Craft beers are brewing a sweet future
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By Narayan Manepally
Twenty-eighteen has been a phenomenal year for the craft beer industry inBengaluru . And 2019 is going to see quite a few changes as well. For one, the Government of Karnataka has now allowed customers to pick up 1.5- and two-litre growlers from factory outlets and take it home for consumption. That in itself is a pretty big step, and will soon be set in action. However, this does not mean that breweries can sell beer from their pubs. At least not yet. But I think it’s only a matter of time that even that is allowed.
What this is also going to lead to is that mass beer manufacturers are going to get into the craft beer space. In fact, I won’t be surprised if some of the brands have already started working on that. After all, it’s hard to miss the business potential of craft beer, which is already estimated to be a $150-million industry in India.
At the moment we already have 61 microbreweries and brewpubs in the city, and the number is only going to increase. And it won’t be only about the beer. Today, any restaurant/brewpub/pub of a certain level has to focus on food, service, and ambience with equal drive. Just good food or great ‘vibes’ no longer work. One has to look at all the three aspects at the same time. And that can’t be bad news.
The other practice, which has already started and will continue to increase in 2019, is sourcing of ingredients. We owe this to global warming, which has affected the production of malt quite a bit, and prices are skyrocketing. Almost all microbreweries have to resort to importing their ingredients, either directly from other countries or through agents. And while hops will still need to be imported, as it is not native to India, beer makers are looking within India and experimenting with local grains and ingredients to create new flavours.
The other trend, which I think is an extremely positive one, is collaboration. Breweries are partnering with each other to sell their brews together. For example, Great State Aleworks partnered with Arbor to sell their beers. And the partnership between Windmills Craftworks and Geist beer has enabled the two companies to sell brews by both these brands at the Bengaluru airport. And this happened only a few days ago.
And craft beer companies are going to start promoting themselves aggressively, but use way more innovative channels. For instance, beer and food pairing events are always a good way to make people aware of a certain beer. As advertising spirits is banned, more PR-driven activities will come into the forefront. And that can only be good for the business.
Narayan Manepally, founder and CEO, Beerworks Restaurants & Microbrewery Pvt Ltd
— As told to Priyadarshini Nandy
Twenty-eighteen has been a phenomenal year for the craft beer industry in
What this is also going to lead to is that mass beer manufacturers are going to get into the craft beer space. In fact, I won’t be surprised if some of the brands have already started working on that. After all, it’s hard to miss the business potential of craft beer, which is already estimated to be a $150-million industry in India.
And this has been caused by the evolving knowledge base of customers. Young India is extremely aware of what they are consuming, and social media can be credited for that. They are learning about new beers, the flavour profiles, and their expectation levels are going up. In a nutshell, they know what they want.
At the moment we already have 61 microbreweries and brewpubs in the city, and the number is only going to increase. And it won’t be only about the beer. Today, any restaurant/brewpub/pub of a certain level has to focus on food, service, and ambience with equal drive. Just good food or great ‘vibes’ no longer work. One has to look at all the three aspects at the same time. And that can’t be bad news.
The other practice, which has already started and will continue to increase in 2019, is sourcing of ingredients. We owe this to global warming, which has affected the production of malt quite a bit, and prices are skyrocketing. Almost all microbreweries have to resort to importing their ingredients, either directly from other countries or through agents. And while hops will still need to be imported, as it is not native to India, beer makers are looking within India and experimenting with local grains and ingredients to create new flavours.
The other trend, which I think is an extremely positive one, is collaboration. Breweries are partnering with each other to sell their brews together. For example, Great State Aleworks partnered with Arbor to sell their beers. And the partnership between Windmills Craftworks and Geist beer has enabled the two companies to sell brews by both these brands at the Bengaluru airport. And this happened only a few days ago.
And craft beer companies are going to start promoting themselves aggressively, but use way more innovative channels. For instance, beer and food pairing events are always a good way to make people aware of a certain beer. As advertising spirits is banned, more PR-driven activities will come into the forefront. And that can only be good for the business.
Narayan Manepally, founder and CEO, Beerworks Restaurants & Microbrewery Pvt Ltd
— As told to Priyadarshini Nandy
