TJ's Brew Works — Restaurant in Maharashtra

#LongPostAlert #CraftOfBeerAndArtOfDrinkingIt #KickassLiveMusic

TJ's Brew Works, one of the pioneers of Craft Beer at Pune, is back serving its fabulous brews again. This place has the live music/ events/ offers going on throughout the week and the vibe is simply electrifying. One of these weekends I was there with a group of friends and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. That day Aryaendra was belting down the coldplay numbers with amazing flair and an enviable burst of energy, the atmosphere was truly immersive.

I tried all the 7 craft beer variants on tap, and I couldn't find a fault with any of the brews. They were all classics in their own brewing zone:

Pale Gale: A rare Pale Ale which has the perfect balance of hops and malt. It wasn't a hopbomp exactly but still the aroma of hops was pretty dominant. Flavours from the malt were shining through, so despite being an Ale it was not high on IBUs.

Mystery: WoW, Just WoW. This one had tropical fruity notes and was kind of zesty on palate with some flavourful hops infused for the aroma, finishing notes were minty fresh. Looked unassuming with its pale yellow appearance but was a very pleasurable brew, extremely sessionable indeed.

Devil's Dark: A Dark Ale with strong notes of Coffee and bitter dark Chocolate. It was exactly a full bodied stout sans the creamy mouthfeel. Amazing choice for the people who prefer dark beers over lagers, wits and ciders.

Blonde: It was good, it was refreshing and it was everything a lager should be. Had the perfect balance of moderate hops and malt. Easy to drink and had a decent head. The finish was drier than the mystery brew.

Coffee Porter: Star Brew !!! Certainly the best of the lot that TJ's brewmasters produce. Vanilla and Coffee notes with a steady head, it can give any stout/ porter in town a run for its money.

Zein Weiss: TJ's twist on the good old Hefeweizen. A delightful brew indeed. This one has the citrusy profile with the coriander and pepper notes. A perfect companion for the hotter days on horizon.

Apple Cider: A dryish cider, not too sweet. Wasn't the most sparkling cider that you will come across but the use of premium apples give it a remarkable flavour. Nice overall.

In food we tried a whole range of Indian & Oriental Starters, pick of the lot were:

Prawns (Huge Sized) in Hot Garlic Sauce: Lipsmackingly good. Freshness of prawns was shining through in taste despite the tossing in spicy sauces.

Chicken Pahadi Kebab: The smokiest tandoori kebab that I have ever had. A 'Must Have' at TJ's !!!

Beer Braised Chicken: What an accompaniment to the lovely brews. Tangy, Spicy and the Chicken with that lovely bite. #PerfectionOnPlate

Tandoori Mushrooms: Smokey, Spicey and very well done !!!

Fish Finger with Tartare Sauce: Despite a thicker coating fish had not lost its flavours. Crusty outside and perfectly soft inside, just the way fish fingers should be. Tartare sauce was an able ally here, tasted amazing on its own too.

In mains we tried:

Thai Green Curry (Chicken): It was one of the best thai curries I have had in recent past. No owerpowering flavours, absolutely the right curry consistency, sweet and spicy in equal measure. Ample chicken pieces with fair share of exotic veggies.

Chicken Biryani: Not the dum variant but the incredibly fragrant and well spiced version. Chicken was cooked to the melt in mouth consistency and the generous dose of birista gave it just the right tinge of sweetness.

Pasta Arrabiatta: Didn't made the cut with me. It was decent but not great, I have had better.

Veg Pizza with Exotic Toppings: This was a cracker of a Pizza, had a thin and sustainable crispy crust despite being loaded with cheese and toppings. Tried another version which was having toppings sauteed in oriental sauces, it was spicy and legit delish.

We skipped the sweet treats as we were stuffed to the hilt by the end of this blissful food soirée, but I would urge all of you to keep some space for the decadent desserts this place has on...

If you are in Amanora mall, this place is a must visit if you love crafted beers and need to spend the day in a laid back environment. The interiors and wooden furnishings contribute to a antique but an elegant view. They even have an area where you can see the brewery in action.

The bar menu consists of decent variety of in house brewed beers as well as other alcoholic drinks and mocktails. The food menu is also quite vast consisting of bites, mains as well as burgers and pastas. They have an ongoing goan fest, where delicacies of Goa have been incorporated in the menu.

Coming to the food we tried:

Gunpowder Fries: Basically french fries sprinkled with a spicy and tangy flavoured spice (named gunpowder). Unique taste, far better than the original french fries.

TJ's Onion Rings: Onion rings crusted in spent grain served with a barbeque sauce. The rings were perfectly crisp and crunchy. Good option if you are looking for something to have your beer with.

Fettucini Alfredo: White sauce pasta cooked in cheese sauce alongwith fresh seasonal vegetables. The chessy flavour was a bit insignificant, but the veggies made it satisfactory.

Prawns Calamari: Prawns in chickpea batter deep fried and served with a green chutney. Basically prawns pakora. The texture of prawns alongside the mint chutney gave it a distinct taste.

Thai style Chilli Chicken: Chicken marinated in thai spices and cooked in chilli garlic sauce. Tender chicken pieces with a spicy flavour makes it a must try.

Tandoori Mushroom: I not a mushroom fan, but I must say this dish did impress me. Mushroom marinated in tandoori spices and yogurt gave it a refreshing new taste. Definitely recommended.

Goan Fish Curry: Fish cooked in a coconut based spicy red chilli curry. The fish was perfectly cooked and soft enough to break on touch. Though I felt the flavour of coconut bit overpowering, the gravy did taste great with steamed rice.

Chicken Vindaloo: Vindaloo basically is a part of portuguese cuisine which means meat marinated in vinegar, garlic and wine. This dish is known for its tangy and spicy flavour. Chicken pieces were succelent and the gravy complimented well with butter naan. Must try if ypu love spicy things.

Blackout: A delectable contrivance of dark chocolate cake topped with dark chocolate sauce. Perfect way to end to a meal gratified.

Overall a must try place if you are looking for a brewery with good food and a...

Decided to spend a lovely Sunday evening with my family at the Amanora Town Centre. We reached early, walked around the entire mall and everybody decided what they wanted to eat. For me it had to be TJ's for sure. As my family got busy in a restaurant across the block, I made a quick dash to TJ's to quench my thirst. I barged in and asked for the samples of all the beers on the menu. I didn't get the name of the guy across the counter, but he duly obliged me with all the beer samples in small tequila like glasses. After I had all the samples, I zeroed in on the Dark Devil because it perfectly complemented the taste I had in my mind for that particular evening. So here's the review:

Appearance: The Dark Devil has a deep dark color (no surprises there!). More of a dark chocolate color, then a 'Guinness' Stout beer, with zero clarity. While it was being served it poured in perfectly without much head or foam. The head or foam stayed there for a while and wasn't too intrusive. As it was a handcrafted beer, it wasn't all that carbonated either.

Aroma: The Dark Devil has a beautiful chocolate meets coffee aroma. It was sharp and bracing with all the taste of the hops.

Palate: The Dark Devil thankfully didn't taste like the commercial, mass-produced beers. But instead it clings on to your taste buds and coats your tongue. A perfect light beer without the overwhelming stout like bitterness to it, and above all it was perfectly well carbonated.

Taste: The Dark Devil, as mentioned previously, was fresh and the aftertaste lingered longer that I expected. The flavors balanced out perfectly and it didn't mellow down either.

Overall, a beautiful, perfectly balanced beer. Time permitting I'd sure like to spend more time in TJ's consuming all of...