Bira Kokum Sour

When Bira launched its four experimental series beers in April, the Kokum Sour immediately stood out as the one to try. Bira’s first sour beer, with the addition of kokum found along Goa and Maharashtra’s Konkan coast with the light touch of salt on the palate, heralded one of the best flavoured beers of the year. With a mild 4.5% ABV, it also makes for a very easy drinking beer. This limited-edition release, available in 330ml and 500ml cans in Bengaluru and select places, needs to be tried before it runs out.

Goa Brewing Company’s Breakfast Cereal Stout

It seems Goa Brewing Company’s Breakfast Cereal Stout finds new fans every year. After all, it’s hard to argue with a beer that tastes like cereals and makes interesting flavour combinations work together effortlessly. Breakfast cereals like rice puffs, cornflakes, and oats make up the base of this beer, along with cocoa nibs and milk sugar that blend together with this stout beer for a flavour that’s unlike any other out there. Not to mention the sweet taste of nostalgia that hits you with every sip of this fine beer. Available in Goa and Maharashtra at select stores.

Effingut Citrus Burst IPA

Effingut’s Citrus Burst IPA is not for the faint of heart. In fact, it’s an overloaded beer thali of sorts if you really think about it. First there’s the IBU strength of 55 that should straightaway flash signals if you’re the type of person who can’t take bitter brews. Add to that the flavours of various citrus fruits such as orange and grapefruit and even pineapple, and you’ve got Effingut’s Citrus Burst IPA. The beer itself is surprisingly smooth and easy to drink, with each flavour working in tandem whilst the IBU merges on the palate to create an unforgettable drink. Buy this one from their outlets in Pune and Mumbai.

Maka Di Honey Ale

Adding a twist to traditional ales, Goa-based Latambarcem Brewers has launched Maka Di Honey Ale to give a familial yet different spin to this popular beer style. Made with organic wild honey sourced from Jim Corbett National Park, the freshness and natural sweetness of honey complements the slight bitterness of this ale that comes with an IBU score of 22. An especially refreshing beer to have during hot summers, the Honey Ale also works well at any time of the day and year if you’re looking for a nice easy beer to chug on for long hours. Try their bottled beers across Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Goa.

Geist Uncle Dunkel

What happens when you cross the three Big Cs of cocoa, coffee, and caramel, along with hints of cloves and banana? That’s right, Uncle Dunkel by Bengaluru’s popular Geist Brewing has all of these flavours in an easy IBU 14 and light ABV of just 5.4 percent. What really sets it apart from its unmistakable taste profile is the deep red and brown colour of the beer that’s perfect to sip on during the golden hour — and beyond. Indeed, you can easily go through a few of these in an evening, thanks to its superlative taste and easy drinking profile.

Drifters Brews’ Milky Way

This nitro-infused stout from Drifters Brewery in Mumbai is an easy introduction to dark beers. With the unmistakable taste of coffee, toffee, and chocolate coming together in this stout, you can be rest assured that Milky Way is one of the best cream stouts out there. With a relatively less 4% ABV and none of the extra hoppiness from Porters, this one could become your favourite new dark beer for its rich and balanced flavour profile

Yavasura’s Basil Peppercorn Witbier

Everyone loved Witbier, that’s until they try Yavasura’s fantastic take with the added punch of basil and peppercorn that elevates the regular beer style to a heady mix of mildly spicy and herbaceous overtones. The bright pop of basil hits you on the nose first, while the aftertaste leaves you with notes of black peppercorn, which makes this a nuanced take on the Witbier. Pick up their growler from Pune or any of their partner stores.

Great State Aleworks’ Brut Bajra Pale Ale/Farmhouse Ale

Great State Aleworks brought out a limited-edition growler designed by Amitabh Kumar for their Farmhouse Ale that was brewed with 36% raw unmalted bajra. That was a flavour bomb like no other millet beer I’ve had this year, but it seems to have been sold out. Thankfully, you can still get your hands on their Brut Bajra Pale Ale beer that also uses bajra to add weight and flavour. The extremely dry ale and the bajra are a match made in heaven whose spicy and malty characteristics you need to try for yourself.

Independence Brewing Co’s Malt Blended Strawberry Cider

Okay, so this one’s a cider, but have you ever had the fruitiness of strawberry with the mild tartness of a cider? Add to that the spritzy drink is also refreshing beyond measure. It’s a bit like having flavoured sparkling wine, but something that you’ll savour while drinking and also look back fondly once you’re done with it. If you’re looking for something offbeat to try, definitely give Independence Brewing Co’s malt blended strawberry cider a shot.

Moonshine Meadery Hopped Mead

The Moonshine Meadery team would probably club us for clubbing their meads with flavoured beers since their entire campaign has been designed around the fact that ‘mead is not beer’. However, their Hopped Mead is already halfway to an IPA as the lingering bitterness of the hops mixes with the multifloral honey used to make their meads. Add to that a certain tart fruitiness, and the Hopped Mead becomes an exciting cross between a mead and a beer. What does it eventually taste like? You can pick a bottle and find out yourself.

Lead Image: Great State Aleworks