We would like to know your first memory associated with Beer?
At the age of 5, I had a sip of malt beer which is also known as children’s beer in Germany which was great in taste, and I imagined that if Children’s Beer tasted that great then how amazing Adult beer would taste!!
Out of curiosity, Nupur asked that which beer was this which he took a swig of, at that time; on which Oliver promptly answered “Vita Malt”. He also added that the reason why it’s called children’s beer is because it contains no alcohol, this beer is brewed only in one day and it hardly gets any time to ferment unlike a proper Beer is done.
What’s the Story behind Doolally & why Pune?
Doolally
Pronunciation is (Du-lah-lee)
Meaning: Crazy or eccentric or like in our case it means completely derange!
The word Doolally finds its origins in a small town called Deolali near Nasik which had unusual claim to fame in the late 1800s. The British Army established a military base in Deolali & it`s where the British soldiers who would complete their tour of duty were sent to await transportation to go back home. This would mean a long wait, often many months, before they were picked up by the ships to take them to England. Consequent boredom & heat drove many soldiers a little crazy and the phrase ` Going Dolally` was coined; which means acting a little soft in the head or having camp fever! Eventually over the time the usage of the phrase-`Going Dolally was shortened to just Dolally!!
On getting a chance to speak about this venture of his, he first made sure that that we both (the Brew master & Nupur) had a glass filled with fresh batch of Oatmeal stout in front of us!!
Doolally was the first ever craft brew house in India which took one and half year to get erected from scratch, the main aim was to create awareness amongst the Punekars about the concept of craft beers & encouraging the culture of enjoying the taste of freshly brewed.
Your all time favorite Beer & it’s from where?
The beer brand that has been my all time favorite is Fuchschen Alt which is from Dusseldorf.
We are keen to know a bit about your brand and which beer is the one which is unique & why?
Dolally started with making Lagers & Wheat Beers. Later on we launched Apple Cider which was an instant hit amongst our guests. Lately the Coffee Porter & the Kolsch have been the favorites of our patrons.
Your beer making mentor is?
Brew master Driver has been my brew master mentor who is from Dusseldorf. He is from the Brand Fuchschen. I am still in touch with him & I connect with him whenever I travel back home to Germany.
What’s the current scenario of the craft beer industry in India & where do you see it going in the next 5 years?
From the time when we started Dolally the scenario has quite changed & people are now more open towards preferring craft beers over bottled beers. Though people need to start understanding about the concept of Kolsch & Porter`s- which are bitter at the first sip but after that you can get the true flavors of the ingredients.
How do you see the impact of alcohol awareness website such as All About Daru on social stigmas & misconceptions related to alcohol in India?
It’s a good initiative for the information and awareness that it is presenting but maintaining the databases for the audience and seeing the internet connectivity status in India, it is going to take its own sweet time