👋 Sam here. The best things I drank this week were a pair of Nepalese lagers from Himalayan Restaurant in Cleveland's Jefferson neighborhood.
State of play: Himalayan advertised on Instagram that it now sells the imported bottled beers, and I made a plan to visit as soon as I had an evening free.
Vibe check: Himalayan is one of my favorite Indian/Nepalese restaurants in town, though the weeknight dine-in atmosphere can sometimes feel like an afterthought, as a large portion of its business is carryout.
Fear not. The food speaks for itself.
🍺 What I drank: I sampled the available Nepalese options, "Nepal Ice" and "Mustang" — each of which arrived ice cold and disclosed its bubbly, golden character when poured into Himalayan's goblets.
Each was $5 and featured a borderline-skunky funk that I associate with Stella Artois.
Standard imported beers, in other words!
Verdict: Alongside Himalayan's decadent sauces and addictive naan — I order the garlic varietal, as a rule — the beers were mostly a novelty.
