01-06-2025
Meet the folks packaging Meghalaya's indigenous rice beer
While the North-East has a long tradition of brewing rice to make beer and wine, efforts to brand and bottle them are yet to catch on. The relative success of fermented rice beverage brands like Judima and Xaj from Assam has now brought young entrepreneurs from Meghalaya to package and promote the local rice beer of West Garo Hills—chubitchi or bitchi. Startups such as 7 United run by Keenan K. Marak and Chuchekra by Tengnang D. Sangma are trying to preserve the heritage drink and reach a wider market.
Bitchi is made using a starter culture or yeast that has been passed down for generations. It is this yeast that makes it lighter and milder compared to most other rice beers in the North-East. Locals also use a special earthenware jar called diktom that stores the sticky rice while it ferments. 'We received a GI tag for bitchi in 2024, and therefore only rice grown in these hills can be used to make it. The sweet and smoky taste is unique to the rice beer from these parts," says Marak.
Sangma says that the early makers divided the spirit into gender-specific terms, making it one of the only spirits to be classified into male and female sections, depending on its flavour. 'If the bitchi tastes bitter, it is known as Bitchi Bipa (male) and if it tastes sweet, it is called Bitchi Bima (female)," he says and adds, 'The diktom jar is considered as female genitalia inside which bitchi is created and is called as the brew of the gods passed down to humanity."
Every village in Garo Hills celebrates their harvest festival known as Wangala where bitchi is distributed to appease Minima Rokimi, the local deity of rain, prosperity and fertility. The yeast used to make bitchi is used to mark the face during weddings, birthdays and funerals. 'Even today, if you go to smaller villages, you will be treated with bitchi and not tea," says Marak.
The idea to bottle bitchi came to both entrepreneurs during the covid-19 pandemic. Marak had just graduated from St Joseph's College in Bengaluru before heading back home during the lockdown. He started making fruit wines and moved to rice beer. The first couple of iterations learnt from YouTube went horribly wrong and made him realise he needed to learn from the local communities.
Also read: The new wave of North-East Indian food in Andheri
'It took me around four months to learn the process. I realised the younger generation was out of touch with their tradition, so I decided to make a trendy rice beer," says 26-year-old Marak, who put up an Instagram post in August 2022 about the product, and got hundreds of followers overnight enquiring where they could buy it.
7 United is the first bottled bitchi and comes in an aluminium can instead of regular glass bottles. Marak says he studied cola and beer brands, and wanted to prevent glass breakage, especially since he adds extra carbonation to the spirit to make it easier to drink, and bring down the ABV to 7%. The brand is available in Tura in West Garo Hills, and debuted in Shillong last year. Marak has also applied for a grant from the state government to launch a new variant even as he eyes Assam next after selling 28,000 cans last year.
For 34-year-old Sangma, who is an anthropologist and musician, the workings of the Garo community, especially the way they treat their yeast used to make bitchi, like a family heirloom, drove him to start Chuchekra. 'It's an old word that many people have forgotten, but it's the literal term for storing bitchi," he says.
Chuchekra is made from the first extract of the distilled rice after it is stored in a diktom jar for one month. The brand launched in 2022 and is available by direct order or at cultural festivals and local events in Shillong—they make about 4,000 litres a year. He is also keen to serve traditional bitchi without adding carbonation, and looking to expand to Himachal Pradesh next, followed by Goa and Bengaluru..
The potential for rice beers is seemingly huge given that soju and sake, with similar taste profiles, are still in the nascent stages of adoption for the wider Indian audience. At a conference last month in Vienna, Marak took a few cans for sampling and was blown away by the response. 'When you say rice beer, most people automatically think of soju or sake, but as Indians, we are never proud of what we already have. This product can change global perspectives," he says.
With a consolidated movement towards popularising heritage spirits in the North-East and young, passionate founders looking to expand in India and beyond, it's time this unique rice beer gets its due.
Also read: North-East food creators get candid on cuisine
Priyanko Sarkar is a Mumbai-based writer covering the F&B industry.
