Do you know what the Vyasa, Ram-Laxman, Pandavas, GoT, and Sacred Games lads were sipping on? MEAD. This fermented honey drink, possibly of Indian origin, has been around for centuries. Pune-based Moonshine Meadery is putting it back on the shelves. Sommelier Gagan SHARMA visits the meadery and meet with the mad bunch of creators and their minions to find out what’s the fuss all about and tastes a few.
Tag: Indian Beverage
Ace lensman, cigar enthusiast, sneakerhead, and the co-founder of Svami Drinks, Aneesh BHASIN juggles many hats. He founded one of India’s first online apps for alcohol called Hipcask before co-founding Svami Drinks, India’s first premium brand of Indian tonic water. He is a gentleman of fine tastes and many accomplishments and it was a pleasure to catch up with him over a brief tête-à-tête.
What inspired you to produce tonic water in India?
As a gin and tonic drinker myself, I was tired of Schweppes and saw so many better options when I traveled abroad. At the same time, there was no premium non-alcoholic beverages in India – be it tonics, ginger ale, etc.
What’s the ideology behind Svami Drinks?
The idea with Svami is to create the most relevant and definitive portfolio of aerated beverages, catering to both – the alcoholic drinker and the sober curious. We make our own recipes and bottle in house, which is first for any such product in Asia.
After ginger ale and tonic, what’s next?
We just launched the Svami Soda, and we’re soon launching a completely new line of products which again, would be the first of it’s kind in Asia.
What are the biggest impediments to the growth of tonic water in India?
It’s fair to assume that tonics will be linked to gin consumption and India is still very low on gin numbers. There is excitement in this space and as gin consumption grows, so will tonic consumption.
If not tonic water, what other mixers do you give in to?
I do enjoy a lot of drinks with soda!
How does your love for watches, sneakers, and cigars mix with Svami?
We ultimately want Svami to be a lifestyle brand and not a commodity. That distills down to being a part of many subcultures and I think an appreciation for better drinks, food, lifestyle etc all go hand in hand so my interests and Svami fit very well.
What is your favourite tipple at the end of a busy day?
So many choices! Don’t think I can narrow it down to one but my favorites would be a good gin and tonic, tequila tonic, Hanky Panky or some IPA!
What does the Mandala on the Svami Tonic crown cap represent?
Svami asserts it’s Indianness via the Mandala, the spiritual symbol for the universe across several native religions and a key element of our packaging. After all, who can resist a drink blended with cosmic juju?
We also wanted to stay away from the cliche Indian names and branding elements.
What is your advice to young professionals seeking a career in this field?
It’s a fantastic time to be in this industry, craft spirits seem to be the most exciting in terms of new opportunities and hopefully, with growlers and craft beer rules getting relaxed, that’s another space to look out for. Whatever you get into, please make sure you are always learning and up to speed not only with what’s happening in India but globally.
Varun Sharma is the Beverage Manager at Comorin. He is responsible for
overseeing Comorin‘s unique beverage program that includes craft
cocktails, house made liquors and infusions, as well as a distinctive range
of coffee, tea, and soft beverages. Varun has over 12 years of experience in
the beverage industry, with highlights including his role as Head Bartender
and Mixologist at Ricks, the Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi; as Bar Manager
overseeing Delhi and Mumbai locations of Soda Bottle Openerwala; and as
Bar Manager at Chidiya Ghar Bar, Roseate House Hotel, Delhi. He has won
numerous awards including regional wins at the Diageo World Class (in
both 2014 and 2013, where he was also named among the top 6 bartenders in the India both years) and at the National Award for Best Mixologist at the Corralejo Teqnic Mixology Challenge, 2014.
You’ve made sous-vide a sexy thing to adopt at your bar. What’s the inspiration behind that?
Sous Vide method means under- vacuum, a method which was being used in the kitchen for preserving food. Few years back I observed more and more chefs were using this technique which made me curious to experiment with it for my cocktails. So, when I was working on the Comorin menu two years back I was excited to create cocktails using this technique. Taking inspiration from it we have cocktail mixers as well such as infused gin, vodka, whisky and other liqueurs at Comorin.
You make your own syrups, vermouths, and bitters. How do you suggest more bars indulge in this practice?
The practice of making your own mixers and syrups is not a very difficult but just an art where you need learn the ratios between a spirit, a sweetener, spices, fruits and herbs and understand your ingredients and there combinations. Everyone with the knowledge and passion can create it.
Your mixology style is unique. How would you describe it?
Mixology is an art of preparing drinks and creating a wholesome experience. My mantra is simple as I believe I should have fun with my ingredients and combinations. Each drink that I serve to my guests should let them have an outstanding experience.
Given a chance to start a bar of your own, what theme would you adopt?
Not looking at it for now for sure but if ever then it will be an Old Classic Bar with modern techniques & equipments and wide usage of global and traditional ingredients.
What’s that one cocktail that you’d make for your favourite comic character?
Gin and tonic for Genie from Aladdin
What’s your favourite tipple at the end of a busy day?
Nothing can beat traditional Bourbon with Cola
What is your advice to young professionals seeking a career in this field?
Honestly, Bartending is a fun field and it’s essential for you to be passionate and enthusiastic about it. As, this profession is all about ensuring your guests had an out of the world experience because anyone can learn the recipes and proportions and create drink but what makes you stand out from the lot is how you made the whole experience enjoyable for your diners.
I would say be passionate, focused and enthusiastic about your field because it reflect in your work.
At first glance the lean and rather sporty frame of Thomas belies his beer credentials; one’d expect a brewer to be less, sinewy! But a few minutes into the conversation and one soon begins to understand the vast expanse of knowledge that Mr. Hartman is and the richness of the experience he brings to the beer table. Bira91‘s head brewer is a treasure trove of beer facts and stories and his presence has changed the brands’ perceived image drastically in a short time. We got to share a few pints with him and the talk just flowed. From the beers Thomas made us try, one can easily say that Bira91’s brews are in safe hands for the moment. Here’s how it went.
Thomas started as a homebrewer before deciding to go to school. He earned the Siebel Institute Master Brewer certification, and went on to work in craft breweries of different sizes in Sweden and the US before joining AB-InBev’s ZX Ventures as global innovation brewer, working with their craft and specialty brewers around the globe. Thomas joined Bira 91 in the beginning of 2019 as VP of Brewing and Innovation.
What inspired you to become a brewer?
When I was growing up I was always into cooking and making little packaged goods like soaps or shampoos or sauces. My mom is a great cook and I was always learning from her. When I graduated from high school she actually got me a homebrewing kit. I think she just knew I would like it, and she was right. I got more and more sucked in until I figured I would go to school and become a professional.
Which is the one language you wanted to learn and one you have never wished to?
Right about now I really wish I spoke Hindi. I’ve learned two other languages, but they were more or less similar to my native tongue. Hindi is on a whole different level of difficulty for me. I love languages. You can tell so much about a culture by how they speak, so there was never one I didn’t want to learn.
What is unique about your style of making beers?
The more experience I’ve gained the more and more simple my approach has become. I try to keep the raw materials simple and good, and get the complexity from the process. I played a few instruments when I was growing up and I remember my teacher once told me “silence is a note.” Sometimes what isn’t there says as much as what is.
How would you describe your job to a child?
I’d probably say, “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”
Which is the most unique beer you have tasted?
I’ve tasted a lot of “unique” mistakes I’ve made over the years, but those always end up in the drain. I once had a beer that was brewed with frozen pizza and money. Not sure why.
What are the biggest hurdles you face while making beers in India?
You said to keep it short, but I could write a book here. I’d say the biggest issue for all brewers in India is the Government. There is so much regulation, so much tax throughout the entire supply chain, so much red tape. The alcohol industry is one of the biggest revenue sources for the states that allow sale, but the policies in place make it very challenging for us to run our operations and make a sustainable level of profit.
What style(s) of brew do you think India should opt in near future?
I think fruited sour beer has potential to be big here. There are so many unique fruits with amazing aromas and flavors. Making sour beer that is drinkable and balanced is not easy, so I think the focus needs to be on ensuring these beers are done really well, especially at first, to convince people they’re worth drinking. When its 45° out a sour beer hits the spot.
If there were a beer that you could brew with no regards to cost of production or sales targets, what would it be and why?
One day when I am old I would like to open up a little brewery in the woods in my home state and make traditional open fermented Bavarian Weissbier and classic German Pilsener.
What’s your favourite tipple at the end of a busy day?
A pint of Guinness and a short glass of Irish, usually Teeling.
What is your advice to young professionals seeking a career in this field?
First I’d say really examine why you want to get into the beer industry, and pick the right avenue for you based on what you want to do, but more importantly what you’re good at. Then I’d say get an education, either formal or on the job. Don’t try to start a brewery until you’ve worked in one.
THE BEGINNING
Beer has been around for over 6000 years. Mahabharata is said to have taken place after that. And imagine the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, came in even later. It was the rule then to drink 5 litres of beer per day as a part of your job. Not just there, beer was often used as a currency to pay salaries or trade with, and was an essential part of the diet, not just as a medicine or to gain nutritional values, but just to stay alive.
Well, Ancient Egyptian found in several Egyptian tombs illustrate two different grains. One is believed to be wheat. Now, did bread come first or beer, is an argument we won’t get in to. But we do know beer is after all a sort of a liquid bread. And, it was used for religious purposes too, see the Pharaohs or even the modern monks at churches and Abbeys across Europe.
Wheat is one of the oldest cultivated grains in the world. But since wheat could be used as a primary food grain, brewers shifted their attention to barley which was in fact even better suited for their brew recipes.
LET’S PLAY BY THE RULES
And there comes in The Rheinheitsgebot or the German Purity Law of 1516, was established to ensure that people didn’t use up the food grain for making beer and that brewing was key as basic and standardised as possible using only water, malt, yeasts and hops. Hops came in much later.
Then can it be said that probably this is what brought systematic agriculture in to our civilisation? Thanks to beer, or bread!! Food for thought…
Weizenbiers have been brewed for over 600 years. The first true weissebier brewery was built in the 15th century in Bavaria that reserved the exclusive rights to brew the style for decades.
It was in the 15th century in the Bavarian village of Schwarzach by the noble family, the Degenbergers. This exclusive privilege was then passed on to the Bavarian Dukes. In 1589, Bavarian Duke Maximillian I built the “Hofbräuhaus am Platzl” which to this day still occupies the location of the Ducal Weissbier brewery.
It wasn’t a popular style then.
That’s when George Schneider released the Weissbier rights to the public. By 1872, Weizenbiers could be brewed by anyone and production was no longer controlled by the royal government.
DEFINING WHEAT BEER
Ideally they are about 30% wheat, and the rest is Malt. Wheat beers are brewed with or without hops depending on the variety and tend to lack bitterness, usually settling at 10-30 IBU. Inspite of the lightness of taste, all wheat beers are ales as they are made using top fermenting yeast. So what we’re saying is they are Ales, and not Lagers. And, aren’t completely wheat-based
It’s near impossible to have complete wheat beer, since they are high in protein that don’t let the yeast work well, thus needing addition of malted barley to provide sugars and enzymes to ferment. Even if you do make a 100% wheat based brew, you wouldn’t want to drink it. It’ll be gummy, sticky, and a mush. And what about the addition of oranges, coriander, and other such flavours in the beer?
GRUIT
Earlier, a mix of spices, herbs, citrus peels were used untill hops were found. They acted as a preservative and the secret mix added further style and character to the drink. Its style just stayed. And we guess people love that too. Ketan Sing from Brewbot + Navin from Gateway Brewery say wheat beers sell the most at their microbreweries and taprooms. BIRA91, White Rhino, Hopper, Arbour, GBC, Simba, even Kingfisher has one.
STYLES AND SERVICE
Wheat beers tend to be highly carbonated, so the pouring is key – slower the better. Flute styled glass is the best suited and the beer must be utterly chilled.
Witbier – is Flemish for “white beer”. Belgian-style witbier is a variety of beer all its own. The pale beer is brewed using unmalted wheat and is spiced with coriander and orange peel, something that was used traditionally to preserve beer before hops were discovered. It’s refreshing with subtle spicy notes. It is most often cloudy as it come with yeast suspended in the bottle so yes, witbiers are very often bottle conditioned meaning there may be some fermentation even after bottling.
Hefeweizen – “Hefe” is the German word for yeast. Banana + cloves are commonly found in the beer. It’s low on bitterness (say 15 IBU) and high on the fizz, something that helps offset the malt-induced sweetness.
Then there is the Dunkel which is a dark wheat beer made using highly kilned grains. And also the Weizenbock which is a strong wheat beer. Others like Goes and lambic also use significant proportion of wheat but aren’t necessarily classified as wheat beers.
Categories
An Apple A Day
The new-age drinkers, dominated by millennials, are moving towards lesser but healthier drinking. An emotional connect with their drams is highly desired. And there’s no better way to establish this connect with something we’ve grown up relishing. Being the world’s third largest producer of apples, introducing a hip cider brand in Indian is the perfect idea. Ciders may not ring a bell for many in India, yet, that doesn’t stop this fizzy & fun drink from making its presence felt in the country’s alcobev markets.
HISTORY OF CIDERS
While it may be a new drink for the Indian denizens, its history rivals that of beer and wine. There’s evidence that Celts in Britain made cider from crab apples as long ago as 3000BC. Evidence of apple trees growing along the banks of the Nile River can be found dating back to about 1300BC. Club that with their love for brewing, being the innovators of beers, it can be said confidently that they were drinking ciders too. When the first Romans sailed to invade the British Isles in 55BC, the locals were already drinking a cider-like apple drink. Romans were quick to fall in love with the drink, and the empire spread its goodness across Europe, making it popular amongst the Germanic tribes to the Normans. They even mastered the art of distilling and created Calvados, the best ones hailing from Normandy today!
BEER CHALLENGES CIDER
With the discovery of hops in the 16th CE, cider noticed a decline. Beers could now be preserved and transported, thanks to the industrial revolution and the introduction of steam engines. This was only a short decline though. Cider regained its prestige in the 17th CE, with the rise of Puritanism, and King Charles I preferring cider to wines. Since then its popularity has only grown. During the wars, water wasn’t to be trusted. It was contaminated and carried Cholera, Typhoid, Malaria, Dysentery, E. Coli, and other nasty diseases. A mildly alcoholic drink like cider served as an antidote, it was antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, and nutritious. Everyone drank it, including children! Owing to its goodness, and life-saving values, it even found its mention in many religious texts. The Hebrew Bible (new testament) says that any alcoholic beverage made from fruits (other than grapes) back in the days was commonly termed as ‘Shekar’, or ‘Sikera’ by the Greeks.
SIQERA – THE INDIAN CIDER
Today, with China producing 54% of the world’s apples and India being the third biggest, after the US, Asians are falling in love with this drink again. And that’s where the trio of Rishi Dhawan, Amit Berwal and Amar Srivastava comes in, with their initiative to create a quality-oriented, classy, and healthy cider, called ‘Siqera’. Amit holds a Diploma in Winemaking from New Zealand, Amar has been the head brewer at Doolally, Pune, and Rishi brings in his entrepreneurial skills from his MBA degree. Together, they are now changing our favourite post-work drinks and weekend tipples.
JOURNEY SO FAR
The initial thought brewed in 2017 from chats and meetings over a few drinks. Amit and Rishi wanted to ‘premium-ise’ the local alcohol industry. Ciders were missing from the Indian scenes, even after a few failed attempts by Tempest, Himachal, and Bhai ciders in the mountain states. While across the world they were deemed as a rapidly growing segment, India was missing all the goodness. Amar had been making one of the most talked-about ciders in the Pune-Mumbai taproom circuit at Doolally. So they joined hands and pounced at the opportunity. They had major roadblocks to cross to begin with. Producing a beverage outside of an already defined category under the local excise rules comes with its own unique challenges. Having no cideries in Haryana, Rishi says, posed as the biggest. “We had to build the whole process from the ground up with the support of Excise and Taxation Department of Haryana to get everything in order – from setting up the manufacturing unit, to getting a cold bottle of our cider in your hands. It is the first of its kind, which in a way motivates the team, as long as they believe in their dream and final vision of the brand”. Their hard work has landed them not only the licence today, but also a fully-operational cidery, probably the first professional setup of its kind in India, in Manesar.
PRODUCTION
Apple concentrate is brought in from China and is diluted with water before fermentation with the Champagne yeast. This specific strain of yeast aids in preserving the natural fruit flavours while adding none of its own. It takes approximately 25 days for a bottle to be produced from scratch and be ready for dispatch. For the mango cider, locally sourced Alphonso mango pulp is added at a later stage that adds an aromatic kick and instant recall of the fruit’s character. Sweetness is adjusted, not with sugar, but with unfermented fruit juice.
I recently visited the cidery with a collective of bar and beverage professionals from Delhi NCR. The facility has ample space to grow, which holds a promise for the future. With their plans to capture the major North Indian markets, Siqera will soon be seen in Delhi NCR, and Chandigarh. And not just that, they have two new variants brewing already! With such growth plans for the brand comes the task of strengthening the mark of Siqera in the consumers’ minds. It’ll take a ton of experimenting with the consumers, educating, and constant visibility before they befriend the drink, for which the team seem prepared.
CIDER – A HEALTHY OPTION?
One aspect that helps the brand from the get-go is the drink’s nutritional values. Despite a high 9% alcoholic content, cider is considered healthier than beer as it doesn’t leave one with a beer-belly, and dangerous higher cholesterol levels. In fact, the Chinese drink ciders alongside their meals for its digestive properties. They’re naturally rich in anthocyanins, polyphenols, nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants, naturally benefiting the human body when consumed in moderation.
Both the variants are amicable and instantly recognisable. Though I prefer the mango cider over the apple one, it can be only drunk as much before its sweetness gets a tad overwhelming. No matter which one you may pick, you’re definitely in for a treat.
CIDER’S FUTURE IN INDIA
With even the Indian beer giant, Kingfisher, once eyeing the category and even launching its own cider brand in the UK in 2016 (but failing it to bring it to India), there’s definitely a promise the category holds. Failed attempts by other local cider brands alongside those imported like Sheppy and Magners exposed the shortcomings that were imperative for a new brand to understand should they wished to succeed. Be it the purity of flavour, attractive packaging, a brand name with a historic connect, the price point (for the international brands), story-telling, or just the emotional connect, there was always a link felt to be missing. Siqera seems to have done their homework well, and the trio looks locked in for a promising future. I’m all in for the homegrown wave. So next time you see a pint or are crossing Manesar do give it a try. You’ll be happily surprised, or even more so, stand transformed.
First published on Sommelier India Wine Magazine in April 2020