February 26, 2009: Kingfisher

In many ways, India is a strange place to white-bread westerners like myself. Few countries in the world combine their homegrown cultures and traditions with the customs of Imperial rule the way that India does. The result is a sweltering subcontinent that is covered with urban sprawl and untamed jungle, Millions of people and hundreds of languages, a link to the ways of the past and a connection to the future. When I first started the 365brews project, I was surprised at the number of Indian beers that are available to consumers here in America because India isn't exactly a brewing hotbed. But when I think about the recent history of India, it's more of a surprise to me that there aren't more prominent Indian beers on the market. After over a century of British Imperial rule, it's no surprise that the footprint of western civilization has forever been left on India. If so many British customs still thrive in India long after rule was handed back to the Indian people, why hasn't beer become more of a part of the fabric of modern India? I'm sure the answer is strongly linked to the economic history of India, which I won't pretend to know anything about, but what I do know is beer.

My beer for tonight is Kingfisher, a bright lager from hailing from India. Kingfisher the most commercially successful Indian beer on the market today, and it's easy to tell why. While the brewers at Kingfisher haven't exactly done anything earth-shaking with this lager, what they have done is create a standard, even lager that will appeal to a wide segment of beer drinkers worldwide. I think many people are reluctant to try beers from third world nations like India because they're not sure of what to expect. Inferior ingredients and little to no brewing history is often a recipe for disaster, but the brewers at Kingfisher have managed to create a solid, drinkable brew that rivals many of it's counterparts from the west. I've read a lot of other reviews about Kingfisher that were overwhelmingly negative, which I feel is a bit harsh and unwarranted. That's not to say that I was wowed by this beer, but I certainly wasn't disappointed either. Sure it's pretty skunky and gets a bit bland toward the end, but you could say the same many European lagers. For me, this is a great sign of things to come from the regions of the world that aren't recognized for their brewing heritage. The playing field is finally starting to be leveled a bit and we can come to expect much more third world brewing nations.

A la Sature!
Ian

http://www.kingfisherlager.co.uk/