OnTap Magazine

WORLD OF BEER 2019, when Arjun was wondering what local variant of beer to make, mahua naturally came to mind. A few experiments with recipes later, the Mahua Dubbel was born. With the malty character of a Dubbel and the earthy, boozy nature of the mahua flower, the Mahua Dubbel (8% ABV, IBU around 15) was a hit with Arbor’s patrons. Given the wide range of plants, herbs, roots and fruits available, brewers have to take calculated risks in brewing with any of these. Which is why, before brewing a commercial batch, they experiment with recipes on a small scale. Mixing and matching different ingredients with various proportions of malt and hops, they figure out what lands best on the palate. Experimental batches that don’t turn out well are chucked. This need for experimentation and nimbleness is why local variants can be easily brought out in craft beer, but not so in industrial-scale brewing. Covid-19 saw brewing come to a grinding halt in India back in April 2020. In 2021, the crowds wended their way back to brewpubs across the country in fits and starts. But it was only early this year that business assumed normal proportions again. And brewers have once more started working on intriguing localised brews. For instance, Arbor Brewing Company, Bangalore, has come up with a lager called Rare Earth, into which they have infused kodampuli (Malabar tamarind, a variant of tamarind used widely in the state of Kerala), black Himalayan salt and roasted jeera (cumin seeds). The resulting flavour is somewhat akin to the Indian chaat masala. Pale golden in colour, it has sour, astringent and salty notes on the palate and a whiff of smoke on the nose. Other brewers too have lined up plans for interesting localised beer in the coming months and are excited about serving them to patrons. It definitely looks like local will become more of a thing in the next year or three. A version of this article was originally published on blefakegs-blog.de/en. Images courtesy of Toit Brewpub and Arbor Brewing Company, Bangalore. 50 | Winter 2022 | ontapmag.co.za