Bira 91 and New Belgium Brewing launch Chutney Sour beer

Indian craft beer brand Bira 91 has partnered with New Belgium Brewing, one of the biggest brewers in the US, to launch a ‘Chutney Sour’ into the two markets.

New Belgium Brewing, based in the US state of Colorado, has collaborated with B9 Beverages-owned Bira 91 on the new Chutney Sour beer.

The US craft brewer produces Fat Tire Ale, Voodoo Ranger IPA, Mural Agua Fresca Cerveza, and La Folie Sour Brown Ale in the US.

Chutney Sour has been brewed with tamarind and is based on the classic Dubbel, a Belgian-style ale also known as Trappist or abbey dubbels.

The beer was simultaneously released in the breweries’ respective taprooms – Bengaluru & Delhi-NCR in India for Bira 91, and Fort Collins, Colorado for New Belgium Brewery.

The release was timed to coincide with the Indian festival of Holi on 25 March, a Hindu celebration which welcomes in the spring, according to Brewbound where this story was reported.

Ankur Jain, founder and CEO of Bira 91, said Colorado, where its collaborator is based, is “at the centre of beer innovation in the world, New Belgium is the most well-respected beer company in the United States”.

Jain called the collaborative creation a “crazy, but in hindsight, such an obvious idea”, bringing together a Belgian sour ale with the flavour of tamarind to create a Chutney Sour.

New Belgium Brewing CEO Shaun Belongie said India is “known for its exciting culinary flavours“, which the US brewer was looking forward to bringing to its audience. “Collaborations like this allow us to play with new and unexpected flavour combinations and invest in our best-in-class beer innovation,” he added.