Ironhill India, a chain of craft breweries, opened what it claims to be the world’s largest microbrewery in Bengaluru with an investment of ₹30 crore.
Spread across 1.3 lakh sq ft, that can accommodate over 1,500 people at a time, the microbrewery will serve eight varieties of beer with an alcohol content of 4-7 per cent at ₹260–300 for a 500-ml mug. Due to the pandemic, the microbrewery is only operating outdoors, which has a seating capacity of 800 people. The microbrewery is located in the IT hub of Marathahalli, on a two-acre spread amidst art deco pieces, installation art, soft music and water bodies that create small pockets of privacy for its customers.
Fourth microbrewery
This is the company’s fourth microbrewery. Its first 6,500-sq ft micro-brewery opened in Visakhapatnam in 2017, followed by another 7,000 sq ft facility in Vijayawada and a third of 25,000 sq ft opened in Hyderabad earlier this month.
“We started work on the Bengaluru microbrewery two years ago and decided to launch it this month. The city is now host to the largest microbrewery in the world and will introduce patrons to new brews and indigenous ingredients that will surprise them. We bring in the knowledge of our expert brew-masters, who have travelled around the world unearthing some of the most supreme flavours for Bengalureans to savour, culminating in exciting flavours of beers on tap, all brewed with the highest quality raw materials imported from their source countries and locally sourced” Teja Chekuri, Managing Partner, Ironhill India, told
Post Covid, the company has bounced back 90 per cent since October 2020, when it reopened its microbreweries which were shut down from March 2020. The average order value (AOV) at its microbreweries is ₹1,400 and its Bengaluru outlet is expected to see similar AOV.
Volume growth
“In volume terms, the microbrewery business grew from 4.7 billion litres per annum in 2017 to 6.9 billion litres in 2019 and is expected to grow at 20 per cent YoY. We are planning to expand to another 6 locations by 2022 across Maharashtra, Goa, Haryana and Chandigarh with an investment allocation of approximately ₹60 crore. So far, we have already invested ₹54 crore to set up four microbreweries,” said Chekuri.