Over the last nine years, Mayank Shekhar, Amit Mishra and Ishan Grover, owners of Hophead Brewing Company, have helped over 40 microbreweries produce craft beer by providing equipment, raw material and ingenious recipes. It was only a matter of time before they jumped into the fray, lock, stock and barrel.

The team has launched Kadak, the name for a small batch of artisanal craft beer, in Mumbai and Delhi. This is the culmination of years of research into the methods of brewing. "Six years ago, it would have been difficult to explain what we were doing," says Mishra, 33, former lead brewer at Bengaluru's Windmills Craftworks, where he helped design the signature Hefeweizen. They began their journey together as consultants, experimenting with different malts, hops, and yeasts out of a Delhi outpost. "At the time, mass-produced lagers by Kingfisher and Budweiser were the norm," says Shekhar. "Although people were drinking beer, it was less than they do now." Things were soon to change. According to him, the "gold rush" started a few years ago, largely the result of Indians travelling abroad. "We could see that the palette was evolving, because when you go to Europe, craft beers are commonplace."