A dash of chilli, a hint of cacao: Craft beer gets a makeover

Microbreweries are catering to a young, experimental market with flavours like guava and lime, kokum and pepper.

Some like it bitter, some like it sweet. Whatever your preference, the country’s growing number of microbreweries are mixing and matching ingredients to create crafty brews.

There are the sweet and refreshing fruity flavours (mulberry, mango, watermelon); a IxCacao stout; even a Bhut Jholakia Chilli Beer.

“It all started with brew pubs at Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune making mango beers,” says John Eapen, who runs the beer blog Tales of Froth. “Since then brewers have gone on to add everything from guava to lime, kokum and pepper to not just lagers [made of barley], but also wheat beers.”

Traditional beer drinkers might roll their eyes at such a menu, but these are just the flavours to initiate the uninitiated, and for beer connoisseurs to geek out over.

Adding orange peel and coriander to make Belgian wit is an age old practice. “In time, microbreweries in India started wondering what else could be done with it,” says Eapen. “Mango kick-started it, then experiments began with other fruits, flowers, herbs and spices.”

Specialty beers became a good gateway drink for those new to alcohol, or not great fans of beer.

India consumes almost as much beer as all the spirits combined. According to the Spirits in India (Country Report) released in 2018, beer consumption in India has increase by 142% in the ten years from 2008 to 2018.

Because drinking beer is a social activity, quirky flavours work well. “Youngsters and working people come over after office hours and the different beers they try out become part of the conversation,” says Sujata Gowda, the marketing head of Byg Brewski in Bengaluru.

FIVE QUIRKY SPECIALTY BEERS TO TRY

Bhut Jholakia

This seasonal apple cider beer by Gateway Brewing Co is made from Kashmiri Lal Ambri apples, and infused with a homemade extract of bhut jolokia, one of the world’s hottest chillies. It has a punch from the chilli, and a lingering spiciness, but neither overwhelms.

Basmati Blonde

Toit has an easy-drinking light beer that blends notes of malt with the floral goodness of Basmati rice, to create a subtle, smooth floral brew.

Chinatown

This hibiscus tea-infused brew made by the Great State Ale Works for The Bombay Canteen, Mumbai, blends the flavour and aroma of the tea with the natural spiciness of a brew made with a special Belgian saison yeast. It’s reddish, slightly sweet and slightly tart. Thumbs up for its light mouthfeel and smooth finish.

Mulberry Pie

This sour red ale, made by Independence Brewing Company, only in the summers, is infused with fresh mulberries sourced from Mahabaleshwar. The beer bursts with the aroma of the fruit, and has a pleasant tart finish. Thumbs up for its mild sourness and rich red wine colour.

IxCacao (pronounced Eh-ka-kao)

Named after the Mayan goddess of cacao and chocolate, this nitro stout is brewed with pale malts, roasted barley, cocoa nibs and bourbon vanilla. It has intense bittersweet chocolate and vanilla notes. Thumbs up for its excellent combination of ingredients.