My guide to the best Microbreweries in Bangalore
A little bit on Hefe, IPA, Stout and Wit
Bangalore used to be known (and still is) as the "pub city" of India thanks in large to the presence of United Breweries (Mallya sir) and an alcohol friendly government (unlike the dear neighbouring states). Back in the 90s and 2000s, the most popular pubs could be found in the cantonment areas such as M.G. Road, Brigade Road, Ulsoor etc with names such as The Pub (later rebranded as NASA), Pecos, Guzzlers Inn, Windsor Pub, Watsons, Downtown Pub, Sathya, Sherlock, etc being popular amongst the burgeoning youth serving KF draught beer and playing kick ass rock music. You could find those large beer keg kept outside the pub similar to how you'd find drinking water bubbles outside kiranas and supermarkets nowadays (sigh, how times have changed).
Fast forward 2020, the landscape has changed dramatically with some of these pubs having shut down or relocated. The reasons are aplenty and to put forth a few- the Cantonment area isn't as popular as before leading to decreased footfalls, there is an explosion in the choice (like in every other consumer product/service) leading to intense competition, the tastes have also changed thanks in large to the craft beer culture kicking in. Covid-19 was the final nail in the coffin for many of these outlets.
Its not as if the old beer culture has gone away completely but is probably mainly on the minds of old Bangalore junta like me who still romanticize the idea of the nostalgic old school pub (no place plays better music than Pecos even now). "Bobs Bar" in Indiranagar is a place which has the old school pub vibe and is packed all the time, even on a weekday evening (survival of the fittest!) Like everything else, progression has taken place and the modern microbrewery stands as a testament to the same.
So what led to this explosion in microbreweries?
- The Karnataka gov excise department started giving out licenses for microbreweries. Talking of laws and regulations, it is notoriously difficult to get a liquor license in Bangalore and presumably a lot of under the table dealing with babus. In a nutshell, if you're running a "bar and restaurant", you can only buy off an existing license from someone who owns it. No new licenses are granted! The pub scene in Bangalore boomed despite this absurdity! And I wont even begin to start on the dark age of nightlife in Bangalore in the late 90s and 2000s when pubs were forced to shut shop and 11 30 (luckily, I was a kid then) and live music became an increasingly rare sight
- Well travelled folks who have experienced the craft beer boom outside wanted to bring in the same experience back home. This is exactly the case with Arbor Brewing Company (popularly called "ABC") whose founder found inspiration in the namesake placed in Michigan
- Bangalore has a mix of a booming young working class which is willing to spend and experiment and the original stamp of a pub city stays where folks like to drink and unwind - an aspect pretty unique to Bangaloreans (unlike Mumbai where folks just drink whatever it takes to get high and dance or Delhi NCR where folks just drink whatever it takes to get high for the sake of getting high (!?!). Anyhow, why would one keep having the same old lager beer when you can have the choice of 5-10 different types of freshly brewed beer under the same roof? An excerpt from a very good column published in Mint describes this beer culture:
- Microbreweries turned into a place where one could not only try fresh and unique beers but also eat some good food beyond the usual bar food of munchies, finger foods and pizza. Its not wonder that the city probably lags behind Mumbai and NCR in this aspect. Most (if not all) fine dine restaurants in the city can be found in 5 start hotels or fancy malls like UB City.
My journey with beer started with the ever reliable and cheap as hell KF Strong and UB Export Strong (those minimalist days!). It soon progressed to Turborg (that fancy way of opening the bottle) and then to Heineken (which I hate now). Luckily, I never really had an affinity towards any other drink for long. After NITK, I first remember going to a microbrewery probably in mid 2012 when I first went to Biere Club, Lavelle Road and the story continues till date. I have also done some bit of exploration when I have been on low budget Eurotrips as seen below (PS -search for a pic Schneider Weiss Brauhaus Munich's IPA below - best beer I've ever had)
This list contains only those microbreweries that I have visited - there are dozens of others I have not been to and may not plan to visit (gone are the wild chugging days sigh)
Also, if you really want to geek out and understand various types of beer, I strongly recommend this video
Every Style of Beer Explained
So here goes my list of microbreweries in ascending order of bad to good. Go further down if you want to skip the bad ones:
AVOID:
1. Simon Says Brewery, Koramangala: (worst brewery in the city)
2. Brewmeister Jayanagar:
3. Barleyz, Koramangala (Its closed now)
4. Big Pitcher, Old Airport Road (huge building but meh beer)
DECENT-
1. Yellow Submarine, Bannerghata Road
2. Bangalore Brew Works, Old Airport Road (great views!)
3. Communitti, Residency Road (very young crowd)
4. Vapour, Indiranagar and Sarjapur Road
5. XOOX Brewmill (too loud)
6. Brahma Brews, JP Nagar
7. Brooks and Bonds Brewery Koramangala
8. Gillys Koramangala (overrated)
9. Brother Barley, HSR Layout
10. Brewsky, JP Nagar
11. Shakesbierre, Brigade Road
12. Whitefield Arms, VR Mall, Whitefield
13. Murphys Brewhouse, Domlur
ABOVE AVERAGE/PRETTY GOOD
1. Bierre Club, Lavelle Road (has the charm of the old Bangalore style pub)
2. Levitate, JP Nagar
3. Hoot, Sarjapur Road
4. IronHill, Outer Ring Road (gigantic)
5. Arbor Brewing Company, Brigade Road
6. Brewklyn, Kalyan Nagar
7.Byg Brewsky, Sarjapur Road and Hennur (mixed experiences with the beer but amazing ambience)
THE BEST:
1. Windmills Craftworks, Whitefield (the one at the airport is a little underwhelming) - Try their IPAs and special beers
2. Pump House, JP Nagar - the most underrated brewery in the city with amazing Hefe+pizza
3. Toit Indirangar - the quality of beer isnt the same but the vibe and ROI is still top notch
4. Bieregarten, Koramangala and Whitefield - a fan of their beers off late. Gets super loud on weekends.
5. Bier Library Koramangala - super ambience
6. District 6, Orion Mall Rajajinagar - the best wheat beer in the city. The Stout is super strong and awesome as well
I hope you found this blog informative, illuminating and enlightening. Cheers! (Prost!)