In the first of our new series of brewer interviews “ABN Talks” host Oliver Woods spoke with Gautham Gandhi of India’s Singularity Brewing Project.
Gautham was formerly a New Delhi based lawyer before throwing his hat into the brewing world.
Currently helping out on a project to develop Northeast India’s first brewery in Assam state and working with Singularity Brewing Project, he joined Oliver to discuss the state of the craft beer industry in India as well as his own personal brewing journey.
India’s highly legislated brewing industry is now starting to open up with changes in federal taxation laws on the horizon as well as local governments recognizing the revenue opportunities a premium beer market offers.
For a long time, small brewers have been limited to on-premise sales, only able to keg beer for use in their own outlets.
Now, forward-thinking Indian states such as Maharashtra (home to Mumbai and Pune) and West Bengal (Kolkata) are allowing off-premise sales in the form of growlers and bottling respectively. The Goan government, also, has relaxed their laws around bottling and distribution of beer.
They also discuss how the coronavirus is causing a shakeout of the industry and how big money investments into brewpubs has not necessarily been good for innovation and industry development.
A not-to-be-missed interview for anyone wanting to know more about the past, present and future of India’s craft brewing industry.
The full interview can be watched on Asia Brewers Network YouTube channel.
