PEAKLIFE

India’s first Bottled craft beer.

With an increase in demand for craft beers in India, competition has increased and breweries are giving a tough challenge to their counterparts.

One among them is the White Rhino Brewing Co. which after a massive launch last year is gaining momentum in the market. White Rhino, the brainchild of Ishaan Puri, is India’s first craft beer to be brewed and bottled in India.

Ishaan who completed his schooling in Delhi and studied Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, after which he worked with Black Rock, an asset management company in New York.

Returning to India after six years, he noticed the gap & potential for quality beer in the Indian market and went to the UK in 2011 for a Diploma in Brewing. With his knowledge and passion for beer and brewing, he started working on the launch of White Rhino Beer.

Doing it the right way

Brewed in the outskirts of Gwalior, the brand uses very high quality ingredients from around the globe and brew beer to an international standard at their very own facility in India.

“Our brewing philosophy is all about taking no shortcuts, and while it is a costly approach, it allows us to brew beer that is of a higher standard than any other domestic brand in the market. White Rhino is perhaps the only bottled beer in the market that does not use preservatives, stabilisers, enzymes, foam enhancers and clarifying agents to brew beer faster and cheaper. We realise that great beer takes time to mature (there is no substitute for this) and we do things the right way, which is often the hard way”, says Ishaan Puri, founder, White Rhino Brewing. Co.

Brewed for Beer Lovers

White Rhino is currently available in two variants- “a Munich Lager and a Belgian-style Wheat Beer, a much anticipated India Pale Ale variant will launch within the year. The two available variants are different from each other and neither of them are very strong beers, both have 5% ABV (alcohol by volume). However, the feature that separates one from the other is that the lager has more hops than the wheat beer. We use hop flowers in brewing to impart a certain kind of flavour and aroma” says Puri.

Puri adds he enjoys the hoppy, bitter beers, but “Indian market tends to prefer low-bitterness beers, which is why I would typically recommend the wheat beer to a first-time drinker.”

The wheat beer is a light, refreshing, aromatic and complex beer with citrusy notes. It goes down really well with most consumers. The seasoned beer drinkers tend to prefer the lager.

How to pair your White Rhino Beer

Ishaan shares how one can pair White Rhino Beers with:  “the Belgian Style wheat beer is great with any kind of salad especially with a vinaigrette dressing.  It also pairs well with all types of seafood and is a favourable companion to Indian, Thai and Mexican food as the orange peel and coriander in the Wheat Beer complement the citric flavours of these cuisines.”

“The White Rhino lager goes well with grilled sandwiches containing all varieties of ham and mild cheese.  Delicately flavoured white meats and fish also benefit from the crisp and clean taste of the beer. The lager is also a great ingredient to cook with and is used extensively in dishes such as beer battered fish & chips, various types of bread and dips.”

Picture Credits: Devina Malhotra, Blog: Guiltybytes

So the next time you wanna grab some beer from the store, think White Rhino.