Kingfisher Ultra - Finally a Kingfisher I like

Finally a Kingfisher I can drink without cringing! Introduced in the Indian market in 2009, Kingfisher Ultra is UB's foot in the door of the premium beer segment (MRP INR 90 for a pint). Well, this lager looks fancy enough for sure. The bottle is stylishly shaped and comes with the easy to open ring pull crown (like Tuborg). With ABV not exceeding 5%, the lager is claimed to be made from imported malt and hops.

Starting from the pour, the lager has a delightful golden colour, almost akin to a pilsner. It forms a light effervescent head, which dissipates pretty quickly. If you appreciate mild subdued lagers, Ultra is the beer for you. It's crisp and light, and goes down smoother than a regular Kingfisher premium (which I personally detest!). I found it a bit fizzy going down the throat though. It also has a touch of sweetness to it and is overall mildly flavoured... not too hoppy but not insipid either. I would definitely recommend it to patrons of light beer.

Amstel Light - For the calorie conscious

A few days back, I had Amstel Light for the first time. I bought a pint from a wine & beer shop for INR135. The brand Amstel is now owned by Heineken and Amstel Light is brewed and bottled in Amsterdam. The first distinctive feature of this pale lager is the ‘light’ suffix. This beer has an abv of only 3.5%, making it a pretty low alcohol & calorie content beer. With that in mind, I expected the beer to be weak tasting. But I was pleasantly surprised. The lager is distinctly hopped and is bitter enough to taste like a regular beer. Being a pilsner lager, it has the perfect bright golden colour, which is a pleasure to look at. It produces a light white foam head, which doesn’t stay for too long. Its ingredients also include sugar, but my palate couldn't really detect any sweetness.

Overall, it didn’t do too much for me. But if you’re trying to keep a check on your waistline and still want to have regular tasting beer, this is a good option.

Guinness - Irish Quintessence

It’s black, its creamy, its bitter and it’s technically a stout (one of the types of beer). Today, Ireland is almost synonymous with Guinness. In fact, dark stout is one of the most popular kinds of beer consumed in the Emerald Isle, the vast bulk of it being Guinness. There are other competitors, such as Murphy’s stout, but Guinness still rules the hearts and bellies of the Irish.

Let me first explain a stout. A stout brew is typically made by using dark roasted barley in the mash (which gives it its dark hue) and is strongly hopped to provide the distinctive flavour. Mind you, a stout is not everyone’s cup of tea. It is an acquired taste, and alot of people don’t end up acquiring it at all! It took me some time to get accustomed to the taste, and a longer time to appreciate it. It still isn’t the kind of beer I would order if I want to dine. To me, Guinness is a meal on its own.

Guinness gets its name from its founder, Arthur Guinness. His brewery still exists in the heart of Dublin and is a major landmark in the city. Every Dublin bus tour makes a mandatory stop at the Guinness Storehouse (a seven floor self-guided museum inside the brewery). As soon as you are in the vicinity of the brewery, you are engulfed in the overwhelming scent of hops. I remember the aroma till date. My big sister, who was studying at the Trinity College in Dublin at the time (early 2000), took us to the Storehouse. The best part of the tour is the last stop, The Gravity Bar. This bar is on the top floor of the brewery and is 350 degrees glass, so you can imagine the views! At the end of the tour, all tourists (of legal age) get a free pint of Guinness and expert bartenders demonstrate how the perfect pint of Guinness is poured from the tap. It’s a science and an art... and it’s beautiful. Guinness, in particular draught, is characterised by its creamy and frothy head, a consequence of the presence of highly pressurised nitrogen.

Guinness is quintessentially Irish. Even the official brand logo includes a harp, the national symbol of Ireland. The country is one of the largest consumers of beer in the world. If you are ever in Dublin city, dedicate at least one night to some pub hopping. You will then get a sense of how deeply engrained this stout is in the Irish culture.

There are several varieties and strengths of Guinness available worldwide. If you’re a first timer, I’d recommend the Guinness Draught (about 4% alcohol by volume). If you’re at home then buy the widget can from one of the upscale wine & beer shops. There’s something about the sound of the widget in the can that makes the experience so scientific. If you get it on the tap (not sure if there is any place like that in India) then you’re blessed. Make sure its super chilled and if you’re at a pub, ask the waiter to pour it in front of you. Hopefully the waiter won’t be daft and will make sure the glass is the perfect size for the pour. Doing anything else is blasphemous. Guinness in India is only available at five stars or uber fancy pubs, so hopefully the waiter will be educated in the science of pouring a Guinness. 

Once the pour is made, wait for the brew to SETTLE down. This is the single most important aspect of the Guinness experience. In fact, place your glass in front of a light source (a candle maybe) and watch the dazzling display. A newly poured Guinness is honey coloured in the middle, as the bubbles slide down the sides of the glass and slowly rise back up to the top, eventually creating that characteristic head. Be patient and wait for the drink to become a dark black colour. Only then will you be able to experience its true taste. Once it’s ready, push the foam away with your upper lip and take a big gulp. You most probably won’t like it the first time, but like I said, you need to acquire it. 

No beer tastes the same to everyone. It depends on your preferences and palate. Guinness initially tastes like black coffee, bitter and strong. You can't ignore a Guinness. It will become the center of your mind's and mouth's attention. It may also offer a slightly burnt essence, owing to the deeply roasted barley used. But the texture...oh god the texture... Guinness is one of the smoothest drinks you'll ever have. It's creamy and goes down so effortlessly. Just one tip - don't sit with it for too long. Believe me, you do not want to have Guinness at room temperature.

Guinness is one of the most complex beers and also one of the most beautiful. And I guess it’s only fitting that I begin this blog with the first beer I ever tasted...

It started with Guinness

I was 5 I think. Or maybe 6. My folks were hosting a dinner party for all our Indian friends in and around Dublin. All the women were puckered inside the kitchen, elegantly holding on to their glasses of sherry (my mom loved sherry) and guffawing annoyingly. I remember twiddling around there, but the overbearing concoction of perfumes was bothering me. The children had been shepherded into my playroom, and they were a bit unamusing too. So I moseyed my way to the living room. The warm orange glow from the fireplace was inviting. I peered through the double glass doors and saw the men lounging in the room. They were laughing heartedly and some were smoking cigars. I saw my dad pouring a black liquid into his glass mug. He saw me peering at him and he called me in. I asked him what it was, and instead of trying to explain it to a 5 (or 6) year old, he just offered me the first sip. All I got was bitter froth, and I grimaced at the sheer bitterness of it. I made a face at my dad, and ran off to play with the kids.

That was the first time I tasted beer (albeit a spoonful worth). And it was GUINNESS...