As India is a nascent craft beer market and exponential growth is going on, The Pioneer connects with Karan Jain, CEO at Ace Aloha Group to know more about craft beer.
K. Ramya Sree
Did you know? The craft beer is considered as healthy than the bottled beer? Apart from the western cultural influence, the taste and health consideration is leading to a huge demand for craft beer in India.
Currently, India is a nascent craft beer market and exponential growth is going on. The Indian market is currently where the US market was in the early 90s when a growth rate of 150 and 200% year on year had become the norm. So we are looking at the inflation point in the Indian market where the big brewers are growing at a consistent 8 to 10% but graph theorem is growing at more than 150% year on year.
We have with us Karan Jain, CEO at Ace Aloha Group, who brought the uncompromising 
craft beer brand BrewDog to India in 2021, who informed us that the craft beer revolution in India started in 2008 with India’s first microbrewery in Pune and there has been no looking back ever since.
For the unversed, Karan explains the difference between draught beer vs. bottled beer, “Any beer poured from taps is a draught beer and bottle beer is in bottles. The real question here is the difference between craft beer and industrial beer. Craft beer is about respecting the recipe, the ingredients, and the process and ensuring that the customer gets a good variety to choose from. You will find it interesting to know that there are more than 3000 styles of beers in the world, way more than the number of wines.”
He stressed that the beer market in India is growing at just about 2% but the craft beer market is growing more than 140% year on year.
The market is still in its nascent stages. Speaking about the current trends that he is looking at right now, he informed, “The craft beer market started with the introduction of lagers and wheat but now you have more unique styles like IPA. Did you know the name IPA or India Pale Ale is Indian? This trend is also often called the ghar-wapsi of IPA.”
Also tapping into some of the misconceptions that people have about craft beer, he cleared the air saying: “Many people think that beer is a simple drink which is not true. It has a lot of nuances like aroma, appearance, color, etc. It is the oldest beverage in the world and we are happy to be the proud flag-bearers of great craft beer for all. Beer aficionados are now well-informed and knowledgeable. There is a premiumisation in the market and guests are willing to pay extra for a better product.”
Lastly, sharing about the brand that he is most proud and content of, he explained, “We are a pet-friendly, all-inclusive, safe space for people from all walks of life and choices. We are passionate about beers and strive hard for our quality. We are the world’s only carbon-negative beer brand. Brewdog is the largest and fastest craft beer brand in the world. We have a portfolio of more than 400 beers worldwide. We hold some fascinating records like the world’s strongest beer etc and we are here to take the Indian craft beer scenario higher!”
