Blast with Beer

Today,the Hashers are known to be one of the first groups in India to follow this ritual around beer-drinking. However,over the last two years,they have found company in similar activities. Clubs,restaurants and five-star hotels have started hosting Oktoberfest spin-offs. Often the months of October and November are spent sampling different beers. Recently,Bistro Grill,Juhu,started Beer Bladder Blast on Fridays,where groups are given unlimited beer for Rs 550 until one of the members needs to use the restroom. Add to this the Beer Olympics at Pune’s micro-brewery Doolally last weekend,where winners of games such as beer pong,beer relay and beer chugging were crowned.

“Beer is a casual beverage that has been popularised in pop culture — especially movies — as a fun drink,” says Suketu Talekar,one of the co-founders of Doolally,which saw a turn-out of over 500 people for the Beer Olympics. “You can take anything from board games,even the three-legged race,and throw beer in. Suddenly,it becomes a lot more interesting.”

Restaurants too are coming up with packages around beer that offer something more interesting than ‘Happy Hour’ prices. Bistro Grill’s Beer Bladder Blast has met with great response. “You’d be surprised how many people are passionate about this concept. It helps us get the crowds between 7.30 pm and 9 pm,” says Vikram Bawa,owner of Bistro Grill.

Fun activities apart,beer spells business for restaurants and hotels. Taj Lands End’s current promotion of international beers — Brewery Voyage — has takers among those looking to sample stouts,ales and trappist varieties. The first Mumbai International Beer Festival in 2011,saw people turn up for lessons in brewing their own beer,taking part in a themed quiz and of course,sampling different varieties of the beverage. The beer tasting sessions at Woodside,Andheri,in association with All Things Nice,helps beer lovers cover the finer points of beer — history,trivia and brewing techniques — on a monthly basis.

“Beer as a beverage appeals to a lot of people in India. Because of Indian climate,it’s a great drink to have on a hot day,” says Pankil Shah,co-owner of Woodside franchise that hosts an annual beer and burger festival around July. “That apart,there is a lot more variety in domestic and imported beer markets,as people know that there’s a lot more to the drink and want to learn about it.”