There’s a strong aroma of toasted cereals in the small room where magic happens, as beer-lovers quench their thirst right outside the window.
Using a long paddle, I stir 300 litres of 65C water – harder than it looks – as another bag of malted barley is poured into the large silver tank at Candles Brewhouse in Bangalore.
The capital city in the south Indian state of Karnataka is full of buzz and vibrancy when we arrive for a few days of beer, food and exploration.
Perhaps lesser known than the tourist hotspots of Mumbai and Delhi in the north, Bangalore – or Bengaluru in the local language – is described as India’s technology capital. An influx of big tech firms with well-travelled employees is seen as one of the drivers behind the growing popularity of the craft beer scene here.
There are believed to be more than 70 microbreweries in the city, and its thirst for more does not seem to be letting up, with one of the staff telling me: “Bangalore could have 15 more breweries, easily.”
Candles, located on the 12th floor of the Azure office building on Bellary Road, offers fantastic views and professes to be the highest microbrewery in the city.
The beer I am helping to brew will eventually have raspberries added to it, producing a pink-tinted drink (one of the brewery’s most popular thirst-quenchers). Each week one tank – around 1,000 litres – of this specific flavour is sold. But it will be about 15 days before the mixture I am stirring is ready to serve up to eager customers.
The venue, which can seat around 450 people, offers Ibiza-style beats, cricket on a big screen and a very Instagram-worthy backdrop. There is also the opportunity for more curious drinkers – like me – to request a free tour of the small one-room brewing section with its 14 tanks quietly preparing the next batches.
It’s a tight squeeze for our group but we get an insight into how the beer is made as we stand among the tanks.
“The raspberry ale is our flagship beer. We aim to deliver food, beer and happiness,” says brew master Martin Bernard, adding that Bangalore is the “beer capital of India”.
Asked what sets this place apart from the many others, he and the other staff tell me it’s an unrivalled view.
“People come here for the quality of the beer and the view of the city,” he says.
Punters can enjoy a beer while surveying brewers at work inside the glass-walled room beside the main bar, or take a stroll out onto the terrace to get a bird’s eye view of the city high above the rush of traffic below.
A six-beer taster set including raspberry ale, Belgian Wit, juicy pale ale, triple, stout and American Pilsner costs around 350 rupees (£3.50).
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