The beer may not have been great back in the day, but the memories sure were. I don’t remember when I first visited Goa – I’ve been visiting since I was a very young child. As much of a cliche as it has become, I can’t avoid mentioning how much a part of my life the many visits to Goa have been. There are many memories of the polite and unexpectedly helpful people who one frequently meets in Goa;
other memories of all the great food, life-events, conversations, beaches, sunsets … and beer. In my twenties, as life and work took me to England and later on to the USA, beer took on a new meaning, with seemingly limitless possibilities. I found a university in Scotland that taught this magic, and wrangled my way into an admission. Enlightened after the experience in Scotland, I returned to India in 2009 with the express purpose of starting a microbrewery in Goa. It didn’t take much to convince my friend Nikhil (a.k.a. Pablo) that he needed to be a part of this journey. Soon after, we borrowed his mother’s car and set off from Bangalore for a very important market study of Goa. Unfortunately, Goa hadn’t formulated the laws to allow for microbreweries – that eventually happened some years later. One thing led to another and I found myself co-founding Singapore’s first microbrewery that distributed beer across the country and exported to a few others. In a few short years Jungle Beer had become an iconic Singapore craft beer brand that won top awards across Asia. By mid 2014 the craft beer movement in India was well and truly on its way and I couldn’t watch any longer from the sidelines. I moved to Goa in early 2015 with a suitcase and 3 shipping containers into which I had packed the Singapore brewery. It took two years to formulate a plan, execute it and get a license. Finally I had in my hand a beer worthy of a Goan sunset; that first sip of our English Ale on the beach was just glorious! Six years after moving to Goa, I no longer need a map to get about, but continue to evolve and understand what it is to be Susegad – the unhurried pursuit of happiness. Our goal at Susegado Microbrewery is to capture the enchantment of Goa in every sip of our beer. Join us on our journey to become Susegad! Aditya
Brewer & Co-founder
