Beer made with mango cider, from local grains, with jaggery (sugar) and local berries . . .
“It’s very easy to sell the idea of a good beer,” he says. “Our clientele is typically aged 25 to 35. They are young, working professionals, typically from single- or double-income families with no kids.”
But he says they are not drinking to get drunk.
“It is an identity,” says Mr Talekar. “Saying I drink single malt, vodka or better beer is a way of showing I have evolved, because of the nature of the product I am consuming.”
From another story about the 600 or so American breweries planning to open in the next couple of years? Nope, this one is from India (the jaggery should have given it away).
Bars and restaurants are also stocking a growing variety of beer brands to attract an average of 4.3 million young adults coming of drinking age each year. But here’s the most striking number: “Some 600 to 700 million Indians are below the age of 30… that’s three times the size of Europe.”
The world’s largest brewering companies already knew this, of course. For a bit of perspective, Indian breweries made an estimated 15.6 million hectoliters in 2010, about a quarter of what Japan brews and 3 percent of China’s production.
Having traveled to India many times, I can tell you that the country’s brewing tradition has heretofore been … uninspired. The beers, with names like “Knock-out” have a quality of bathtub gin about them. They’re strong, harsh, and direct. The people who drink those beers very much have an interest in getting drunk.
If I ever make it back (likely), it will be a great pleasure to try a beer brewed for its flavor.
I recently found out that there is a method of removing glycerin from Indian beers.
http://techdigger.wordpress.com/2009/07/17/removing-glycerin-a-trick-to-make-your-indian-beer-taste-like-bud/
I’d start my Indian brewery without glycerin for starters.