After Water, Bengaluru Faces Potential Beer Shortage As Summer Demand Heats Up

Residents of Bengaluru may soon find themselves grappling with a potential beer shortage as pubs and breweries struggle to keep up with the soaring demand during the scorching summers.

Reports indicate that beer sales have reached unprecedented levels in recent months, leading to challenges in maintaining adequate supply. The continuous production at breweries has resulted in limited availability, causing delays in restocking for retail stores across the city.

Manufacturers attribute the surge in demand to a combination of factors, including the fruit season, multiple long weekends, and the relentless summer heat. A representative from a major brewery in Marathahalli revealed that this year's supply and consumption have surpassed expectations, catching them off guard.

"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 representative explained.

The scorching temperatures, coupled with events like the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches and the influx of visitors during long weekends, have further fueled the spike in beer sales. The operational head of Gilly’s Restobar emphasised that nearly all customers are opting for multiple beer orders over any other beverage, leading to a 40% surge in sales.

"Managing the sales has become challenging due to delays in orders from breweries," the operational head noted. He also hinted at the possibility of temporarily suspending weekend offers, including popular promotions like 'buy 2 get 1 on all beer brands,' if the current trend persists.

The operational head of another brewery situated in Residency Road shed light on the technical challenges brewers face during the sweltering summer months. "The current temperatures often make it difficult to maintain cool fermentation temperatures and adequately cool the wort, which is the liquid solution of extracted grains and a sugar source that brewers create and ultimately feed to beer yeasts, after the boil," he explained.