To try a ‘limited’ release is an experiment, at least for the domestic market. “Limited releases help push the envelope on beer and bring experimental products to consumers,” says Jain. “As a rapidly growing brand, there is a strategic imperative to always keep improving, creating and setting new benchmarks. The driving force of our innovation wagon has been gathering imperative consumer feedback from our ‘taproom’ and amalgamating the right flavours and mixtures to create extraordinary beers for consumers. The ‘taproom’ is a place where we host consumers and let them try out new variants of brews. It has 20 beers on tap, the most of any microbrewery or taproom in India. Within just a year of its launch, Bira 91’s limited release taproom has been awarded the People’s Choice Award for the best Micro-brewery/ taproom at 30 ‘Best Bars in India’ awards. The Imagined in India beers that are being brought into the market have been fuelled by the positive response received for them at our Taproom in Koramangla, Bengaluru.”

Bira 91’s latest offerings seem to be created keeping in mind the emerging consumer. “Our core consumers are the new age beer drinkers, who are urban, diverse, open to discovering experimental flavours and enjoying bespoke experiences, occasions, and celebrations,” says Jain. “With consumers becoming more conscious and gravitating towards making more responsible choices, we at Bira 91, are working towards being a responsible consumer-first brand that ensures transparent and real-time communication across varied platforms where our consumers are present.” The limited release beers will retail in metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune.

Design led

In an increasingly visual and crowded market, catching the eyeballs is crucial. While beer labelling has none of the complexity associated with wine, it is also not a space that has generally attracted attention. However, Bira has never shied away from using bold colours and designs, and ‘Imagined in India’ pushes the envelope in this regard too. “The first touchpoint for consumers with a brand is packaging and design,’ points out Jain. “The reason for partnering with different designers for packaging was so to make sure that just like the taste, the design of each beer has a different story to tell.”

“Bira 91 is highly focussed on developing colourful and modern packaging that immediately grabs consumer attention and delivers clutter breaking shelf presence. For Imagined in India, we collaborated with Kulture Co (a curated platform spearheading the new wave of Indian Graphic Art) to onboard artists, who are breaking the mould and taking modern India to new frontiers – to conceptualise and design the packaging of the four new flavours.

The artists have done an amazing job to showcase a vibrant palette of local stories around shared identities painted onto these beer cans and narrating the story of our home country. Each of the artists – Ranganath Krishnamani, Osheen Siva, M. Sajid and Prince Lunawara – successfully brought alive the flavour as well as a part of India’s rich cultural heritage through their intricate artwork.”

THE FOUR VARIANTS

‘Imagined in India’ is a celebration of the many flavours of India and its creative energy fuelled as much by emerging artists as entrepreneurs, according to Ankur Jain. Starting with experiments derived from suggestions from customers at the brand’s taproom in Bengaluru, these four variants represent different aspects of India.

• The Bollywood IPA variant is a total blockbuster – loud, flavourful, and vibrant with a tropical twist, inspired by West Coast IPAs that were born in California.

• Kokum Sour complements the Indian summer by combining the traditional ingredient from the Konkan Coast and the affinity of the Indian palette towards sour flavours and the best sour beers of the world.

• Brown Ale is a blend of English Nut Brown Ale and the Antwerpian Amber with strong notes of coconut and vanilla.

• Mango Lassi is an experimental summer essential that merges Bira 91’s flagship Wheat Ale and a milkshake beer into one flavourful bomb.