“I could feel my mother’s disappointment when she knew I made the choice to not go to university. I would always say to her not to worry as university is not the only route to succeed, and I believe that anybody can achieve what they want in life,” says a contemplative Purewal.
The journey to this week’s launch has been a long one but, like any good story, it isn’t without its twists and turns.
Family affair
Purewal’s idea to start a new brewery slowly became a reality in late 2014, with help and inspiration from his Grandad who was also steeped in the beer industry. Following on from this, he has managed to bring his family around to his ideas.
“The Indian Brewery consists of a family of three young boys, myself being the eldest at 20, mother and father and also a team we have created to brew and try and give the UK amazing craft beers and real ales,” he explains.
Central to the company’s first cask offerings are its ‘Indian Summer’, ‘Peacock’, ‘Bombay Honey’ and classic ‘IPA’ beers. Distribution is unsurprisingly starting local but the brewery has already committed to the BBC Good Food Show later this year where it will debut its bottled range of beers.
He adds: “One thing we love to do is deliver our products ourself. We do this because we take great pride in the beers we make and as a team we really want to make sure the consumer gets that quality you’ve strived for.
“Craft beer is all about brewing in small batches, it’s about putting your heart in to the products you brew and aiming for, the best tasting beer anybody has ever sipped. When it comes to craft beer, there is no such thought of cheap ingredients. What you put in is what you get out.”
London Inspiration
That drive to create good beer was catalysed by Purewal’s fascination with London breweries, among others, online.
“The first video and brewery that I ever watched and loved was The Kernel Brewery in London. From there on I couldn’t stop the obsession of watching videos of all the fantastic breweries around London such as Camden, Five Points, Crate, Brixton, Beavertown and a whole load more,” he explains.
He adds: “The London craft beer scene is amazing and I thought, what if I could do something for my own home town of Birmingham? So there on in, my idea became reality.”
