The Rowdy Stout beer at ICB
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
According to some historians, India has a long history of brewing beer. Vedic texts mention the brewing of an alcoholic drink made from fermented grains, called sura. Even older than that, pots from the Indus Vallery civilisation indicate they were brewing rice beers. Indian Craft Brewery (ICB) in Bengaluru’s Nagawara takes inspiration from this slice of our history and heritage. The brewery’s emblem is called vari, a water bearer, and is stylised after the seals and inscriptions found in the Indus Valley.
“We wanted to set our craft beer offerings within the narrative of our rich heritage, says GopiChand Cherukuri, the founder. “We did not want to be lost in the westernised world of beers.” Master brewer Antonio Rodriguez-Giralt, takes us through their beer programme.
Indian Craft Brewery’s emblem is inspired by the script of the Indus Valley civilisation
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement
The expansive 1,500-seater brewery is located close to the business district of Manyata Tech Park. Red brick walls and sculptures like the dancing girl from Indus Valley cement the theme. ICB has an indoor sitting area that is split over two floors, and an al fresco area flanked by waterfalls.
Antonio hails from Costa Rica and has more than a decade of experience in brewing industry. He has worked in several countries and is a certified cicerone (like a sommelier, but for beer).
In a tour of the brewery, among the vats he tells us, “We are doing research with KU Leuven University in Belgium. With the help of their research and development labs, we work on beer innovations.”
ICB has nine beers on tap
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement
Bengaluru style brews
ICB has nine beers on tap. El Chamraj is a Mexican style lager, think Corona, named after Chamrajpet, an area in Bengaluru. It is refreshing and light. The Nandi nectar, one of my favourites, is a unique creation by ICB. “We get honey from Nagaland for this brew,” Antonio says. It is a sweet witbeer.
The red raja, is a red ale, and a tribute to Auto Raja, the 1980 movie starring actor Shankar Nag. It has notes of caramel and roasted malts. The rowdy stout is a chocolate milk stout, a rich and creamy beer. It uses Indian chocolate and lactose, giving it a richer mouthfeel.
Two beers that stand out for me are the Malgudi special and their signature creation, Ramanujan. The former is a seasonal mango beer. It is yellow in colour and tastes distinctly of the fruit. This is their best seller this month, I am told.
Ramanujan is a non-alcoholic beer. Depending on the season, they will offer different flavours of non-alcoholic beers. Earlier in the year it was a stout. When I visit, the one on tap is a jamun beer. The light pink shade and tangy taste are interesting. The drink tastes like a regular beer but has less than 0.5 percent ABV. “Jamun is so Indian, and we wanted to give it a very Indian taste,” Antonio adds.
Apart from the beers, ICB has a menu of signature cocktails that use Indian flavours. The food menu spans dishes from Asia, North and South India, and Italy. I do not stay for lunch, but pair my drinks with a crispy Indo-Chinese bhel; fried noodles tossed with a tamarind and jaggery glaze.
In the lab, Antonio says he is experimenting with flavours such as masala chai, oranges and millets for his next batch of brews. The uniqueness of the flavours makes ICB stand out from the crowd.
Cost for two ₹2,000. At Nagawara, Bengaluru. For more details, call 8065209999
Published – June 30, 2025 10:51 am IST
