For the uninitiated, King’s Black Label Premium Pilsner beer is one that has so far been available only in Goa. It is packaged in a squat, dark bottle with an ale that is neither sharp, nor one that leaves you with a hangover, with a mild 4.8% alcohol, very humbly priced (between Rupees 40-100 depending on the fancy-metre of the shack you’re in) for a 325 ml bottle.

The article, beautifully narrated, took me down a wistful lane from my previous visits to Goa, the last one being two years ago, when me and the then boyfriend sneaked out four of these chilled beers. It felt like an achievement. The fact that the beer didn’t last longer than two hours of exit from the holiday destination, is another thing altogether.

Which brings me to why is the beer not available/sold anywhere else in India. I do remember having it in a once popular, now non-existant, south Delhi pub Cafe Morrisson, but that was way back in 2007, if my fading memory brings back the fondly remembered first sip. That was the only time I saw it in Delhi. (They musta smuggled it in, who knows?) What’d I give to sip it again! Non-beer drinkers, no you have no clue what I mean.

A non-beer-lover colleague confirms that she did enjoy the taste on her very recent trip to Goa, despite her alcohol preferences.

I looked up the possible places to figure more about the King-makers, but didn’t meet with much success, except a website that looks like it was last updated a decade ago. The numbers listed on their website went unanswered.

Guess it is time to make time for a Goa vacation!