Boom Time

How stronger brew helped Ankur Jain transform Bira 91 from a craft beer brand to a player that’s getting most of its growth from smaller cities and towns

- Rajiv Singh

On Christmas eve, around 2.30 pm, Channegowda was about to make a bold move. “Onedu strong beku (give me a strong beer),” requested the 32-year-old electrician. The retailer stared back. “Are you inspired by Virat Kohli?” he asked, alluding to the huge billboard of the Indian cricket captain that greets consumers at the Sri Kalikamba Wines Store in Baburayanakoppal village, some 130 km from Bengaluru. The hoarding of Royal Challenge sports drinks, endorsed by Kohli, flashes the brand’s signature message: Make a bold move.

“Virat strong beda, bunder strong beku (I don’t need Virat strong. Give me monkey strong),” Channegowda replied, pointing to a bottle. “It’s Boom and has a quirky monkey head,” his friend chipped in, who induced Channegowda into shunning his old beer brand. “Idu tumba tasty mattu strong (This is different, tasty and strong),” he insisted.

Another 40 km from Baburayanakoppal is Kwality Spirits, a wine retail shop that has a singular distinctive identity: A massive advertisement of Knock Out, a beer brand owned by SABMiller. Lokesh, a painter, is enjoying a chilled beer in a steel glass. “Beer mugs are for the cities. Here you get the monkey drink in a glass,” he says, pointing to a bottle of Boom, a strong beer brand he got hooked on to six months ago. “It gives me a kick,” he says.