Picture this: You're sitting in a trendy microbrewery in Bangalore, Mumbai, or Delhi. The menu boasts an impressive array of craft beers, each with a quirky name and promise of unique flavors. Your anticipation builds as you order that IPA or stout you've been eyeing. But as you take that first sip, your heart sinks. Once again, you're left with a sense of... meh! As a passionate beer enthusiast who's traveled the world and tasted some of the finest brews, I can't help but feel a deep disappointment in India's craft beer scene. It's been nearly two decades since the first microbreweries popped up, promising a revolution in our beer culture. Yet here we are, still struggling to find a truly great pint.
I remember commenting about this on Social media(and even writing a blog or two about the displeasure) roughly 15 years ago. Surprisingly, I got some arguable feedback from some friends defending the situation with the reason of the relative maturity of the market. And that it would all evolve in a few years. And here we are so many years later in almost the exact same spot with absolutely no (r)evolution whatsoever. So I could not help but create this blog to pour out my sentiments, sadness, and rants about the curious case of the elusive craft beers in India!
Decades in the Making—Still not Fermenting!
Craft beer in India has been around for nearly two decades now, but why does it still feel like we’re stuck in 2005? When I first heard about the craft beer revolution in India, I was excited. But here we are, years later, and most beers are still struggling with a lack of depth, variety, and innovation. It’s as if the promise of a true craft beer scene never quite made it past the pitch.
While this blog is only a personal point of view, this opinion of mine was not formed very quickly or in a short-sighted way. I have traveled far and wide across this incredible nation in my quest to sample some characterful beers, specifically to certain regions that were supposed to be going through a craft beer revolution. Places like Pune (thanks to companies like Great State Brewing) and Goa (spearheaded by the likes of Goa Brewing Co and Susegado). But even they fell short of expectations disappointingly. While they manage to produce a couple of decent brews once in a while, the problem is a lack of consistency. Different batches of the exact same edition of an IPA (like Eight Finger Eddy) taste so different from each other - spanning the entire spectrum of delicious to disgusting!
All Froth, No Substance
Walk into any craft brewery, and you'll be bombarded with an array of supposedly unique brews. Mango wheat beer! Coffee stout! Cucumber lager! But strip away the gimmicky flavors, and what are you left with? More often than not, it's a weak, uninspired base beer desperately hiding behind fruit infusions or spice additions. The problem isn't a lack of creativity in concept – it's a fundamental issue with brewing technique and quality control. Many of these beers suffer from off-flavors, imbalanced recipes, or just plain blandness.
The Root of the problem could be so many things ranging from a lack of brewing expertise to regulatory hurdles. But I certainly don't want to assume(or accept) that the reason for the dearth of tasty beers could be a lack of infrastructure or ingredients to formulate high-quality beers. Because I've encountered a mindblowing selection of premium pints in the least expected places across the globe. Like Greenland. Though it might be Earth’s Biggest Island, it's nothing more than a huge icicle hanging down from the Arctic. The last place you might expect to find good beers, let alone craft beers. But interestingly this is where they really ‘Craft’ fine ales in a very creative fashion, compared to the mass-produced craft beers in other parts of the world. Microbreweries are typically hip and trendy around the world, but in Greenland, there is only one way to craft beer: by hand and with local products. And the breweries in Greenland are by default micro -as they cater to small towns and settlements. Also, since not everything is easily available here, the brewers have to think innovatively! While the major microbrewery is Godthaab Bryghus in Nuuk, I got to sample a variety of craft beers from Brewery Immiaq, which was based in Ilulissat during my trip back in 2018. Each of the beers had an authentic arctic touch to them as Immiaq Brewery uses fresh local water and spices the beers with flavors of Greenland - like berries and herbs from the mountains and valleys around Ilulissat. And the IPA they brew was so wholesome and electrifying, that it could easily give even complex IPAs from the likes of Mikkeller and Stone a run for their money!
Another example I can think of is Svalbard. Tucked away far to the north of Norway, at a mere 650 miles from the North Pole, Svalbard is probably the remotest and wildest place in the Arctic with regularly scheduled flights. This is as close as most mortals can get to the North Pole. Isolated on this polar archipelago at 78 degrees north, the islands' capital town of Longyearbyen is the world’s northernmost permanent settlement. A settlement that is made up of around 2000 residents who are used to extremes. So when I visited this archipelago, I didn't expect to find anything more than barren lands of tundra, research stations, a few minimal establishments, and polar bears. However, what I found on the ground blew my mind. No, I did not manage to find Polar Bears, but I did find Polar Beers! There were so many options available to sample, I even went on an arctic bar crawl under the midnight sun! Even the local convenience store (for a town of this population size) had stacked up an astonishing selection of ales.
These unique travel experiences bring me back to my tiring question - When far-flung barren islands locked inside the Arctic are brewing the finest ales, why is a naturally blessed nation with the most intelligent minds like India not able to craft exceptional brews?
Variety Isn’t the Spice of Life
At least, not in Indian Craft Beers! Despite so many brewers entering the market, the variety is frustratingly limited. You can walk into a so-called “craft” pub in Mumbai or Bangalore and you’ll find the same styles: a pale ale, a wheat beer, and maybe a stout if you’re lucky. Where’s the creativity? Why are we still so afraid to experiment with bolder IPAs, sours, or porters? I’ve often wondered if brewers are just playing it safe, afraid to alienate a broader audience by offering something unique. But isn’t the entire point of craft beer to be, well, crafty? To push the envelope?
The scary part is even these limited sets of beers don't taste authentic. The stouts typically taste like hard colas, the wit beers are mostly an extra-carbonated version of lemonade, and the IPAs are toasty tonics! The only decent brew that I have come across until now has been the KamaCitra IPA (an interestingly named IPA paying tribute to the Citra hops it's brewed with!) produced by Geist Brewing based in Bangalore. But even they don't bother to produce anything beyond a couple of editions. In fact, I wouldn't even label what they produce as "Craft Beers" as they mass produce at a level comparable to bigger breweries. This leads to a sad state of them not experimenting with various combinations of hops and brews and constantly producing smaller batches of unique flavors.
Compare this to brewers like Alefarm, Dry & Bitter, and Amager in Denmark or Arpus in Latvia, or so many other brewers like them spread across Europe or America. They constantly keep whipping up new flavors almost every week, or at least every month! This is not just an outcome of these guys wanting to satisfy their loyal drinkers but also fueled by a passion for creating new concoctions consistently! Joining this revolution, brewers in Asia too - like Magpie in Korea or Heart of Darkness in Vietnam are fervent about fermenting different styles very frequently. Even breweries in a town not very popular for Craft beer culture - like Hocus Pocus in Rio de Janeiro (In case you didnt know, Sao Paulo and Florianopolis are more renowned for their craft beer scene) are producing an immense range of new flavors consistently. So, I can't believe that there is not a single brewer in a country as big as India who has a similar passion for producing new flavors now and then.
Craft Beer Hunting
Let's talk numbers for a moment. India's craft beer market has exploded in recent years:
The number of microbreweries grew from just 20 in 2012 to over 200 by 2020 ].
The craft beer market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 108% between 2020 and 2025
Impressive, right? But here's the kicker – quantity doesn't equal quality. Despite this boom, finding a truly exceptional craft beer remains frustratingly elusive. Let's not even talk about craft beer for a second. Finding even good regular beers is as challenging as finding WIFI in the middle of nowhere. And in some states like Tamil Nadu or Kerala, even scoring the ubiquitous green monsters from Holland and Denmark(read: Heineken and Carlsberg!) is like winning a jackpot! Even the so-called "Elite" liquor stores and up-market wine merchants don't peddle anything beyond the now-cliched Brewdog or the mass-produced Belgian Ales.
So think about and 'Shock and Awe' moment I went through when we moved to Brazil (which I wrong assumed would have taken a similar path to India), and I ran into an unbelievable selection of Artisanal ales at the most modest grocery store right next to our apartment!
Where is the Revolution Really Brewing
Until very recently craft beer was an alien concept in most parts of the world outside of America. Traveling through Metropolises in Asia, South America, or Eastern Europe meant suffering through watery (and mostly tasteless) lager beers. And even when the first set of cities started embracing more flavorful beers, the welcome was restricted to mass-produced usual suspects like the Hoegaardens and Paulaners. Slowly the American Ales started showing up, but even then, the menu was limited to popular West Coast breweries like Deschutes, Rogue, and Stone. Fast forward a few years, and now most of the metros across Southeast Asia or Europe have been taken over by a Craft beer Revolution.
The Chalkboards in most craft beer bars around int these regions don’t just feature excellent beers from abroad, but also mind-blowing locally brewed craft ales! Artisanal breweries are becoming more and more prevalent in these countries today, led by both local and foreign brewers who are themselves, connoisseurs in their own rights. For example, I was blown away during our last trip to Lima, Peru back in 2017 by the beer scene in town that looked like it was on hoppy steroids. A similar story of beer blossom has been happening in Asia, where I got treated to a phenomenal selection of craft ales across the region. From Hanoi in Vietnam to Manila in the Philippines. And don't even get me started about the incredible craft beer renaissance that is taking place in Central and Eastern Europe - especially in places like Poland (with its own "Piwo-lution") and the Baltics with the thriving scene in Lithuania and Latvia! They have gone on a "Zero to Hero" path with the diluted Okocims and the bland Švyturys yielding the throne to wickedly thick NEIPAs
So, the big question is why is India still stuck in its own beer bubble, and has not followed a similar trend as its other traditionally lager-loving counterparts.
A Call to Action: Raising the Bar
Despite my frustrations, I haven't given up hope. India has the potential to develop a world-class craft beer scene, but it will take a concerted effort from both sides of the marketplace.
Brewers: need to focus on mastering the basics, and investing in proper training and equipment before diving into wild flavors.
Consumers: must demand better, providing constructive feedback and supporting those breweries truly striving for excellence. The journey to great Indian craft beer starts with the beer drinkers refusing to settle for mediocrity.
But unfortunately, with limited exposure to truly great craft beer, many Indian consumers don't know what they're missing, allowing mediocre brews to thrive. So, this vicious cycle is hard to break but not impossible. All that needs to happen is for a couple of real top-notch master brewers (not the likes of Brewdog!) setup shop in India, and things will change. Mikkeller - are you hearing the potential cash flow from half-a-billon wallets? Time to enter the Indian market!
Final Thoughts
Craft beer should be more than just a trend—it should be a movement towards better, more interesting beer. For now, the Indian market feels like it's stuck in a loop, recycling the same formulas while claiming to be at the forefront of a beer revolution. To the brewers out there: I’m rooting for you, but we need more than just a clever label or a quirky bar. We need beers that truly push boundaries, that make us think, "Wow, I’ve never tasted anything like this before." Until then, I’ll keep looking, hoping for a pint that lives up to its potential.
For now, India’s craft beer scene remains more hype than hops. But that doesn’t mean it’s without hope. Maybe, just maybe, we’re on the cusp of something better. Or maybe we’ll have to wait another two decades for that first truly great Indian pint. But I do dream of a day when I can confidently recommend an Indian craft beer to my beer-loving friends from around the world. Until then, I'll keep searching, tasting, and hoping.
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