Big thumbs up to known beer brands

It has been a year of changes and challenges for breweries across the country. Despite the nearly insurmountable odds posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, brewers in India are doing what they do best— creating and releasing innovative beverages which can keep consumers engaged and keep coming back for more. While consumers have started trickling back to retail stores and bars for their fill, their changing palates have redefined several strategies & product profiles of beer makers.

Branded niche beers are being launched, wheat and ale beers are growing; craft beers are gaining ground and microbreweries are on the upswing. But all these trends are restricted only to metro cities of India. Larger number of Indian beer companies still bet their money on lager; mainly the strong varieties. Even today, lagers constitute for more than 90% of beer consumption in India.

The world scenario is not much different. Lagers are the most widely drunk beers in the world and they are playing an important part for brewers and consumers in 2021. Many consumers have opted for comfort and familiarity over innovation and excitement in their beer choices during times of uncertainty. This makes them more likely to reach out to a good old lager.

Moreover, since people are becoming more health and calorie conscious, they are cutting out or cutting back on alcohol for health and other reasons. The market is responding with a wider range of offerings with little or no alcohol. From non-alcoholic (less than 0.5% alcohol by volume or less) to low-alcohol options which contain fewer calories than a traditional beer, there are a growing number of exciting brews on offer. For instance, Budweiser launched an alcohol-free, zero-calorie beer. The growth of the segment, however, is extremely slow but is expected to go north in the coming years.

In this fast-changing consumer environment, Spiritz conducted an online survey to determine the beer consumers’ understanding and consumption practices. We share below with readers some of the major findings from our survey.

We were pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming response we got, with 5060 people responding enthusiastically to our survey. The responses came from metro and tier 2 cities of India and a majority of them are in the age bracket of 21 to 40, followed by the age group of 40 to 50 years with those above this age bringing up the rear. Interestingly, there is a growing preference for mild beers and according to the survey, it has 36% share of consumers’ preference, while low calorie/healthy and strong beers account for 23% each of our respondents’ choice. Only 18% of those surveyed find flavoured beers to be more enjoyable.

Gender Profile

The survey has shown exciting results regarding changing consumer preferences. One of the most significant responses is that around 88 % of respondents are males while 12 % are females. This clearly shows that women drinkers by and large, don’t look at beer as a great option.

Where do they Drink

Addressing the question on how do they prefer to share their frothy drink, it has been found that a significant percentage of beer lovers (43% of the respondents) prefer to share their beer with friends at parties while 33% like to enjoy chilled beers in the safe confines of their homes. Surprisingly, only around 24% love to hit a bar to partake of their preferred beer/s.

Domestic vs Imported

Despite being spoilt for choices with a plethora of foreign beer brands now being available in the market, as many as 54% of the respondents have shown preference for domestic beer brands while 46% opt for imported brands. This shows that imported beers are closing in on the competition with their domestic peers as the preferred choice.

Where do they Buy From

When asked as to how do they procure their preferred brand/s, a whopping 71% say they go to retail vends to buy while 28% love to drink in a bar or pub. Surprisingly, only a miniscule percentage of drinkers shop online (wherever it is permitted).

Consumers Prefer Premium

The survey findings also reveal that a majority of respondents (60%) prefer premium beers which cost between Rs. 101 and Rs. 200, followed by 24% who prefer more expensive beers. Another surprising finding that has come to the fore is that as many as 16% of the respondents buy beers priced under Rs.100.

Lager vs Ale vs Other

As expected, the largest number of respondents ( 59%) prefer lager, 22% opt for Ale and the rest are partial towards wheat and other styles of beer. 

Can vs Bottle vs Tap

Despite the growing popularity of canned beer, survey results show that 41% of respondents still prefer bottled beer, while 31% prefer cans and marginally less (28%) opt for beers on tap. The last choice indicates the growing fondness for fresh or craft beers.