Bengaluru witnessed the launch of two new hand-crafted bottled beers from Cerana Beverages at Monkey Bar’s premium location in Indiranagar. The Bira 91 has launched two different varieties — Bira 91 White priced at Rs 220, a wheat beer with low bitterness with a hint of spicy citrus, and Bira 91 Blonde, priced at Rs195, that has an extra hoppy craft lager with floral aromas and a sturdy, malty flavour.
The beers have been positioned as a refreshing alternative to mass market brews. Both products were launched 12 weeks ago in draft and bottled formats in Delhi and Gurgaon through Monkey Bar, Raasta, Pint Room and Barsroom.
Cerana Beverages was founded by CEO Ankur Jain, and has the country’s first and largest draft beer dispense network in restaurants and bars across India. Jain terms it as a brand that is ‘Imagined in India’, and also a homegrown startup that is rebelling against the conventional wisdom of alcoholic beverages, which used to be the domain of traditional, stuffy businessmen or of multinational corporations.
According to Jain, both flavours were devised and selected keeping in mind the kind of target audience present in the country. The Wheat Beer, which has a bit of spiciness, targets the typical non traditional drinker who would probably be hesitant to taste a beer that is too bitter. For the traditional drinker, the Blonde comes with a mild bitterness with help of three hops.
Stressing on the fact that Bengaluru is ‘beer city’ and that it was an obvious location to launch the hand crafted beer, Jain is looking forward to expanding his reach in Mumbai and Kolkata in the month of June. Speaking at a press briefing at Monkey Bar, India’s first gastropub, Jain said, “The consumer is looking for a delicious beer that is fun, smart, trendy and youthful. Bira 91 fills that spot perfectly. Our rapid expansion is a great testament to the strength of the brand and the quality of the product.”
“We wish to replicate our early success in the Delhi market across cities in the country – and we are working towards our mission of making great tasting beers as accessible as possible to the Indian consumer,” he added.
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