We love ourselves a good craft beer! While we may not know the 411 on hops, and the whole process of crafting beer, we do appreciate the novelty of trying drinks that allow their makers to be experimental with flavours, finishes and even colours. And we do love sipping on dark beers, IPAs and lighter beers and attempting to guess what's in the mix. Here's where we go when we're craving chill scenes, and chilled (craft) beers!
Get Crafty: These Are The Best Microbreweries In The City
Toit, Lower Parel
One of Bangalore's favourite breweries created waves as it arrived ay Todi Mills in Mumbai. With craft beers as their highlight, Toit slowly became the favourite haunt of beer-lovers (like us!). We personally love the Scottish Ale - which is "wee heavy" and dark, Tintin Toit (the Belgian Wit) and Basmati Blonde. Hefeweizen lovers can choose the Toit Weiss. Another hot-seller is the Dark Knight (a rich, smooth brew with the flavours of coffee and chocolate).
Price: Half a pint will cost you only INR 250, while one full pint will cost you INR 325
Munch On: BBQ Madras Mushrooms (INR 325), the Toit Steak (INR 600) and the Chicken Donne Biryani (INR 400)
Gateway Taproom, BKC
We love the fact that the focus at Gateway is on both the food and the beer, which means we can drop by for dinner after a long day, lunch meetings, or even date nights! Up until recently, we heard Gateway’s White Zen was one of the most consumed beers in Mumbai, and they say it's Mumbai's original hefeweizen.
They also serve a Belgian Dubbel that's got a raisin-y hit, and a subtle spiciness!
Price: INR 280 for a pint
Munch On: Get the Black Pepper Chicken Skewers, Smoked Scamorza Spaghetti and the Beer-A-Misu!
Brewbot Eatery & Pub Brewery, Veera Desai Area and Bandra Reclamation
This place is always buzzing thanks to the gigs, parties and comedy nights. We almost always end up going for the craft beers, the Botwork Orange (Belgian Wit) being our favourite. We also love their Floating Head (a German Hefeweizen), Skywalker (a German kolsch pale beer from Cologne), Mojo Rising (an American-style Midwestern pale ale), and Black Mamba (a chocolate oat cream stout).
Price: INR 245 for a pint
Munch On: Order the Fried & Spicy Chicken Wings (INR 495), Spaghetti Carbonara (INR 595) and the Grandmother's Style Warm Apple Pie (INR 445)
#LBBTip: Watch out for some awesome deals during Hoppy Hours!
Independence Brewing Company, Veera Desai Area
These are the guys who make our Mondays better, thanks to some of their amazing offers on beer. Head over to enjoy their in house brews- Belgian Wit, Hefeweizen, Redemption Pilsner, Four Grain Saison, Nitro Porter, Juicy IPA and Marzen. They also serve meads from Moonshine Meadery.
If you ask us, the Blackberry Pie is our favourite craft beer here.
Price: Pints start at INR 280, but do get the Flight - which is 45 ML of all the tasters at INR 150.
Munch On: The Soy Chilli Pork Chops (INR 680), the Grilled Lamb Burger (INR 680), and the Coconut Panna Cotta (INR 300)
Thirsty City 127, Lower Parel
Thirsty City's got nostalgic decor that gives us mad 60s vibes! We loved Thirsty Simona, which has subtle banana and clove flavours and has a smooth body. We also loved the Thirsty Ninja, which is chocolaty, dark and rich... And also their fastest selling! Make sure you get tons of pictures while you're here - it's such a pretty place!
Price: INR 275 and up a pint
Munch On: The Seafood Lime and Chilly (INR 300), any of their pizzas (INR 350 onwards) and the Ravioli (INR 600)
Royal Oak Brewery, Vashi
We love that a microbrewery finally opened up in Navi Mumbai! We loved their Debonair, which has a subtle Tiramisu-esque flavour, and the Serene, which gives you tones of orange, ginger, honey and sea salt. We think this is a great spot for a casual date, and is definitely worth visiting if you live close by!
Price: INR 339 for a pint. You can get testers for a platter of INR 99
Munch On: The Spicy Mushrooms on Toast (INR 329), the Kaali Mirch Prawn Bruschetta (INR 479) and the Crunchy Chicken Burger with Fries (INR 429)