So Bongo and I went to visit East End Foods in Birmingham to sample a genuine Indian Beer. Obviously you can buy other brands of Indian beer in most shops and restaurants however, what makes these two special is their authenticity. Each beer is brewed in India and made with all Indian ingredients. Can you taste the difference? Hell YES you can and they're absolutely delicious!

The first one we tried is Himalayan Monkey Beer 4.8%. This has a really fun branding "the beer with Oh, Oh, Ah, Ah!" and described on the back of the bottle as: "A fresh lunchtime in Jaipur, India, sitting quietly in the garden under a tree with my newspaper, a cold beer and a bowl of nuts. From nowhere a monkey lands on the table, looks at me, grabs my beer and legs it.  I’m still looking for the little blighter." Well, we're now looking for that monkey - he appears to have drunk our beer too! We found it great with a curry, it's an amber coloured, cheeky beer and perfect, perhaps, with a Biryani and some Chillimanjaro! It has a hint of malt that's really lovely.

Our second genuine Indian Beer was: Shimla. also 4.8%. They say: "Finally a Real Indian Beer…Inspired by a traditional recipe originating back to the days of the British Raj (1858).  In the hot summer months, senior British Army officers would retreat from Delhi to the cooler climate of Victorian Shimla." It's lighter on tasting and very smooth to drink. We found it lovely and refreshing. Made me imagine sitting in the sunshine eating some delicious Indian treats and relaxing! It's so good with indian spices as it has a slight palate cleansing feel to it. It would also be great with our Chillimanjaro!

So come on Indian restaurants and shops in the UK - let's have some real Indian beer to drink! The demand is there - you just need to stock it, we'll drink it!

If you're interested in stocking either of these delicious beers contact East End Foods in Birmingham and I'm sure they'll be happy to supply you! (Then let us know so we can come and drink it!)