contemporary design work on Indian beer labels contrasts with the country's traditional art. 44 | Winter 2018 | ontapmag.co.za