Bar Review - The Beer Cafe
I love Beer so I knew I was bound to visit this place some day or another and this finally happened when I decided to brighten up my Monday night at The Beer Café. This is India's largest beer chain and is the only café in India with a range of 50 different varieties of beer from 17 countries in the world. So. Much. Beer. Yay!
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| Difficult decisions await you at The Beer Cafe |
The first thing I noticed the moment I entered The Beer Café in Koregaon Park is its light and cheerful setting. The place is much larger than it looks from outside and also has a open air outer seating at the back side which is where most of the people choose to sit and you can see frequent beer pitchers coming in full and going back empty! This is the neighborhood place for those who love their beer, and more than that, love great conversations over beer. The menu gives you an extensive list of beers along with trivia about them. I was in the mood to experiment so I tried many different beers from many countries along with lots of delicious appetizers. Some come follow my beer exploration journey!
I started with a Spanish beer called the 1906 Special Reserve. Prepared from a careful selection of toasted malts and hops of the "Perle Hallertau" and "Nugget" varieties that give an aroma, a dark amber colour and a distinct flavour to the malts. The head is abundant and creamy, which keeps throughout the drink. Aftertaste is long and pleasant.
The Corn Bhel was mouthwateringly good and went perfectly with beer. This sweet and
spicy preparation consists of corn kernels, onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and sev (a crisp lentil based savoury) drizzled with tamarind and coriander chuntey which give it a tangy flavor. This was the first time I had Corn Bhel in my life and I fell in love!
This was followed by an Erdinger Weissbier - a German beer which is brewed using fine yeast according to a traditional recipe and in strict accordance with the Bavarian Purity Law. It takes three to four weeks for Erdinger Weissbier 'with fine yeast' to mature. The nose is really quite clean, crisp and citrussy, with a hint of yeast. On the palate the texture is creamy and dense
The Koliwada Fried Chicken came highly recommended so we were oblighed to try it. This crispy hot preparation was served Mumbai style and seems like the perfect match for beer. The curry leaves add a kick of flavor to it which made it very similar to my beloved dish Chicken 65 so I'm definitely ordering this every time I come here. Loved it!
Next up was the Paulaner Original - an aromatic German beer from with a fresh taste; initially acidulous, in the mouth a malty taste develops, with a hoppy aftertaste. A distinctive harmonic taste of hops and the delicate bitter Pils aroma
Another starter which was highly recommended is the Tirchi Topiwale which is a cute name for a mushroom dish stuffed with cheese. This one's great for all the cheese lovers out there. Gooey cheese that melts in your mouth the moment you bite into it!
Oranjeboom is a delicious, easy-drinking Dutch drop with hay-like hue and a fruity fragrance. Citrus notes on the palate and a hint of caramel sweetness and a gentle, drifting finish
The fish fingers are a great accompaniment to your beer. They are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. These disappeared from the table in no time!
With special blend of high quality hops, Birra Moretti is an Italian beer that has a unique taste and fragrance, enhancing its perfectly balanced bitter taste. It is the result of a production process that has remained almost unchanged since 1859.
One of the best dishes here is the Butter Garlic Prawns which have the perfect burst of flavor in every bite. Highly recommended!!
The Spanish name Amigos had me fooled but this pale lager is actually from the UK! Notes of South American limes and real Mexican tequila contribute to the beer's zesty and refreshing taste profile, making it an ideal accompaniment to many food dishes and a perfect beverage for the summer.
The Garden Fresh pizza is crispy and has a tasty base and sauce. I had a teeny bite of this one as I was pretty stuffed by the time we got to this!
Last and definitely not the least is the Chimay Red, a Classic Belgian trappist beer with light and fruity aromas of black pepper, prunes, apricot and malt. It balances a mellow sweetness with a restrained bitterness and is nice and strong. Loved it!
The place is tastefully done up with lots of funny beer quotes and posters. They even have board games for you and your friends to play. In fact, till I came here, I had no idea that there are so many different styles of Beer. There's lager, pale ale, stout and so much more!
Here's me and Peter from the Beer Cafe Koregaon Park who did a great job hosting us and made sure we had a wonderful time!
If you love beer, you cannot miss this place! Lovely ambience, good food and an extremely impressive array of beers (and other alcohol too) await you at The Beer Cafe. I loved it and can't wait to go back! At present, there are three outlets in Pune.
The address of the one I visited is -
Ground Floor, Kapila Matrix, North Main Road Annexe, Koregaon Park, Pune