New Delhi: Long associated with college dorms and sleazy pubs, beer is getting an image makeover in India, with bars and brewers offering innovative concoctions and giving it some of the ceremony once reserved for cocktails. On Thursday, an evening of beer, food, and football at Top Banana in Greater Kailash II got the full fine-dining treatment.
Called Froth & Fork, the football-themed feast was organised by Vikram Achanta’s Tulleeho, a drinks education, training, and consulting firm at the forefront of beer’s image makeover, in collaboration with Top Banana. Riding the FIFA World Cup craze, about 20 guests, including pub owners and beer enthusiasts, gathered on Thursday to toast four beers from three footballing powerhouses: Germany, Spain, and Belgium.
Each brew was paired with a dish created by Top Banana chef Tarannum Sehgal to match its weight and flavour.
“We think beer as a beverage is being taken for granted,” Achanta told ThePrint. “Our goal with Froth and Fork is to elevate the experience of consuming beer. The idea is to spread the conversation around the beverage, and push for a different perception around it.”
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Winner, winner, duck dinner
The evening kicked off with the crisp and light Estrella Damm from Spain, paired with a cucumber gazpacho amuse-bouche.
While Erdinger Weissbier’s citrus notes balanced the melon and feta starter, Belgian Chimay brought its malty richness to stand toe-to-toe with the confit duck pate and rocket.
Germany had crashed out of the tournament in the Round of 32, falling to Paraguay, while Spain had sent Belgium packing in the quarterfinals. That said, all three countries held their own on the beer front.
The room was buzzing, with guests chatting about their favourite teams and the stories behind the beers. However, as soon as the confit duck pate hit the table, there was complete, pin-drop silence.
A clear crowd favourite, the dish had a savoury depth that came from slow-cooking duck in its own fat until it was meltingly tender. The flavour was meaty and slightly gamey, with a buttery, almost silky richness from the fat.
The texture was smooth and spreadable, and the taste lingered with a warm, umami-heavy finish.
That is exactly why it needed something with real backbone alongside it, which is where the Belgian Chimay came in. Its malty, toasty, slightly caramelised character (usually dark wheat beers get this from roasted malts) cut through the fattiness of the pate, while the rocket added a peppery freshness that kept the richness in check.
Closing the night, Erdinger Dunkel, a fruity and spiced beer from Germany, rounded things off with almond and Black Forest desserts.
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Making beer ‘aspirational’
Such pairing dinners can make any beverage “aspirational”, according to Angad Singh Gandhi, a luxury spirits consultant.
“[Pairing dinners] are a good means of elevating the drinking experience of any beverage. Froth & Fork, similarly, is making beer aspirational. The complexity of balancing different dishes with different beers makes it super-interesting for the consumer to try,” Gandhi said.
But making beer aspirational is no easy task, Achanta admitted. Exploring diverse beer styles remains an uphill battle in the Indian market, largely because a big chunk of Indian beer drinkers still gravitate toward high-ABV options, the goal being to get drunk rather than to savour the drink.
As many at the dinner table agreed, beer in India is “less respected” than it deserves, despite being a far more complex drink than it is given credit for.
Ashish Ranjan, co-owner of Fort City Brewing, a craft brewery in Hauz Khas Market, is among the few players working to give beer a more aspirational image.
“Beer as a beverage category offers the widest range of flavours to be paired with different cuisines and courses. Such experiences will offer a fresh perspective on beer drinking to a very food and cocktail-driven North Indian consumer,” said Ranjan, who picked Chimay as his favourite beer from the four.
He added that beer has always had an association with different meals, citing Shakespeare: “For a quart of ale is a dish for a king.”
While beer and food pairings have been extensively explored globally, there has been less of this in the Indian context.
“I feel these events will popularise the concept. Indian beer brands and microbreweries should also take a lead and curate more such experiences, as they can offer a broader choice of flavour profiles,” Ranjan added.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)