Tag Archives: Gateway Brewing Co

Beer Tasting at Woodside Inn, Lower Parel

All Things Nice hosted a fun, interactive tasting with 12 beers at Woodside Inn – Lower Parel! We tasted beers by Doolally Taproom, Brewbot Mumbai, Independence Brewing Company, The Barking Deer Brewpub and Gateway Brewing Co.

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Doolally

I along with thousands of others seem to be immediately hooked. I’d probably go as far as saying we are addicted to Doolally. Who can blame u?  It’s located in a nice quite street in Bandra, it’s very casual, always has a buzz, the beer is truly unbelievable, the grub is good and the price offers incredible value for money. Rs 250 for 330ml glass of world class beer just feels so right.

Since it opened I find myself dreaming about their beers and land up visiting on average of at least thrice a week. Sometimes it’s just for 2 quick pints. Sometimes it’s just because I’ve got off the sea link on my way home in the evening . I’ve even got one of the member mugs with my name on it.

The beer is undoubtedly the star of the show, with a variety of offerings and each of them with their own unique flavors, they keep you coming back for more. My favourite would have to be the Stout, though their Hefeweizen, Belgium wit beer, Belgium Farmhouse ale and their Weizenbock are excellent. There are more and I like them all frankly. Haven’t tried their cider and don’t intend to but it does seem popular as well. To get the uninitiated up to speed they are happy to pour tasting portions so that people can sample and then place an order.

They and the other brewpubs like The White Owl along with Gateway Brewing have upped the quality levels of beer available in Mumbai so dramatically that I think Kingifsher and the like will have to change their game if they want to retain quality oriented consumers.

The food though not the centre of attraction is actually very good and also different which makes it interesting. Scotch eggs, Kerala prawns, ghee chicken roast, the batter fried bombay duck all really good and all perfect to go with their beers.

No one can deny that there is a drink revolution going on in India, Doolally gives us an opportunity to drink world class delicious beer and not the crap that we’ve been subjected to all this while at prices that are affordable. Well at least since before Gateway came along.

At Doolally suddenly conversations about different kinds of beer and understanding their origins can be heard from every table and that’s something right ? Even though we’ve been drinking beer all this while we never really bothered to know the differences until now.

But Doolally has created another revolution, one that I have been watching closely. The revolution I’m talking about is the social revolution when it comes to drinking that Doolally seems to have set a tone for. I find that people are comfortable getting their kids ( very young kids as well) and even their pets to Doolally. Doolally has somehow created a vibe that is very welcoming, almost like a German beer garden. It’s this sort of vibe, openness to drinking a glass of beer that India needs. Going out for food and a couple of pints of beer if handled responsibly could also be a family affair.

Nowhere else do I see this phenomenon. It’s changing things, you see some people wondering ( My wife and I go with our twins every sunday) what we’re doing but then I also see them changing their stance when they see us having a good time. The kids freak out on the fries and we sip on a beer or two and spend our time together. Really nothing wrong with that.

Doolally 1

By Nikhil Agarwal, Sommelier and Director at All Things Nice

Gateway Brewing Co.

 

Gateway 1FoundersFermantation Tanks filled with Beer

A few years ago, the only beer we were familiar with was the one we were subjected to by the ‘King of Good Times’. Home-brewing was uncommon; there were no regulations, no ingredient supplies and worst of all absolute lack of awareness of craft beer

Mumbai got one its first micro-brewery when duo Rahul Mehra and Krishna Naik quit their jobs to get into the business of beer. They were joined by Navin Mittal armed with a Business Degree from Clark University and over 20 years of experience in product development and marketing. What started off as secret beer making sessions in their kitchen turned to beer workshops for a few enthusiasts. In 2011, they established a business plan to supply beers on tap to various restaurants and bars in Mumbai.

Gateway Brewing Co. the brainchild and hard work of this trio, has paved the way for other craft breweries to establish themselves. In a way, they have authored the unwritten book on setting up and marketing a micro-brewery in Maharashtra.

If you want to rediscover beer as you know it, make sure your weekend plan includes a visit to any one of the thirty plus restaurants or pubs Gateway Brewing Co. is available at.  The really quirky names of the beers just add to the mystery of discovering craft-beer. So are you a Doppelganger or Like That Only?