Beer brands are increasingly experimenting with unique, local ingredients to give a flavourful twist to the alcoholic beverage. Recently, homegrown craft beer company Bira 91 launched Chutney Sour, a limited-release beer inspired by the flavours of Indian street food and brewed with tamarind, a key ingredient in chutneys.
For the new beer variant, Bira 91 collaborated with US-based craft brewer New Belgium Brewing. “We couldn’t be more excited to collaborate with New Belgium Brewing. Colorado is at the centre of beer innovation in the world, and New Belgium is the most well-respected beer company in the United States,” said Ankur Jain, founder and CEO, Bira 91. “India is known for its exciting culinary flavours, and we’re excited to partner with Bira 91 on a beer that brings these flavours to life,” said New Belgium CEO Shaun Belongie.
This is not the first time Bira 91 has released beers with an Indian spin. In 2022, the company came out with four new flavours—‘Bollywood IPA’, ‘Kokum Sour’, ‘Brown Ale’, and ‘Mango Lassi’. Launched under the ‘Imagined in India’ portfolio, the idea behind the new flavours was to “bring together the many flavours of India and its creative energy fuelled by emerging artists, entrepreneurs, and start-ups”, Jain had said during the launch event then. “Each beer is brewed with unusual ingredients—local and seasonal—which make them unique and bursting with flavour. Each of these flavours is sure to elevate the beer experience of Indian consumers,” he had said.
Besides these, Bira 91 has several other flavourful beers in its lineup, including the Malabar Stout, which is blended with locally sourced coffee from the Malabar hills, and the White wheat ale flavoured with orange peels from Latin America and Indian coriander seeds, giving it a hint of sweetness, tart citrus flavours and a spicy finish.
Similarly, Kati Patang, another Indian craft beverage brand, now has a beer portfolio comprising four brews—‘Saffron Lager’, ‘Snappy Wheat’, ‘Zesty Amber’ and ‘Bareilly Bold’.
Kati Patang’s beers celebrate the many flavours that find inspiration in the country’s culinary roots. The Snappy Wheat beer, for instance, has organic Indian spices like peppercorn and coriander blending with ginger and turmeric to deliver an arresting punch. Bareilly Bold brings alive earthy notes of the spring flower, palash.
Simba, an Indian craft beer brand, has also been making headlines with its delicious handcrafted variants since its launch in 2016. While its Simba Wit beer has a hint of orange peel, coriander and lemongrass, the Simba Stout boasts of bold, roasty flavours of rich espresso, caramel/ toffee and dark chocolate.
The unique flavours come at a time when the Indian beer market has witnessed significant growth in recent years and is poised for further expansion.
As per a recent study conducted by market research company Expert Market Research (EMR), the Indian beer market stood at a value of nearly Rs 483.10 billion in 2023. The industry is projected to further surge to approximately Rs 1122.52 billion by 2032, with an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 9.9% during the forecast period.