OnTap Magazine

bottled beer from White Owl and Simba, two emerging breweries from Mumbai and Goa respectively. Simba’s Jungle Stout was really solid with good body but still drinkable in the heat, though their stand-out was the Jungle Wheat – a light witbier spiced with orange peel, coriander and lemongrass. White Owl was really making its mark by sponsoring the bands at the biggest craft market in the region – a domain usually left to big brands like Kingfisher. The Saturday Anjuna Night Market does not disappoint – think Greenmarket Square meets the Old Biscuit Mill, except Greenmarket would just about fit into the space reserved for the live bands at Anjuna. It’s massive and a must for anyone going to Goa – just don’t confuse it with the two other imposter markets in the area. We would thoroughly research White Owl later, but for now we were seeking out little local breweries. Just 15 minutes south I found my next stop, Susegado Brewery in Baga Beach. The 1000-litre brewery is based in a Mexican restaurant with a laidback vibe, cool tunes and great beer made on site. I felt quite at home - all they needed to do was paint the building yellow...The beers were among the most innovative – and the best – that I tried while in India: Mango Wheat, English-style IPA, a crisp blonde ale, and a fairly ambitious Vanilla Porter. These guys are on point and constantly pushing the boundaries. When I was there they were experimenting with Cryo hops – concentrated lupulin from whole leaf hops – in their new IPA. Yes I got to taste it from tank, but if you want to know what it tastes like, you’re just going to have to go there. By this stage even Shannon was quite amazed as to how much craft beer she had been subjected to in India. Me, I just smiled. But our trip was quickly coming to an end and we decided we were ready to graduate from India Light and brave the big city. A few phone calls to the airline later and we were off to Mumbai for a few days. Now I have taken many a taxi ride in my life, but there is something about a taxi ride in India. The word t h a t s p r i n g s to mind is fear; pure, utter, unadulterated fear. But that’s another story for another day. For now, my advice, if you find yourself in a Mumbai taxi, is to forget craft beer for a while and invoke your inner yogi: just breathe. And don't worry about the cows: they will move. THE BREWPUB MODEL In Mumbai, it takes two hours to drive about 10km, and a lot of the time Google will tell you it’s faster to walk, so it’s not surprising that many breweries have multiple taprooms all over the city and a lot only sell from their brewpub. Doolally is one example: there are six taprooms in the greater Mumbai area, with the brewery about three hours away in Pune. Doolally was India’s first microbrewery, launched in 2009 and offering an impressive range of well-made beers, i n c l u d i n g rarities in India such as an abbey b l o n d e , o a t m e a l stout and a rauchbier. While in Mumbai I managed two other breweries, but getting around is hard. Maybe that’s why so many breweries don't do distribution, sticking instead to their own brewpubs and taprooms. White Owl opened in 2014 and has started distribution in Mumbai, Goa and Pune. It is situated in a massive office complex so a bit hard to find but when we did we were pleasantly surprised with the beers. White Owl has an excellent selection and I got stuck into the taster tray, suddenly feeling quite grateful for the taxi that would take me home. Their APA was outstanding and I could have kept drinking the Spark Belgian Wit all day. Witbiers and wheat ales seem to be leading the way in the Indian craft revolution – light, refreshing brews that still deliver plenty of flavour. The last brewery we went looking for was closed so we made our way back to the hotel, gritting our teeth as we swerved around dozing cows. All in all I saw a lot and missed a lot when it comes to the craft beer seen in India, but at least I avoided the yoga. Sorry Shannon – maybe next time. ontapmag.co.za | Winter 2018 | 45 DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES 2 JULY 2018. DETAILS AND ENTRY FORM ON WWW.SANBT.COM ARE YOU WORTH GOLD? N A T I O N A L B E E R T R O P H Y 2 0 1 8 NATIONAL BEER TROPHY 2018