India finally opens for Indian Pale Ale – A beer flavour first brewed in the early 1800s for British officers in India.

Beer culture in India has been dominated by lagers, witbier and malts. Beer breweries and pub culture with its origins in metropolitans like Mumbai, Bengaluru and Goa has soon expanded towards other metropolitans and cities like Delhi NCR, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata and even in the hilly beautiful city of Shimla. 

Delhi known for its butter chicken, momos (dim sums), parathas and chole bhature never had a culture of beer breweries. Owning to relaxations in the excise policy, rising young crowds, and urbanisation of the city beer breweries and beer culture has been on a rise and is expected to peak in the years to come. South Delhi had its first micro-brewery called Effingut in 2022.

A regular visitor to the place, among its 15 different beer flavours ranging from Belgian Wit to Apple Cider my favourite and go to flavour is West Coast IPA. It is Effingut that made fall in love with IPAs. Interestingly, IPA was invented for Britain with extra added hops to make the beer shipped to India last longer as hops act as preservatives. During the shipment to India, hops hung around long enough in the beer to leave a bitter taste which resulted in Indian Pale Ale.

West Coast IPA have an intense flavour with a citrus smooth finish that leaves a hoppy after taste – a true IPA trademark. West Coast IPA has a distinctive red amber colour and strikes a right balance between full-bodied flavour of citrus notes and spices with hoppy bitterness. West Coast IPA is best enjoyed with Cheesy Mushroom Bites – mushroom and water chestnut tossed in a chilli garlic sauce decked with artisanal cheese.

Do match your West Coast IPA with “Heera” a drunken soul music of Peter Cat Recording Company with desultory lyrics and dance like shapes.

Rating: 4.5/5

Brewery: Effingut Saket @effingutbrews

Music: “Heera”, Peter Cat Recording Co. @Youtube

 ---

Review by Shobhit Jaiswal (@shobhi14)

Read his other reviews here!