Simba, India’s leading craft beer brand, made waves recently with its inaugural ‘Brew Off’ competition in Mumbai, featuring a vibrant mix of micro-breweries, each presenting their finest beers in a bid to stand out.
With a grand prize of ?3 lakh and an exclusive collaboration opportunity for the winning brewery, Simba’s ‘Brew Off’ offered a unique platform to celebrate and elevate the art of brewing. Participating breweries showcased up to two of their top beers, competing for the spotlight with their standout creations.
The panel of experts on the jury included Ishwaraj Bhatia, the visionary behind Simba; Aneesh Bhasin, co-founder of Svami Drinks; Pankil Shah, co-founder of Woodside Inn in Mumbai; Anudeep Reddy, an Advanced Cicerone and beer educator; and seasoned alcobev expert Karina Aggarwal.
Rolling Mills Brewery clinched the top prize with its zesty Mexican lager, sparking an electrifying partnership with Simba. The limited-edition brew will be available exclusively in Goa by year’s end, priced competitively to ensure accessibility for all craft beer enthusiasts.
Pratik Kansara, Founder & Brewer at Rolling Mills Brewer, gushed: “The Simba ‘Brew Off’ challenge has been nothing short of exhilarating! The entire two-month drill boiled down to a 30-minute presentation that we had to pitch to the panelists, and we enjoyed every second of it.”
Among the event’s main draws were Bombay Duck Brewing's farmhouse ale Rice and Shine and 50 Days Märzen, and 2 Down Beers Co’s hibiscus cream ale Pretty Please.
Simba’s Ishwaraj said: “Brew Off is the beginning of something truly exceptional and unprecedented in India. We hope that the first edition of Brew Off is only the beginning of our deeper engagement with the craft community.”
Founded in 2016, Simba is India’s premier family-run craft brewery, known for its passion-driven approach to brewing. With distribution across 17 states and a flagship brewery in Durg, Chhattisgarh, Simba is dedicated to crafting high-quality beers that resonate with enthusiasts across India.
