Kirkstall Brewery has teamed up with Micheline-recognised Leeds restaurant Tharavadu to launch a new, exclusive beer.
Called Somarasam, or ‘drink of the Gods’, the light and refreshing 4% pilsner was created to complement the restaurant’s rich South Asian cuisine.
It was created by Kirkstall’s managing director X, who is a big fan of the restaurant, in collaboration with Theravadu’s chefs.
Kirkstall Brewery CEO Steve Holt said: “We’re good friends with the restaurant and we’ve been providing them with Virtuous for a while, a session pale ale which works well with spicy food as it’s a hoppy, spicy beer.
“But a lot of people like the smoother, cleaner flavour that you get from a Pilsner-style beer, so we talked about making a Pilsner together.
“The brewery is 10-15 minutes walk from here, it seemed the obvious thing for the chefs to come down and work with us to make the beer.”
Theravadu has been recommended in Michelin’s Restaurant Guide every year since it opened in 2014 and is a three-time Oliver Awards winner.
Here, diners can find South Indian curries and traditional Keralan street food, like their pappada vada – a deep fried ‘donut-style’ pappads dipped in rice batter.
It’s also known for its delicious seafood platters. There is no tikka masala or jalfrezi on the menu here.
“Being recommended by the Michelin Guide says something about the food,” said Eshaan Kapoor, Kirkstall Brewery’s marketing manager.
“The collaboration was right for us as a brewery, working with locals is really important – it’s two Leeds brands coming together.
“We want to support local people, making sure that everything stays in Yorkshire. And Yorkshire people love that.”
The new beer is available to enjoy now exclusively at Theravadu. To find out more you can visit their website.
Feature image – Krisaskey
