Froth with flavour: How craft beer is evolving to diverse palates of tastes

It is the best time to be in Mumbai if you love beer. The notes are fruity, chocolatey, citrusy and refreshing. It has easily been over a decade since craft beers were first introduced in the city, but just like another unique kind of cocktail, Mumbaikars have warmed up to the idea of craft brews. Interestingly, the last few years have seen this very interest among diners being taken to the next level, which allows even craft beer makers to experiment with their flavours.

Karan Jain, CEO of BrewDog India, which has outlets in Lower Parel, has seen this change occur ever since the first outlet opened in March 2021. He explains, "Not so long ago, the craft beer selection was restricted to a handful of options like wheat or fruity flavours such as mango-infused brews." However, he says the craft beer landscape has undergone a remarkable transformation. "What was once a modest selection of three to four beers has now blossomed into an impressive assortment of 14 to 15 unique brews. This diverse range covers everything from refreshingly light rice lagers to rich and robust stouts, appealing to a wide spectrum of beer enthusiasts."

This has kind of helped further the craft beer revolution that enjoys a delightful number of beer drinks, who not only want to move beyond the traditional bottled beer but also go out and enjoy sipping on a frothy beer that exudes unique flavours in every sip, and BrewDog has been one of quite a few taprooms that not only serve but also brew their own craft beers and part of this revolution. One that now has over 200 microbreweries in India, according to Anirudh Khanna, promoter, Independence Brewing Company (IBC), with most of them located in major cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Pune, and Hyderabad. It is no wonder by now that Mumbai as a city is regarded as an early adopter of trends, and craft beer has been no different.

Every year, International Beer Day is observed on August 4 to celebrate the spirit. A spirit that has undergone significant change in
India and for the better. Just like the food being served in the city, many chefs and bartenders this writer has spoken over the last two years attribute the change to the well-travelled and informed diner, who are willing to spend more on the food and drink they are consuming, and craft beer is no different. "In recent years, the market has embraced premiumisation, with customers willing to spend more for a better experience and product," adds Jain.

Making craft beers in Maharashtra
Interestingly, Pankil Shah, director and co-founder, Neighbourhood Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., which runs Woodside Inn, has also observed a similar trend since their first outlet opened in Colaba in 2007, followed by Bandra and Andheri over the years. The city restaurant started serving craft beers in December 2013. He shares, "The culture of craft beer consumption in Mumbai and in India is ever-evolving. Even five years ago, we didn't have as many craft beer options as we do now in Mumbai as well as in other parts of India such as Gurgaon and Bengaluru.

Even smaller cities like Aurangabad now have a craft brewery. As the consumer gets more and more educated about craft beer, there's a movement towards appreciating the actual craft of making quality beer as well." Today, he says, Woodside Inn Bandra boasts of a selection of over 18 craft beer styles, all of which have been made in Maharashtra.

Just like BrewDog, Doolally Taproom has been synonymous with craft beer in Mumbai. Even before it opened its first two outlets in Andheri and Bandra in Mumbai in 2015, Doolally opened in Pune in 2009. Belinda D'souza, brand manager of Doolally, shares, "The average Indian beer drinker is more curious, more open and interested in understanding craft beer, brewing and the nuances of the craft, than his/her counterpart anywhere else in the world." Like Shah, D'souza also points out how there are breweries manufacturing, creating, bottling and serving beer in Maharashtra than five years ago, and that is evident in the fact that there are a good number of breweries in Mumbai and Pune, which ensures that they are all competing to make the best beers and serve them to the diner.

While BrewDog and Doolally serve their craft beers in tall glasses, Indian craft beer brand Simba Beer, which was started in 2016 with their brewery in Durg in Chattisgarh, puts it in bottles, just as more people were developing a taste for the new wave of beers, making it easier for people to enjoy beers at home. Ishwaraj Singh Bhatia, co-founder of Simba Beer, explains, "With the introduction of taprooms and home-grown brands in general, the craft beer segment has seen a significant lift in consumption in Mumbai.

The growth in the craft beer industry has been fuelled by a rising fascination with beer culture, a demand for diverse flavours, and a willingness to explore new beer styles." To capitalise on this trend, Bhatia says Simba recently resumed distribution in Maharashtra after a two-year hiatus during the pandemic. The company is now actively expanding its presence in Mumbai and steadily broadening its distribution
across both retail and on-trade channels.

Serving flavours with froth
It is this very pull to the state and the maximum city, that has led breweries to experiment with their flavours that go beyond the notes of citrus that came out to appeal to the masses all those years ago. Some of them have been seen at BrewDog, as Jain explains, "At BrewDog, we have experimented with diverse beer styles like Punk IPA, Hazy Jane, Elvis Juice (grapefruit IPA), Silk Road (mango litchi IPA), and witnessed immense traction in the market. People love to explore and indulge in new flavours." So, it is no surprise when Jain says their more recent beers include more flavour with Silk Road, a Mango Litchi IPA, and Crystal Ball, brewed with Champagne yeast, which has seen a good response, and one that diners and drinkers wouldn't have imagined or sipped on a pre-pandemic.

Apart from serving beers by different breweries at the Woodside Inn outlets, Shah points out that independently there have been some great creations recently,
including Zini Lager by Gateway Brewing Company, Faaak It Lager, in collaboration with Vir Das, by Great State Aleworks. Even Woodside Inn themselves have worked with Gateway Brewing Company to create unique brews very often. Earlier this year, for their Gymkhana menu in association with
Kunal Vijaykar they brewed an exclusive 'MinTea Lager', which was inspired by the mint tea drinking culture which is unique to the gymkhanas in the city.

Their most recent collaboration being for the ongoing 16th edition of the Beer and Burger festival, where they brewed an exclusive small-batch Lager inspired by the beer consumed on the streets of Vietnam. This is only one of six creations. "We have another collaboration beer with Bombay Duck Brewing Company, which is made with millets to encourage the current millet movement.

Besides this, we have also innovated with a tarty Cucumber Gose by Gateway Brewing Company to pair with Chef Saransh Goila's Gully Burger (inspired by Bittoo Tikki Walla from Delhi)," adds Shah. When one talks about craft brews, just like seasonal menus, brewers want to tease the drinker's palate with seasonal flavours, so they make small batches with seasonal ingredients that Shah says have seen notes of mango and strawberry, apart from hibiscus, passionfruit and chocolate.

At IBC, Khanna says their latest launch in the ‘Tropical Lager' is called ‘Trickster'. It has a complex mix of tropical aromas and citrusy flavours, brewed perfectly with crisp malt and hints of caramel sweetness. "Another one is our adorable Strawberry GRAF named ‘Prince Charming' and brewed using fresh strawberries and a blend of malt and apple juice with spritzy and semi-sweet finish," he adds. With seasonal craft brews, Khanna says, hints of chocolate or sweet caramel, floral hops or fruity notes, rich coffee undercurrents add an endless variety of flavour nuances.

"The premiumisation of craft is quite proliferating for young India, hence the demand for it has been going through the roof," he adds. IBC tries to release atleast two new styles every quarter. So, this year they started with Italian Grape Ale made with locally harvested grapes, and also have a Mango Graf on tap. "For the next two quarters we intend to focus on easy drinking session beers for the most part, but hopefully also release some winter warmers for the holiday season," he envisions.

However, all these flavours have only been possible because the consumer is more aware than before or like D'souza likes to put it, "Version 2.0 metro consumers", who are more clued into global trends than their counterparts from 10 years ago. She explains, "People are exploring different styles like Stout, Gose, Kolsch, Dunkelbier and Doppelbock among others. As a brewery, we have noticed a considerable rise in people wanting to know what sits in their glass better. People are not drinking beer and just saying, 'It tastes great', they are curious to know its history and the science behind each brew.

Keeping their experimenting hats on all the time, the microbrewery has a 'Beer of the Month', since they are brewed in small batches and are limited in stock. "We have had a lot of unique flavours like a Mango Basil Cider, Mosambi Gose, Strawberry Gose, Millet Witbier, and Irish Red Ale among others. We also added two meads to our selection, Coffee Orange Mead and Alphonso Mead, the first batch of kegs were cleared out in a day." It is a time, she says, when new styles of beers are being brewed and old styles are being reinvented. The microbrewery also serves Passion Fruit IPA and Karvanda Gose at their outlets.

Working with different grains or fruits, D'souza says the brewing team at Doolally is always experimenting with something. She shares, "The Karvanda Gose is made from blackberries from Khandala. We also have a rich Chocolate Coconut Milk Stout and a Smoked Apple Cider, which will blow your mind with its smoky, woody flavours."

Bottling up and seasonal flavours
While drinkers are experimenting with lagers, ales and ciders, Simba Beer's Bhatia has seen consumers move beyond traditional lagers and ales to experiment with Wit Beer and Stout. Over the years, he boasts that Simba is known to have been the first craft beer brand to bottle a stout beer. Currently, they have the Simba WIT, which is a classic Belgian Wit Beer, which is a refreshing and light with notes of citrus, spices and a subtle hind of lemongrass on the palate. They also have the Simba Lager, which is a fresh lager, followed by the Indian Pale Ale with its own remarkable style is crisp and smooth on the palate. The Simba Stout is low on bitterness and easy drinking, he says, and dominated by coffee, along with complimentary aromas of toffee, caramel, and dark chocolate.

Season craft beers are relatively possible for microbreweries making small batch but may prove to be difficult for the likes of Simba, Bhatia points out. He says seasonal flavours may be challenging from the production point of view because they are short-term, and the fact that India is not a dominant beer drinking market, means they have to weigh their options while make their decisions. "While seasonal flavours in craft beer may seem appealing and have gained popularity globally, there are some potential challenges and drawbacks across cost, storage and shelf life and regulations, etc. Further, India's diverse climate and cultural variations make it challenging to generalise seasonal preferences," he adds.

Seasonal craft beers can be a challenge when had in bottles, but just as Mumbai microbreweries are making the most of the ingredients, their Bengaluru counterpart is enjoying every bit of it. In the city, which is another hub for craft beers and breweries, Geist Brewing Co., is making the most of seasonal fruits and ingredients. Narayan Manepally, founder and CEO, says, "We have noticed mango season bringing in fresh demands from customers for Mango beers. Using seasonal fruits is a great way to introduce new styles of craft beer to a whole new customer base, which may have never experienced a craft beer before."

Such has been the evolution of the customers, that Manepally has seen more people go beyond lagers, ales and ciders. He explains, "While wheat beers continue to dominate customer preferences, many are moving outside their comfort zone and experimenting with new styles, tastes and flavours. It is not uncommon to see a lot more people drinking Stouts and IPAs than before." Geist is working on a few new styles which are hybrids between ales and lagers but more importantly, they boast of having worked with unique flavours.

"We have worked on a Grapefruit Wheat Ale, a Kala Namak Jamun Ale, a Passion Fruit Chilli Ale, a Blood Orange IPA and a Grapefruit IPA. We have a few surprises up our sleeve, but we'll leave it in suspense till we launch," concludes Manepally, clearly highlighting how much craft beers have evolved over the years, and how diners are looking to experiment more than ever before.

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