Have you heard the one about the Elephant in a bar? We haven’t either because Carlsberg’s Elephant beer, new(ish)ly launched in India, is yet to charge into Mumbai’s drinking holes (we checked at Soul Fry, Ghetto, Bonobo, Wink, Dome – none of them have it).

After a tip off from a lush of a friend (you know who you are!), who described the pilsner as “different and crishp with a nice aftertashte" (without the slur that’s ‘crisp’ and ‘aftertaste’), we set out to find the intoxicating pachyderm. Not all the wine stores stock it, but most of the big ones do.  

Jumbo Kick

Crisp is an understatement. With a 7.2% alcohol level, as opposed to the usual 4-6% ABV of beer, Elephant is super strong and comes with a quick kick. As for the taste, it’s interesting at first with fruity notes and a dry, bitter aftertaste, but gets too syrupy with every sip. A nice change from its milder cousin, but not something we’d order on a lazy Sunday afternoon when beer should be drunk. But when we want to get wasted for cheap and toute de suite, maybe.

The people at Carlsberg say it goes well with spicy food. But we recommend Elephant is best paired with pals while pre-drinking on a Saturday night. Cheers, big ears!

Getting there: Available at Top Most Wines, Khar (W); Juben Wines, Juhu; and Peekay Wines, Crawford Market, Rs 80 for a pint.