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10 of India’s hottest beer brands
Beer is a booming business in India, enjoyed by millions in the world’s most populous country. We take a look at some of the Indian beer brands making it big in their home nation and beyond.
In fact, according to a report published by Statista this year, beer was India’s most popular alcoholic drink in 2023, with 32% of urban Indian consumers saying it was their favourite.
Given the category’s popularity, many Indian brands have been able to cement their success in the ever-evolving industry. Below is out pick of the 10 brands to watch from the country.
Kingfisher
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Sold in over 60 countries, Kingfisher is one of India’s most recognised beer brands and it is produced by United Breweries, which has been part of the Heineken Group since 2021. The brand’s latest addition, Queenfisher, increased the value of its shares by 0.47% on the day after its launch. It also reported that the company’s net revenue rose by 20% in the first quarter of 2024.
Simba
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Simba makes its beers in small batches in its in-house brewery. Founded by Ishwaraj Singh Bhatia & Prabhtej Singh Bhatia in 2016, in 2023 Simba was reportedly able to achieve a market share of 40% of the premium/craft beer segment. In the upcoming five-year period, it hopes to make its beers available in 22 Indian states and some foreign countries.
Simba brews a sessionable Simba Stout, Simba Wit, a modern Indian take on the Belgian classic, Simba Lager and Simba Strong.
Bad Monkey
Founded in 2018, Bad Monkey’s production figures started at 100,000 bottles in the first year. Now, the beer brand sells 600,000 annually. The company currently operates three breweries in Punjab, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. Divyya Srivastava, brand manager for Sinq Beverages Pvt Ltd, Bad Monkey’s parent company, told the drinks business: “We aim to further increase our production capacity and invest in new brewing facilities to cater to the expanding market and ensure consistent quality.”
Bira 91
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With Bira 91 believing that “for this generation, beer means flavour”, the brand has a selection of flavoured beers such as stout with coffee beans, wheat beer with mango and more in addition to the unflavoured options. Given the variety, Bira 91 has sold 27 million cases and has a footprint in 24 countries. Its parent company, B9 Beverages, is looking to grow the brand further for which it plans to raise Rs 400 crore (£38 million) of fresh funds.
Rupee Beer
Rupee Beer has noted a 110% revenue growth in 2024 due to newly added distribution and retail channels. Currently, the beer is available in 14 Indian states and will soon be available in European and Middle Eastern countries.
Co-founders Vanit Sharma and Sumit Sharm are focusing their attentions on bringing the brand to more global markets in the hopes of transitioning into “a global Indian-inspired lifestyle brand within the beer category”, they told db.
Bee Young
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Bee Young is manufactured under the Delhi-based alcoholic beverage company Kimaya Himalayan Beverages. The company launched its two beer brands — Bee Young and Yavira — in September 2019, and had reportedly already sold over 150,000 cases in just six months.
In 2024, Abhinav Jindal, the founder and CEO of the company, is positive that the company will see an increase in its sales this summer, increasing its production by 300,000 cases.
Six Fields
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Six Fields is part of DeVans Modern Breweries, which also heads other beer brands including Kotsberg and Godfather. Six Fields is an exclusively Belgian-style wheat beer brand. DeVans brews its beers in Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand. In November 2023, Uttar Pradesh was also added to the list with the brand announcing its collaboration with Vairagi Brewery to increase its production by 2 million cases annually.
Lion
Though no longer brewed in India, Lion has a long history in the country, and is integral to the growth of Indian beer over the decades. Lion comes from Mohan Meakin, an Indian alcoholic beverage brand with a long list of beer, rum, brandy and whisky labels. Initially manufactured in the company-owned Kasauli brewery, Lion is said to have been popular among British soldiers in India and thrived greatly until the early 1960s. The beer is now brewed in foreign markets including New Zealand and South Africa, with headquarters in Sri Lanka.
Hunter
Hunter has sold over 20 million cases. The SOM Distilleries & Breweries Ltd-owned beer brand achieved a year-on-year growth of 50% over the last two years, according to Intekhab Aslam, the company’s head of consumer marketing & brands.
Aslam argues that the outlook for premium beers is “promising” in India, and “consumers’ willingness to explore the new offerings adds to the excitement”.
Fort City Brewing
Introduced almost a year ago in June 2023, Fort City Brewing is a craft beer brand that has yet to enter the bottled beer industry. Despite its beer being served only in its brewpub in Delhi and Forge Brauhus in Hyderabad, the brand has already sold 15,000 litres of its beer. The label will soon open two more brewpubs in Delhi and is taking the steps to enter foreign markets. Co-founder Ashish Ranjan confirmed that from nxt month, Fort City Brewing’s beers will be available in Ho Chi Minh City on tap via a collab with a Vietnamese brewery.