Brewers get invitation to big fat Indian weddings

BENGALURU: Anheuser-Busch InBev served Stella Artois and Hoegaarden on tap at nearly 40 weddings last year. With each of those orders matching a buzzing weekend at a popular bar, the world's largest brewer now wants its beer kiosks to be a regular feature in Indian weddings.

The maker of Budweiser isn't alone. Big fat Indian weddings — which typically displayed opulent bars with champagne, cocktails and hard spirits — are becoming buzzing venues for leading brewers such as United Breweries as well as craft beer companies like Geist, Bira and Arbor Brewing Company.

“The demographic profile has gone up the influential ladder,” said Kartikeya Sharma, vice president, marketing, South Asia at AB InBev. “Traditionally, elders of the family were in charge of the wedding. Younger folks are the new decisionmakers and handle the festivities. They are as fussy about the beer as the quality of champagne and whisky.”



InBev is busy stocking up beer kegs for the wedding season starting in October as its pilot initiative had pushed draught beer sales up 50-60% at such occasions. Most beermakers do not get direct bookings for weddings but sale on such occasions are becoming part of revenue growth.

This especially as 15-20% of a wedding budget is being spent on spirits, which historically was the monopoly of hard spirits.

“Beer, with low alcohol content, is fast emerging as a socially acceptable beverage,” said Debabrata Mukherjee, chief marketing officer at Heineken-controlled United Breweries (UB), the country’s largest brewer.

With hosts increasingly being judged by the quality and quantity of liquor available at the function, beer kiosks are replacing regular bar trolleys of hard spirits at many wedding venues. The Beer Cafe, India’s biggest beer chain, launched Beer On Wheels kiosks about five years ago, but said it is seeing traction only now as beer pairs well with Indian food and is also a social lubricant. “Beer is India’s wine,” said Rahul Singh, founder of Beer Cafe.

“The wedding host needs to get a permit and it can be easily acquired online. Rule is that beer for the function must be procured from the nearest retail outlet.”

While people are readily acquiring licenses to offer beer to their guests, this often poses a challenge as it also requires backend work including quality check and temperature control. Some brewers are offering customisation to capitalise on the opportunity, from engraving personalised messages on bottles to couples brewing their own batch.

For instance, a couple-to-be is in talks to brew a batch of 3,000 litres of beer for their wedding in October at Geist’s brewery on Bengaluru’s Old Madras Road over a pre-wedding shoot. “This personalised brew will be served on tap at their wedding through a kiosk with bartenders set up by the brand for their 500 guests,” said Narayan Manepally, founder of Geist craft beer.

The wedding business helps brand building, companies said. They are the first point of retail for many craft beer brands, especially in destination weddings.

“The average sales by volume is about 150-200 litres per wedding in Goa, lower than 500 litres sold per day at our brewpub in Bengaluru,” said Gaurav Sikka, managing director of Arbor Brewing Company. “But couples want local beverages to tell a story and prefer to opt for artisanal brews than nondescript beer for their elaborate weddings.”