SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024
Think 'beer culture' and chances are that you’d think
Bangalore. For, the IT city boasts of perhaps the most active beer culture in
the country, thanks to the multiple microbreweries that have takers aplenty.
Other cities like Gurugram, Pune and Mumbai also have a section of beer enthusiasts
who’d dare not cheat on their beer by taking to other spirits. But for some
reasons, the beer culture hasn’t felt welcome in Goa yet. Maybe that is only
until now because going by the state of affairs, it sure looks like things are
about to change.
In the recent past, restaurants, pubs and nightclubs in Goa
have flirted with microbreweries but none can claim to have had remarkable
success. Business establishments like SinQ, Habanero, etc serve craft beer and
if things go as per plans, will soon have the company of The Big Tap that
promises to start its microbrewery soon. There has also been a noticeable surge
in the number of beer enthusiasts who insist on tap beer; the regular takers at
pubs like Watson’s, Top Gear, Taverna, etc are testimony of this.
Deviating slightly from its focus on EDM as is the case
every year, the annual festival Oktoberfest Goa, being called as the ‘Beer
Edition’ this year, is a two-day festival being held at Inox Courtyard in
Panjim on October 21 and 22, 2017. The festival boasts of over 20 brands of
beer, beer games, and elements of beer infused in the installations, stage
décor, stalls, and anything and everything at the venue. To allow beer
aficionados a taste of the true Bavarian Oktoberfest in Goa, the festival has been
kept open for all.
Pranay Purohit, one of the organisers of Oktoberfest Goa,
says, “In 2011, when we decided to bring Oktoberfest to Goa, the initial idea
was to get as close to the authentic piece of Bavarian culture that has been
prevalent since 1810 in Germany. We wanted to have a festival centred around
beer for all sections of society, across age groups. But somehow, in a bid to
cater to the youth, the music (EDM) overpowered other aspects of the festival
and we lost the essence of Oktoberfest. This year, we have attempted to fix
that.”
Another beer-related festival, The Beer Circus 2017, is
touted to be a congregation of beer lovers, beer traditions and the best of
beer brands and breweries from all around the world, under one single roof.
Natasha Parekh, one of the partners of The Beer Circus 2017, says, “Goa is an
emotion that echoes freedom and happiness. And no day in this land of sun and
sand is complete without a mug of beer! Hence, there couldn’t have been a
better place for us to host The Beer Circus 2017. The idea is to put together a
property close to our hearts that involves a 360 degree outlook to the world of
beer.”
The two-day festival will be held at Stone Water Eco Resort in Bogmalo, on November 4 and 5, 2017.
