Column

I believe that anything can be raised to a level where it can excite the senses and evoke a reaction from even the most stoic of people. Anything gastronomic or epicurean that is — people are way too dull and unimaginative as an object. But some amongst us have what it takes to ameliorate the qualities of a product by improving the standards at every step and that is what makes it good.

Sounds confusing? Perhaps. Most of us rarely get to experience such levels of hard work, let alone contribute such. Sadly, India is a quantity-driven market and quality takes not just a back seat but is often packed into the boot with the rest of the baggage.

So, to produce something of quality, it would seem that a few things are essential:
1. Passion: the kind that eats you from within and doesn’t let you sleep; the kind that you don’t acquire but somewhere within always had dormant.

2. Means: While some great projects made it out of sheer grit and dire straits — the people had no other way to turn, there are other projects which see the light of day because they do not run households. The passion is the fuel and the daytime job buys the ration. Together they fuel creativity and research. Time-staking a process as this can be, people need to have the means to invest in order to achieve desired results.

3. Vision: It is not good enough to be motivated and moneyed: one also needs to be able to see beyond the short term.

4. Faith: Finally, that last bit which we all need to hold on to; believing in ourselves and trusting the mechanical engineer!

The reason why I am raving on about such is because recently I was introduced to what will soon become a big brand — a hand-crafted beer in small batches; a beer that a brewer would drink; a beer to truly educate us what a beer should taste like and not just another coloured bottle with fizz. This one doesn’t promise you a good time, it doesn’t teach you Australian nor does it claim to win you a girl — it is just beer for the love of beer. Pure beer and nothing else.

Mind you it isn’t all that simple. I was led through the process by the two brains and bellies (although theirs weren’t rotundly formed enough) behind the beer, let’s just call them techy and sparky. All I can say is that the IT world’s loss has been our gain in the form of a reverse brain drain. Together they are setting up a relatively unknown concept — of micro-breweries and hand-crafted beers and their brand will be up and around soon. True beer lovers will have much reason to rejoice. I am not a beer fanatic but these were fun to taste — notes of coriander in one, caramel and coffee in another, a fruity sensation here, a little bitter bite there — I could have well been tasting wine.
Sure the duo impressed upon me how beer is good for health but they didn’t need to; they were preaching to the choir — I was convinced. I still won’t become a beer guzzler but then beer like this can be savoured. It can scare all your inhibitions and apprehensions about beer away.

The writer is a sommelier