Beer in India facts for kids

In India, people have been making traditional beer from rice or millet for thousands of years. In the 1700s, the British brought European-style beer to India. Beer is not as popular as stronger drinks like desi daru or Indian-made foreign liquor, such as Indian whiskey. The most popular beers in India are strong beers.

A drink similar to beer, called sura, was made in India during the ancient Vedic period (around 1500–1200 BCE). Native tribes have also made rice beer for a very long time. European beer started coming to India from England in 1716, brought by the British Raj. Lion beer, first made in the 1820s, is Asia's oldest beer brand and the first European-style beer brewed in India.

History of Beer in India

Ancient Indian Beer

Traditional beer vats in Meghalaya.

Ancient Indian texts called the Vedas mention a beer-like drink called sura. This drink was a favorite of the god Indra. Sura is also mentioned in the ancient story of the Ramayana.

An ancient Greek traveler named Megasthenes wrote about people in India drinking rice beer. Another ancient Indian thinker, Kautilya, also mentioned two drinks made from rice called Medaka and Prasanna.

Rice beer or handia has been traditionally made by many native tribes in India. Sometimes, a plant called Ruellia suffruticosa is added for flavor. Rice beer is also used in special ceremonies by the Asur people. Some tribes also make beer from millet.

A famous biologist, J.B.S. Haldane, believed that local beer helped these tribes stay healthy and avoid diseases like beri beri. Interestingly, wild elephant herds have sometimes attacked villages to drink this rice beer because they enjoy its taste!

European Beer Arrives

The British introduced European-style beer to India. By 1716, different types of beer, like pale ale, were being brought from England. To stop the beer from going bad during the long sea journey, it needed to have a high alcohol content. Hops, a plant used in brewing, were also added. This led to the creation of India pale ale around 1787.

In 1830, Edward Abraham Dyer came to India and started India's first brewery, the Kasauli Brewery. This brewery made the famous Lion beer, which is still available today. In 1835, the beer making at Kasauli brewery moved to the Solan Brewery in Solan. The Kasauli Brewery then started making India's first single malt whisky.

Later, more breweries were built across India. By 1882, there were 12 breweries in India. In 1892, over 4.8 million gallons of beer were made in India.

In 1937, Myanmar (Burma) became separate from India. The company that owned the breweries, Dyer Meakin Breweries, lost its businesses there. In 1949, N. N Mohan bought the company. In 1967, the company was renamed Mohan Meakin Breweries.

Modern Beer in India

In 1969, Lilasons Breweries started in Madhya Pradesh. They became known for their strong beer brand, Khajuraho. It was one of the first super-strong beer brands in India.

In recent years, many foreign beer companies have come to India. They have bought local businesses or started their own ventures. For example, SABMiller India entered the market in 2000. Carlsberg also came to India in 2005. Other big names like Anheuser-Busch Inbev (makers of Budweiser) and Heineken have also partnered with Indian companies.

Since 2011, a fun event called "Oktoberfest Goa" has been held every year in Goa. It is a festival of beer, food, and electronic music.

Beer Brands and Breweries

The most popular beer brand in India is Kingfisher. Other well-known Indian brands include Hunter, Kalyani, Haywards, Knock Out, and Zingaro. The biggest brewery in India is United Breweries, based in Bangalore. Other major breweries are Carlsberg, SABMiller India, B9 Beverages (Bira 91), and Anheuser-Busch Inbev.

In 2013, United Breweries had a 55% share of the market. SABMiller India had a 23% share.

Some imported beer brands like Corona, Singha, and Tsingtao are available in India. However, they are expensive because of high import taxes. Some strong beer brands, like Carlsberg's Tuborg Booster Strong and Anheuser-Busch Inbev's Budweiser Magnum, are sold only in India. United Breweries' Kingfisher Strong is India's best-selling beer.

Here are some popular beer brands and their market share in 2014:

Craft Beer Movement

Modern craft beer arrived a bit later in India. The first places where you could brew and sell your own beer (called brewpubs) opened in Pune and Gurgaon in 2009. Around the same time, India also saw its first bottled craft beers.

While the bottled craft beers didn't last long at first, brewpubs became very popular. Today, there are more than 200 brewpubs in India, especially in big cities like Bangalore and Gurgaon.

Bottled Indian craft beer became available again in 2016. This happened when the White Rhino brewery opened and started selling its beers. Since then, new craft breweries that bottle their beers have opened in Bangalore and Goa.

Because of some strict laws about making alcohol in India, some companies chose to make their beer outside India. One example is Bira91, an Indian witbier brand. It became very popular across the country and has since moved its production back to India.

Beer Sales and Consumption

In the financial year 2014-15, the beer market in India grew by 6%. This means more beer was sold than before. The average person in India drinks about 1.6 liters of beer per year. As people earn more money, the potential for beer sales to grow is high. The industry has been growing because of India's growing middle class.

Indians often prefer stronger alcoholic drinks like whiskey over beer. This is partly because whiskey can be cheaper and has more alcohol. Most Indians who drink beer prefer strong beer, which has an alcohol content of 5-8%. This type of beer made up 83% of all beer sales in 2012.

Beer only makes up about 5% of all alcohol consumed in India. This low consumption is due to high costs, how easily it can be bought, and strict rules. Karnataka and Kerala are the only two states in India where beer has a lower tax rate compared to other alcoholic drinks. The state of Maharashtra has the highest tax on alcohol. A newer brand, Bira 91, based in Delhi, is quickly becoming popular in the Indian beer market.

Beer sold in India for local use usually comes in 650-ml bottles, packed in cases of 6. Beer for export comes in smaller 330-ml bottles or 625-ml bottles. They are available as mild lagers (4% to 5% alcohol) and strong lagers (6% to 8% alcohol).