Although the term "microbrewery" was originally used in relation to the size of breweries, it gradually came to reflect an alternative attitude and approach to brewing flexibility, adaptability, experimentation and customer service. The term and trend spread to the US in the 1980s and was eventually used as a designation of breweries that produce fewer than 15,000 U.S. beer barrels (1,800,000 liters; 460,000 U.S. gallons) annually. A microbrewery or craft brewery is a brewery that produces small amounts of beer (or sometimes root beer), typically much smaller than large-scale corporate breweries, and is independently owned. Such breweries are generally characterized by their emphasis on quality, flavour and brewing technique.
Beer is globally the third most popular drink after water and tea. Growing at a CAGR of 2.4%, it is projected that the global beer market will reach approximately USD 636 billion by 2020. The Indian beer market is expected to grow and cross 430 billion by the end of 2017, as per the research of All India Brewers’ Association (AIBA). Tapping brewed beer market at cost-effective rates, a variety of innovative startups have aplenty of ideas for diverse flavors, events and apps that could faciliate customers to indulge.
The market for microbreweries is still developing. Today, only 4-5 states have established microbreweries that are essentially resto-bars where one can consume fresh-off-the-tap beer that has been brewed in-house. These microbreweries produce between 5,000 and 50,000 litres of beer, a day.
Few Indian major players are as under:
· Anheuser Busch Inbev India Ltd.
· Appollo Distilleries & Breweries Pvt. Ltd.
· Arbor Brewing Co. (India) Pvt. Ltd.
· Arlem Breweries Ltd.
· Arthos Breweries Ltd.
· Aurangabad Breweries Ltd.
· Castle Breweries Ltd.
