Rise of The Brew Pubs

What is a Brew Pub?  Literally it means a pub or a bar that makes its own beer or any spirit and is licensed to sell it on its premises.

 As a concept, it has been present in the western culture for quite some time now but in India it is still at a very grass root level.. So let’s get some basics clear about these brew pubs by understanding their operation outside India.

In the United States, it refers to breweries that produce not more than 15,000 barrels of beer annually (1 Barrel is roughly 120-160 lts.) . Brew Pubs or micro brewing is now being seen as a popular approach amongst the new generation who like to experiment and prefer customized service.

The term came to be used in the 1970s in the UK to imply individual pubs that create their own traditional cask ale or beer.

You may ask that when we have such fantastic International brands dishing out some really iconic beers then why we need these so called brew pubs selling their own brands of beer?

Well the answer lies in the very product that is beer… you see, Beer often loses its flavor and freshness due to excessive storage, just imagine that a bottle of beer might take anywhere upto 3-4 months to reach your refrigerator from the factory,  during which time it sadly loses its freshness and the hoppy flavor, these are the things that made it famous in the first place. That is why hundreds and thousands of beer lovers from around the globe have come to love the taste and feel of the beer brewed in microbreweries mainly due to their unique touches and freshness.

Internationally microbreweries do not pose any real competition or an alarming threat to major beer brewing companies as they claim a very dismal market share when compared to these giants. Still, their influence and uniqueness has caused these major market players to open their own microbreweries based on their brand name. In some cases, these companies have been forced to buy the local microbreweries outright.

Comparatively, India has woken up to this brew-pub business rather late. In a country where beer consumption is very high, it is surprising to see very few entrepreneurs wanting to take a plunge into this lucrative business. There are only a handful places today in the country where you can enjoy the vibrant and crisp taste of a freshly brewed beer.

Today the beer loving Indian has matured, he has travelled the world and has tasted different styles of beer available, and he now knows that beer is not just lager. He also has acquired a taste for ales, stouts and porters. He is truly ready to experiment with different flavours of beer and enjoy it with the fusion of Indo-Asian cuisine. This according to me is rather a great time for business opportunities in a new sector called brew-pubs.  

Cheers!