With health consciousness rising among people, there's good news for beer patrons who can now raise a toast to a variety of the brew said to be natural, better in quality, authentic and sans artificial flavours.
'Craft beer' is gaining popularity in India as a healthy alternative to traditional beer which has artificial flavours and preservatives, making it unhealthy, and also as a drink encouraging responsible consumption, experts have said.
To promote the new brew and address issues from licence legislation to distribution, six micro breweries from Mumbai and Pune have come forward to celebrate a two-day 'Craft Beer Weekender' here from today in honour of the International Beer Day which was observed yesterday.
"For a layman, craft beer is an all natural product made using four ingredients - malt, hops, yeast and water. Commercial beers use sugar, maize, rice and other adjuncts along with enzymes and preservatives which make it unhealthy for your body," Ansh A Seth, Co-founder, Director-Finance & Administration, Brewbot Eatery and Pub Brewery, which is hosting the event, told PTI.
Interestingly, craft beer is unfiltered - which leaves it with a higher protein content. Legend has it that barrel-aged beers were created by accident when a distillery, trying to create a whisky, finished with ale flavours, he said.
He claimed craft beer has no preservatives and is a completely natural product. There is a unique character to every type and style of craft beer.
However, it is slightly more expensive than its traditional counterpart due to high ingredient costs involved, Seth said.
Navin Mittal, Founder and Partner at Gateway Brewing Company, said, "For the general consumer, it is an awakening. When he first tastes a craft beer that is packed with flavour, he wonders if this is really beer. Shock. Awe. Then the realisation that commercial beer is really not beer. Craft beer is beer.
"Also, we rely a lot on imported ingredients and hence
pay a high cost for raw materials," Bist said.
The limited number of craft breweries are a close knit community that help each other to overcome challenges faced in different areas, Seth said. "We try to jointly resolve problems rather than handle them individually. This is our motive for Craft Beer Weekender - Unity for Craft Beer."
Mittal said rules and regulations they have to face to produce craft beer will dissuade anyone thinking of getting into the industry.
"The Government is not proactive and doesn't recognise the advantages and benefits of promoting small businesses that promote entrepreneurship and are the backbone of any economy.
"The mindset has to change from revenue to a focus on quality. Taxes are also very high compared to other countries and it is ironic beer is clubbed with liquor when the alcohol percentage (in the former) is far lower," Mittal said.
Mittal said after making waves in Western and others part of the world, craft beer is gaining ground in India. "See its growth in the US, the UK, Mexico, Australia and other parts of the world, where sale of commercial lager is on the wane. In India, we see a high growth industry in the making."
To resolve regulatory and tax issues, Bist said breweries work as a family. "We all cooperate very closely to help each other and also lobby the respective authorities to make changes that will benefit the industry as a whole."
Listing some interesting facts about beer, Bist said, "Well, the first professional brewers to ever create beer were women. Also, beer was the drink of choice of the middle ages because clean water was difficult to find and alcohol in beer killed most of the microorganisms, making it easier to drink."
"This festival aims to showcase our love for craft beer. We want to form a unique community where competitors can work together to provide beers that represent authenticity, quality and innovation besides offering us an opportunity to generate greater preference for a brew that is full of flavours and truly handmade," said Anand Morwani, Craft Beer Weekender curator and partner at Brewbot Eatery and Pub Brewery.
