The city that loves its microbrewery has got another one for ales and lagers as Marak JW Marriott Bengaluru in early February
The city that loves its microbrewery has got another one for ales and lagers, with Marak opening in early February
Away from the pool, slightly above the glare of the hotel lobby, the JW Marriott now houses a microbrewery, which launched in early February. And even as they touch on the finer details, the beers are good to go.
The space is designed to be reminiscent of beer gardens
Called Marak (Serbian for pleasure), this casual spot is designed to look like a beer garden, which, according to Merak’s brewmaster Karthik Singh, adds to the relaxed vibe of the environment.
This time the menu is simple; This includes a Belgian Whitbier, an IPA, a Kölsch and the Winter Warmer (a spiced beer). “We initially wanted to go with traditional flavours. For example, Witbier is popular all over the world. Even an IPA. But as we go forward, we will be adding in other flavours, experimenting with seasonal ingredients,” explains Singh.
Now here’s an interesting bit. In 2019, JW Marriott Bengaluru launched the basic version of the Merak at the same location. Labeled an ‘urban oasis’, it was meant to provide a comfortable place for guests to relax, bringing the outdoor feeling inside the home.
While the new version of the Merck looks quite similar, if not identical, the feel is very different, perhaps due to the larger tanks of beer they see as they go inside.
Karthik Singh, Brewmaster of Marq | photo credit: Priyadarshini Nandi
Even better, these delicious crafts are pretty competitively priced. At ₹350 for a 500ml serving, it matches up to almost any good microbrewery in town. “We wanted to keep it that way, especially to encourage brewery visitors. You might not always want to go to a five-star hotel to eat expensive food, but a microbrewery is a tempting proposition. especially for the younger crowd. It is not expensive and yet they get to go to a luxury hotel, be it for a casual night out or to celebrate an occasion,” says Singh.
The food menu at Merak is a combination of Asian cuisine and brewhouse grub, but served in style. Prices range from ₹350 to ₹650, from platters serving baguettes, lavaches and crudites with housedips and tempura and gyoza to sliders and cheese and/or charcuterie boards.
Going back to beer, the brewmaster tells us that craft beers are called craft for a reason. Making good beer isn’t too hard if you know what to do, but it does require a lot of expertise to make good beer. And then you have the brewmaster’s touch, which makes each beer unique. For example, when it comes to fruit-infused beer, Lions will not add the fruit to the brew during fermentation. “One way is to wait until the beer is over and then add fruit juice and after that I don’t let it sit for too long,” he explains.
Or how with Spicy Ale, or Winter Warmer, they have played with spices to create a fuller flavor that doesn’t take away from the essential flavor of the beer. The IPA also, despite being one of the stronger brewers, teases your palate with a hint of citrus. So you’ll taste the grapefruits and oranges that stay in your mouth long before the bitterness sets in.
“Even the hops you use in your beer, or the yeast, add to the final product,” he tells us.
Singh plans to step up the game over the next few months. “We are looking forward to summers as it gives me a chance to play with seasonal ingredients. We are looking forward to fresh flavors to go with the seasons. I am planning to make some saison with mango and also with cucumber I am,” he says, adding that he is already working on a few recipes, and that is all he would say.
Saison, also known as farmhouse ale, originated in southern Belgium, a type that lions partly prefer. “In the old days, farmers who drank their beer would simply leave out the brew. Sometimes they didn’t even leaven and let nature take its course, which is why saison was often referred to as ‘Belgian funk’,” he says, explaining that over time, breweries How took that flavor and fine tuned it to create the modern saison.
“As long as we don’t compromise on quality and keep it real, you can do a lot with beer,” repeats the brewmaster.
Marak isn’t the first microbrewery in a five-star hotel in Bengaluru, so it certainly doesn’t set a precedent. In fact, it is the brand’s second microbrewery in India, with the first being the JW Marriott in Chandigarh, which is home to 35 brew houses, a hub for craft beer lovers. “It is very easy to start a microbrewery in a hotel in states like Maharashtra or West Bengal. In Karnataka, if you have a microbrewery license, you must ensure that the beer is consumed where it is made. So we cannot even sell to growers here,” says Singh. Changes in this would be welcome.
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