Beer. That innocuous four letter word usually conjures up images of a cold, pale golden brew being consumed on a hot summer’s day with friends with much mirth all around or a prominently positioned six pack on the table during a football game with buddies. Aside from being the world’s oldest documented alcoholic beverage, and third most popular drink (after water and tea), beer holds a special place in our hearts. It is a social phenomenon – an unpretentious drink that’s easygoing and speaks to everyone the world over. A drink brewed by monks and commoners, by big behemoths and small microbrewers, beer does not discriminate.
The mention of beer in India until most recently also conjured up images of a green bottle with a bird on it (perhaps a prophesy that one day the owner of the company would take flight). This changed about eight years ago when the first micro brewing licenses were handed out to enthusiasts in Bengaluru, thereby ushering in the age of the microbrewery. From Biere Club to India, beer enthusiasts were finally given a taste of the locally brewed rich Weisens, crisp Pilsners, bitter Darks and innovative IPA’s. With microbreweries mushrooming all over Bengaluru, the day of the beer had truly arrived. Beer was no longer a drink to be consumed at Permit Rooms over a plate of spicy chicken 65. It had become a hip drink that friends could consume at high end, yet accessible places after work, and even places where many a first date happened.
The erstwhile unified state of Andhra Pradesh was consistently ranked as the highest consumer of beer in the country. It thus came as a surprise to many of us, that the microbreweries weren’t allowed to operate here for the longest time. All that changed a couple of years when Hyderabad was given its first license to open a microbrewery. Today, Hyderabad has as over half a dozen breweries vying for the top spot with many more waiting to open up.
Celebrating this, we went around the city to put together some of the nicest breweries around to help you make your decision easier…
Text: Anahita Ahuja
Place: Hylife Brewing Company
Owned by: Kedar Selagamsetty
Brewed by: Brew master Franz-E from Germany who has 40 years of experience.
Most selling beer: Wheat and Stout beers
Specialise in: Seasonal fruit beers, wheat, lager, pilsner and stout beers
USP: We are extremely proud to say that we were the first to bring the entire brewery concept into the city. The whole process was not easy but it has all been worth it. The scale of the project and the detail that has gone into bringing it alive is something India probably hasn’t seen before.
Hops and water used: We import all the hops from Germany and we use RO (reverse Osmosis) water
Indians’ favourite beer: Lager beers
Price of a Jug/barrel: Rs. 300/ 1500
Address: Hylife Brewing Company, 800 Jubilee, Road Number 36, Hyderabad.
