Why Bengaluru may soon face a beer shortage

Bengaluru may soon witness shortage of beer, as pubs and breweries in the city are grappling to keep up with the escalating demand amid a water crisis and sweltering weather conditions.

The shortage of beer is being attributed to the rising demand for the beverage that is most preferred in the summer season. Beer sales have shot up recently on account of a surge in demand resulting in the stocks declining to an all-time low. While several pubs and breweries in the city are trying to procure enough stock, others are mulling the idea of discontinuing weekend offers such as buy 2 get 1 and buy 1 get 1 one (BOGO) pitchers.

However, media reports suggest that the increase in demand is not solely due to summer, as manufacturers also credited it to suboptimal fruit season and multiple long weekends during which people often prefer to meet over a beer.

Suboptimal fruit season

A representative from a major breweries in Marathahalli said this year’s supply and consumption have exceeded their expectations, for which they were not prepared.

“Typically during the summer season, we introduce fruit-flavoured beer, with sales heavily reliant on fruits such as mangoes and pineapples. This year, sales of fruit beer dipped due to suboptimal mangoes, prompting people to opt for regular beer. The sales also continued to surge due to the heat, IPL season and the people coming in during long weekends,” he told The New Indian Express. Approximately 30,000 litres of beer have already been sold this year, compared to around 9,000 litres the previous year, he mentioned.

“Sales have surged by 40% with nearly all customers choosing multiple beer orders over any other beverage. Managing the sales has become challenging due to delays in orders from breweries,” the operational head of Gilly’s Restobar told the daily. “With this trend, we may soon temporarily suspend weekend offers, including buy 2 get 1 on all brand beers,” he said.

Weather not conducive

The operational head of another brewery on Residency Road said, “With the current temperatures, we find it challenging to maintain cool fermentation temperatures and adequately cool the wort -- the liquid solution of extracted grains and a sugar source brewers create and ultimately feed to beer yeasts, after the boil.”

“We haven’t come across such extreme weather conditions, so it is taking time to adapt to new measures that can offer a temporary solution,” she added.