KINGFISHER
Shepherd Neame
India, 4.8% ABV
Kingfisher is the bestselling beer in India, and the UK’s bestselling Indian beer, so far managing to hold off much-hyped newcomer Cobra. Indian friends of mine confirmed Kingfisher’s popularity, but noted a difference in taste between the Indian original and the UK variety. That’ll be because the UK variety is brewed in Faversham, Kent, by Shepherd Neame with yeast imported from India. While discussing the fact that the Bangalore brewery that created Kingfisher was founded by a Scotsman (Thomas Leishman founded the United Breweries in 1857), we enjoyed some home-made Indian pakoras and spring rolls. It’s not always easy to find a beer that works with the spices of Indian food, but I dived into a bottle of Kingfisher and came out quite refreshed. It’s brewed for a minimum of eight weeks, and comes in a very restaurant-friendly 660ml bottle. But is this a beer that should be drunk on any other occasion? My friends said they preferred the Indian brew, and certainly its UK cousin doesn’t come close to competing with many of my favourites from Europe. It’s light in colour and poured with a good head, but not much of an aroma. If anything, it was a bit sweet, and the taste – well, it was there one minute and gone the next, a bit like the bird it’s named after, spotting fans. India is home to more than 70 species of kingfisher, and they are particularly prevalent around Bangalore. Interestingly, United Breweries also own one of India’s biggest airlines – also called Kingfisher. HC
