In the late 1820s, the first brewery in India was set up in Kasauli, near Shimla by Englishman Edward Dyer. It produced Asia’s first beer called Lion. With the entry of H G Meakin, who bought this brewery, Indian breweries spread to other towns of Ranikhet, Dalhousie, Chakrata and Kirkee. The business flourished further in the post-independence era. Over time, IPA became less popular and today no brewery in India brews IPA. Most Indian beers available today are either Lagers with an alcohol content of 4.3% or Strong Lagers (upto 8% alcohol).

In the last decade, the Indian Beer industry has gown by 7-9% per year. Beer consumption has seen a great increase with sales increasing from 70 million cases in 2002 to 155 million cases in 2008. Devans Modern Breweries Ltd., the producer of Godfather beer has seen its business grow by 35% every year since 2009.

With increasing demand for beer & growing profits, Indian breweries have also come at par with their international counterparts. Breweries now have state-of-the-art machines and well-researched processes applied to please their customers. Mr. Prem Dewan, MD of Devans Modern Breweries Ltd. says, “When we decided to open up a new brewery in Rajasthan, quality was foremost on our minds. Popularization of beer and increased consumption also means that the consumer is now becoming more and more quality conscious. That is why, we got Briggs to engineer our Kotputli plant, for which we received the International Star for Quality Award in Geneva in 2008. Quality also reflects in our brand communication for Godfather and research shows that consumers prefer brands with proven quality control.”

Beer experts attribute this growth to increasing disposable incomes and changing lifestyles. Says Mr. Ajay Dewan, CEO, Devans Modern Breweries Ltd., manufacturer of Godfather Beer, “Rapidly changing lifestyles have led to increased popularity of beer. Growing consumerism and a young population have meant that India is finally waking up to the pub and party culture. In the last 25 years, I have myself seen beer demand grow manifold.”

Contact details :

beer in India

Devans Modern Breweries Ltd.

Talab Tillo, Bohri, Jammu – 180002

E-mail: dmbjammu@devans.co.in

Phone No.0124-4088773