Srinagar, June 11 -- BANDIPORA, Kashmir - On a warm June morning, Farooq Ahmad walked into his family farm, feeling a bit nostalgic. The field looked calm, with maize plants and apple trees all around.

But a few decades ago, something very different grew here. A strong-smelling crop, surrounded by silence.

"They told us it was a medicinal flower," he said, his voice low, his eyes tracing the horizon. "Later, we learned it was for beer."

That crop was hops, the small, green cones that give beer its flavour and staying power.

Farooq is among the last farmers here who remember the men from mainland, bringing seedlings, tools, and promises of steady pay.

Those men worked for United Breweries, a company led first by Vittal Mallya and late...