A Hoppy Day!

The craze of craft beers is spreading like wildfire with each passing day. Witnessing the growing demand for craft beers, the market has seen offerings for quality variations subsequently. Even though India’s craft beer industry is in its budding stage, this industry is flourishing rapidly. This growth is driven by millennials who discover craft beer to be more bona fide and premium, compared to normal lagers.

The ingredients without which you can’t create a perfect beer are malts, hops, yeast, and water. These essential ingredients need to be blended in an utmost balance so that we get to experience the fresh and unique profile of the beer. The ratio in which these ingredients are added also plays an important role and therefore it could vary as per the style of beer one wants to create.

As far as hops are concerned, there is a belief in the western world that this ingredient is the major deciding factor between a typical commercial lager and a craft beer. Hops are basically here just for mankind’s beery satisfaction. Once the cone-shaped flowers of the plant are harvested and dried in the fall, they play a huge role in the beer brewing process. Every single beer on the market today contains hops. If they didn’t, they would be a “gruit” which is basically a beer that, instead of hops, uses witches-brew-sounding herbs like bog myrtle, yarrow, heather, or juniper.

Brewers adore these small vine-grown buds for a few reasons. To begin with, they taste great. Hops confer a vital bitterness to beer that may well be excessively sweet or out of balance without them. What’s more is that there are more than 80 varieties of hops and they leave behind an entire parcel of flavor within the shape of citrusy, tropical, spicy, pine-like, homegrown, and earthy aromatics.

In the craft industry, hops are now known for more than the purpose of preservation and bitterness for balancing the flavors. Hops are added at different stages of the brewing and fermentation process to bring out aromas in beer that no one could imagine. Moreover, hops offer assistance to keep up a beer’s foamy head and lend antibacterial qualities that help avoid deterioration. So definitely, hops are the supporting actors in this movie.

Craft beer involves a tremendous amount of science and the antimicrobial property plays a basic role in its making because it moderates down the speed of gram-positive bacteria but doesn’t obstruct the development of Gram-negative bacteria. The antibacterial activity plays a key role in providing the much required microbiological stability which in return helps in maintaining the beer’s physical properties for a longer period of time. When a beer contains a high percentage of Alcohol by Volume (ABV), there is a large number of malts to do so. To bring the balance between the sweetness of malts and the high sharpness of the amount of alcohol, hops can bring the two together for perfect harmony.

With the exceptional taste, high-quality ingredients, and impact on your local community, you have many reasons to be a proud craft beer drinker. So, when you grab a craft beer and wonder what makes your beer taste so bitter and smell different, then it’s mostly the hops 🙂

The Journey less explored: Craft Beers in India

What excites you more? A beer with all kinds of flavors or a beer with a single flavor. Take your pick, take anyone! The good news is that today in India we have a variety of flavors to dive into.

A large chunk of our population is still alien to the history of craft beers and what goes behind the whole craft process.

India’s tryst with Beer began centuries ago, as far back as 1500 BC. The beer brewed was made out of basic ingredients such as fermented barley and rice-based beverages with local fruits and spices which is commonly called Tadi. The said beverages continue to exist in selected regions of India.

Today, the beer we consume is majorly brewed with malted barley, hops, yeast, and water. The beer consumption culture in India can be traced back to the time when the British shipped their beers halfway across the world.

During the 1700s, the ales made their way into the Indian market when hops were added to preserve the beer for a six-month-long journey from Britain to India. This led to the creation of a new style of the infamous IPA or ‘India Pale Ale’ which is now building up the bitter taste in the palate of the Indian consumer.

The Independence of India from the British empire saw IPA make its way out with the English men. The departure of IPA led to India’s pioneer brewers brewing the style that had globally replaced pale ales – pilsners and lagers and our country was flooded with pilsners and lagers for the longest time. The ales and the lagers were under commercial beer brands with majorly three variants i.e. Strong 8%, Mild 5% & Light below 5%.

While we waited for the growth of the craft beer revolution to happen, it truly began 11 years ago with Indian microbreweries crafting and serving fresh beer on-site in what we call Brewpubs. ‘Doolally’ was the first-ever microbrewery that made its way in the Indian market with its first brew ‘The Belgian Wit Beer’ in 2009.

 

As of 2021, India has quite a few documented beer styles and a handful of organizations with their own unique classifications. As beer styles continue to evolve, we understand the complexity and depth of the craft beers which only makes us appreciate every drop of beer made by the brewers in India.

 

The first microbrewery opened in Pune and soon the revolution started with more than 100 micro-breweries throughout the country brewing many different styles. Some of the few are namely the American Pale Ale, IPA, Double IPA, Amber Ales, Saison, Session IPA, Sours, Wheat Beer, and many more!

 

 

With so many types of beer to explore, we know diving into the world of craft beers might be a little intimidating. But hey finding your way through the ever-growing number of beer styles has never been easier with our Craft beer blogs in the picture now:P

So here’s a cheer to the craft of the art 🙂

The Art of Craft : Craft Beer Revolution in India!

Whether you end your day with an ice-cold Corona or reach for a bourbon barrel-aged stout, if you’ve cracked a beer anytime in the last several years, you’ve probably noticed a surge in the number of alternatives to macro-brews. Those choices make up a category called “craft beer.”

For years, beer consumers in India have been served mass-produced brews that they acknowledged for lack of choices. The craft beer storm has been brewing in India for a while now and it’s safe to say that we are within the golden age of beer.

Currently the young entrepreneurs in the country have taken up the road less travelled to expose the gravity of craft beers. The endeavor is to serve quality brews at competitive costs, which would in turn help them build a larger following of craft brew lovers.

Since ages people have been consuming lagers as a standard form of beer for unwinding after a long day after work.  Beer industry in India has witnessed a fundamental change over the last decade in terms of people experimenting with finely crafted brews which have an eccentric taste in terms of their ingredients and aroma.

Craft beers are driven by the quality of the product, which in turn calls out a major chunk of the youth of India, as the target audience. The Gen Z’s want nothing but less than a handful of options for everything they seem to be intrigued towards. And craft brews hit the nail right in the coffin!

Looks like the brewers in the country have their priorities in place when it comes to providing the customers an experience where they get a product which is brewed locally, but is at par with craft beers across the world!

Visit the crafted world of Maka – A day long experience of fun & froth

One of the most enduring and loved experiences in the country sides of Europe and the USA, is a visit to the ‘local’, the pub that is, and when that village also has a brewery, the experience is high.

The charm of the countrysides in Europe and the USA is matched by ours in the foothills of the western-ghats in Latambarcem in North East Goa, the home of Maka, brewed at the quaint brew-house of Latambarcem brewers.

And a trip to The Village Brew House brewing truly international craft beers is a day-long fun and froth experience.

maka di brewery tour

 

There is no better way to explore the universe of craft beer than to visit the Maka planet. The brewery tour gets you up close and personal with the makers of Maka and to the beer itself. You can see the tools, the instruments and the machinery that goes into the making of beer, go back in time to learn about beer processes from our brewmasters and of course, enjoy Maka beer, fresh from the tap or bottled.

 

beer pongAnd for those who just want to enjoy Maka in home surroundings with friends for company and games to lift your spirits, it’s all there for the asking. Simply chose what works and add it to your entry package.

 

 

But irrespective of what you would like from the buffet of offers, we are sure you’ll experience the present and the future of craft beer making in India, in the scenic countryside of Latambarcem, on the foothills of the western ghats.

 

To have your personalised experience of fun and froth at our crafted world of Maka, book online on our website or email us.

Shandy launch

Shandy: The collaboration that has just chilled the summer

All good stories almost always begin with “Once upon a time” and this one begins in Britain in the 1950s. Beer a traditional favourite was mixed for the first time with ginger ale and called ‘Shandygaff’, which was shortened to  ‘Shandy’.

Over the years, many of us have been initiated into beer via Shandy (with lemonade mixed with beer)

At Latambarcem professionally made and bottled shandy was there for the taking. A game-changing collaboration took place when we brought our pure unfiltered crispy Maka lager and the lemonade from Borecha to make vintage shandy, the quintessential low alcohol refreshing sparkling summer drink.

This is also in keeping with a global trend of the best breweries brewing beer mixed drinks. Bavaria, the home of “German purity law” loves to mix its beer with soda and bottle it. This genre of drinks is called biermischgetränke, or beer mixed drinks, such as Radlers and Diesels.

Said Aditya Ishan Varshnei, the CEO of Latambarcem Breweries “The world over people are looking at easy drinking low alcoholic solutions. The lager and lemonade combo (lager-ade) which we are introducing as Shandy is an offering we believe will do well in Goa and elsewhere, as a low alcohol functional beverage, when we enter other cities”.

So folks the summer got chilled. The Maka Shandy is here.

Maka on Tap

Tap into yet another way of enjoying Maka!

True to its leitmotif, Maka is continuing its voyage of discovery breaking new ground. As 2020 gave way to 2021, bringing hope and relief to people and businesses, Maka forayed into enhancing the Maka drinking experience of its consumers by offering Maka on tap to select outlets who prefer to keep beer in kegerators.

Maka on TapWe now offer kegerators, kegs and the full complement of the tap system. Pizza Delizia one of the most popular restaurants in North Goa, was one of the first places to offer Maka on tap. Co-founder and Chief Production officer, Anish Varshnei, speaking to The Village Brew on putting Maka on tap said, “It was almost a natural decision. The bulk of our production will be in bottles for now and cans later, but we will also offer fresh Maka in kegs to restaurants and pubs which can store kegerators.”

However, he added that the core of this experience lies in making good craft beer itself. “Our goal is to bring to India & the world true to kind craft beers, curated by the finest internationally trained brewers with cutting-edge, first of its kind technology. Our brewery is fully equipped for the seamless automated process of manufacturing beer with zero room for human error. We use a contemporary technique of craft brewing with the help of modern equipment to give an innovative twist to all the traditional styles of beer”

Thus, whether it’s bottles cans or on tap, it’s Maka all the way. The way you like it.

Maka Di

The soul of beer- A master class on malts, yeast and the secret agent

This is the beer story that shapes the Maka story!

Hops: Beer’s flower child & scale changing innovation

 

 

Hops are the flowers or cones of a plant called Humulus lupulus. Beer gets its aromas and bitterness from hops apart from its preservative properties. That allowed industrial-scale production of beer. Aromas and bitterness are dosed according to the specific beer profile. From citrusy, floral, earthy, mellow, spicy, fruity, we can chose the variety, quantity and addition time of the hops during the brewing and maturation process.

The Star

Malts: The star of beer, Egyptian moms drank it too

 

Malts add sugars for fermentation and generates flavour. It is the malt profile that gives the beer its body and malty uniqueness.

Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried through a process known as malting. The grain is made to germinate in water and then stopped by drying with hot hair.

Malt beer is considered to be nutritious and is sometimes given to nursing mothers. In ancient Egypt, nursing mothers drank their form of malt beer (zythum) as a laxative and an antidiarrheal.

Latambarcem Brewers imports all malts from Poland and Great Britain. The two roll barley malt variety give us the highest efficiency and best flavour profiles.

The Protagonist

Yeast: The master of fermentation

 

Yeast is the most important change agent in the making of beer. And is the main protagonist of the most important aspect of beer making- fermentation.

Discovered in the late 1860s by Louis Pasteur, yeast is the acting agent for change from malt juice to beer by consuming sugar and producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. Importantly, yeast contributes to a prominent beer profile to every single beer.

Yeast also gives aroma to beer, as a by-product of the fermentation process, in addition to the hops.

 The Secret Agent

Even our water is Craft

 

 

Water is the ingredient with the highest volume. It is the secret agent in the beer-making process. As the name suggests, special water crafted for every beer that is made. Every brew needs the right beer profile to get the optimised and desired quality end product.

We at Maka, craft our own water as per beer style because every brew asks for the right water profile to get the optimised and desired controlled quality of the product.

The water is first made devoid of any minerals to make it totally neutral. Then minerals needed for the specific beer type is added. This is how water is curated or crafted.

The water is adjusted to make it exactly like the water from the region where the particular beer type comes from.

Craft-manship at work!

Decoding craft beer and why it’s about innovation and not size

 

Craft beer is exactly what the name suggests. It about ideation and innovation. It about being bespoke. Craft does not mean small or minuscule or limited. In fact, the spirit of craft is to the contrary. It’s about limitless possibilities. And that is what Maka hopes to do. Traverse the path of unlimited possibilities.

Craft follows one non-negotiable rule here. Quality is paramount even as new recipes, not hitherto created, are introduced. Craft is defined by the amount of Research and Development done and the quality of ingredients i.e grains, oranges and honey used.

Craft therefore is not about size, but the method of production. Maka is therefore not brewed in a micro-brewery but brewed in small batches in a full scale one, which has a capacity to manufacture 10,000 cases.

We call ourselves “true craft” because of our methods and the fact that all our beer comes out of one facility. It has the following dimensions.

(i) Craft is about the style of beer making, not size. Craft can be made on a commercial scale.

(ii) Different variants cater to myriad taste profiles.

(iii) Fully automated equipment allows experimentation and innovation.

(iv) Like any handicraft profession, the beverage craft industry can be defined as one which makes the best use of available equipment to manufacture new products according to the special needs of customers or the free will of the craftsmen. This skill takes more time and imagination. We call this skill, craftsmanship where there are no boundaries to innovation.

 That’s how, we a craft beverage company, raise a toast to innovation.