Cheers! Microbreweries in high spirits in region

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 17

North Indians aren’t beer guzzlers but they love to have a drink in the evening. However, the trend is changing fast. This is evident from the fact that over 100 microbreweries have come up in Punjab, Chandigarh and Haryana in the past couple of years.

So what is fuelling the growth of microbreweries in the region despite high establishment cost? The freshly brewed beer does not contain preservatives.

“The craze for a freshly brewed beer is gaining popularity day by day. If we combine Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, there has been a significant increase in the number of microbreweries in the past couple of years,” said Amritanshu, founder of Hops n Grains, the first microbrewery which started operations in Panchkula in 2010.

From just one in Panchkula about 10 years ago, the tricity (Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali) currently has around 20 microbreweries which have come up during the past 2-4 years with a few more on the anvil.

Depending upon the size and features, a microbrewery costs between Rs 50 lakh and 3 crore. As the initial capital investment for equipment and imported ingredients, especially hops and malted barley, is high, it needs to be offset by high footfall from the day one of the launch. According to insiders, if an outlet sells on an average 150 litres to 200 litres a day, then it is likely to break-even in 2-3 years.

He said, “When we opened our first outlet, we were the first one in the region and fifth in the country. It was a virgin territory and we are a bit apprehensive about the city taking in to the new offering. But in the past four years, things have changed completely. We have opened one more microbrewery in Chandigarh with another opening up in Mohali soon.’’

According to people associated with the industry, though over 100 microbreweries have mushroomed in the region as the millennials have showed keen interest, it still accounts for 1-2% of the beverage consumption. In terms of numbers, Gurugram leads the pack in the region which has a lion’s share in the industry. Chandigarh, Panchkula, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Mohali, Zirakpur and Patiala are some other cities which are popular for microbreweries in the region. A senior official in the Excise Department said Punjab has over two dozen microbreweries across the state.

Keeping competition in mind, the restaurateurs are coming up with different seasonal flavours to offer their guests something new.

But is the picture all rosy? No, says Debdip Chatterjee, general manager of The Great Bear Kitchen and Microbrewery. According to him, “The role of master brewer is very important. This is a skill and an art and one needs to have adequate amount of experience. Secondly, hygiene is very important factor and the storage tank needs to be completely cleaned before the new beer is stored.”

About the industry 

• Main ingredients are pure water, malted barley (corn or rice also), hops, and brewer’s yeast
• Prominent microbrewers import hops and malted barley from Germany while some source it locally and from Assam
• Each ingredient affects flavour, colour, carbonation and alcohol content

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