Indian’s extended heat wave sees beer consumption soar

Bengaluru, sometimes hailed as India’s beer capital, is reportedly facing a serious beer shortage, akin to the city’s water crisis, as demand for chilled beers surged due to the recent heat wave.

Local media reports that breweries that serve as popular social hubs have reported massive increases in sales, forcing numerous pubs to display ‘out of stock’ signs over the weekends because they could not meet the surge in demand. Up to 30,000 litres of beer were sold at one brewery alone up to May this year, a significant increase from the 9,000 litres it sold during the entire summer last year, according to reports.

The sudden spike in demand has caught many breweries on the hop, and has also forced pubs to withdraw promotional offers such as Happy Hours and ‘Buy one, Get one free’ deals – particularly during Indian Premier League games, which historically draw large crowds. A brewery in Marathahalli, a suburb of Bengaluru, stated that both the supply and consumption levels of its brews have far exceeded what was anticipated.

Also exacerbating the issue is the numerous long weekends this year, when residents typically socialize with a cold beer in hand to cool off in the hot weather.

Other cities across India, such as Hyderabad, are also experiencing similar spikes in demand.
The surge is not affecting all types of beer the same, however. The trend in fruit-flavoured beers, which gained popularity in Bengaluru a few years ago, has experienced a decline.

In anticipation of continuing growth in demand, breweries across the country are ramping up production and improving their supply chain management. For instance, Mount Everest Breweries Ltd, a subsidiary of Associated Alcohols and Breweries Ltd, said it is increasing production of its flagship beer brand, STOK; improving its inventory management; and broadening its distribution network to better meet consumer demand during such peak periods in future.