Freshly brewed craft beer, sunlight streaming in through large windows, plush sofa booths and a large selection of food define Country Roads in New Town. Named after the evergreen John Denver song Take Me Home, Country Roads, the 110-cover microbrewery and restaurant is the perfect place to kick back with friends or even take a short break in between work. 

The restaurant opened its doors in January but their first batch of beer is ready now. “We’ve been to many microbreweries in Gurgaon and Bangalore and absolutely loved the concept. We couldn’t wait to bring it to the city as it would be something new for Calcutta,” said Amitava Bagchi, co-founder and director of Country Roads, who has taken the plunge with five friends. Starting with three types of beer — German Weizen, Belgian Blond and Scottish Ale — they plan to chop and change the recipes depending on the demand. Priced at Rs 129 for 150ml and Rs 199 for 500ml, it’s a sweet deal for sure. While beer is the main focus of Country Roads, it’s not the only thing on offer. They have a plethora of cocktails and mocktails along with a variety of alcohol. 

The tagline — come for the beer, stay for the food — seems to hold true. With Continental, Chinese and Indian dishes on the menu there is something for everybody. The finger food and appetisers serve as perfect chakhna with a chilled glass of beer. If you’re not big on tipple, the main course of the menu featuring dishes like Fukien Fish in Ginger Sauce, Italian Veg Trota and Banjari Gosht is more than enough to keep you engaged. “The Indian dishes on the menu are very popular, more than the Continental,” said Shashikant Sinha, co-founder and director.

The one difference between its namesake song and the restaurant is while we were at Country Roads, we didn’t really want to go home. And yes, we are happy that Calcutta is sipping up to the microbrewery trend, albeit a bit late. 

Pictures: B. Halder