The Garden City's craft breweries are back in business after the pandemic. With new beer bars opening up in the city every month, there is much excitement in heading back to the taprooms.
Record Room, a new launch, has a unique proposition—vinyl and craft beers from brands such as Toit, Geist and Great State Aleworks from Pune. The space represents the high octave vibe of a makers' commune and the intimacy of an audiophile's home studio. The project collaborates between the founders of URU BrewPark and Great State Aleworks.
"The pandemic could not dampen the passion of beer lovers and brewers," affirms Abhay Kewadkar. His venture Fox in the Field is housed in Forum Shantiniketan in Whitefield, the IT hub. With employees returning to work and sporting events back on schedule, the microbrewery is experiencing steady growth, said Kewadkar.
The story is similar across the city.
BLR Brewing Co. opened a third outlet last week in JP Nagar. The two existing outlets in Electronic City and Kanakapura road have sold over 25,000 litres of beer between February and April, shares cofounder Prasanna Kumar.
"Our online delivery business helped us maintain the place during the pandemic, but it wasn't a major revenue stream," said Kumar.
"During the lockdown, we kept in touch with our customers through social media channels and other media. We also extended support to our staff during the lockdown and remained connected about their whereabouts and well-being. It helped us get back to work in full swing almost immediately," said Teja Chekuri, Managing Partner at Ironhill India.
Windmills Craftworks braved the pandemic with high standards of hygiene and business ethics. The microbrewery even entered the US with its outlet in Dallas, Texas, in January 2021, even before India had its second wave.
"People understand quality better now. Our hygiene, health and safety standards and innovation in the product category helped us sail through," said Ajay Nagarajan, CEO of Total Environment Hospitality, which operates Windmills. "We are back to pre-pandemic levels selling almost eight thousand litres monthly," he added.
While business was affected, innovation never stopped for the passion-led craft brewers and beer entrepreneurs in India. After the unanimously favourite wheat beer, ales rule the brew house tables while a select few possess the nose for a great stout.
Experiments are necessary to stay relevant. Fruity notes are the highlight of season specials, be it Kewadkar's Guava Chilli beer or Ironhill's Saison du Mango, or Kumar's Jamun ale.
Even five stars are not behind on the beer wagon. JW Mariott Bengaluru launched an in-house brewery in February 2022. The Merak Brewhouse at the hotel's premier lounge serves an exciting menu curated by brewmaster Karthik Singh.
The love for beer has spread to smaller cities having youth in employment pockets. Ironhill India opened up three new outlets in Bengaluru, Rajahmundhry and Nellore, all amidst the pandemic. The brewery started in Hyderabad in 2017 and has outlets in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.
(Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay is a marketing communications professional with a keen interest in food and alco-bev and tracks new developments in these spaces)