How Is Beer Made In India?

13 June 2023

Table of Contents

Key takeaways: the Indian beer-making process in a nutshell

7 main steps (malting, mashing, boiling, fermentation, conditioning, filtering, packaging)
beer ingredients (water, malt, hops, yeast, brewing enzymes)
timeline (2-8 weeks by style)
enzymes convert starch to fermentable sugars
Indian breweries follow global standards with local tweaks
temperature control and quality enzymes drive consistent results

If you’ve ever asked, how is beer made in India, start with one big fact about beer manufacturing: India will drink about 3.4 billion liters of beer in 2025, and demand keeps moving up. That growth means more pressure on breweries to stay consistent, even when raw materials and weather don’t cooperate.

You’ll see the same core beer production process used worldwide, but Indian sites often add local checks for heat, water variation, and distribution time. In this guide, you’ll walk through the 7-step brewing process, where enzymes fit (they help make fermentable sugars), and what makes Indian brewing different in daily operations.

Understanding beer ingredients and raw materials used in Indian breweries

Before you think about tanks and timelines, you need to think about inputs. Great beer comes from tight control of beer ingredients and beer raw material, even when you’re brewing at scale. In India, the basics stay the same, but your choices often reflect supply, water quality, and the style you’re chasing.

You’ll hear brewers talk about beer raw material like it’s just a purchase order. It’s not. Each input changes taste, aroma, foam, clarity, and shelf life. Water sets the base profile, malt provides body and sugars, hops balance sweetness and help stability, and yeast turns sugar into alcohol and CO2.

You’ll also see enzymes discussed more often now, especially when adjunct grains are part of the recipe or when you’re pushing for better extract. That’s where how is beer made becomes less romantic and more measurable, because conversion efficiency shows up in your yield and your lab numbers.

The four essential beer raw material components

Water usually makes up 90 to 95% of the final beer. Many Indian breweries treat it with filtration, carbon removal, RO (when needed), then mineral adjustment so each batch starts the same.

Malted barley delivers flavor and body, bringing starch, color, and natural enzymes. Depending on price and style, some breweries use adjuncts like rice or corn to lighten the body and keep the finish crisp.

Hops add bitterness from alpha acids and aroma, and they also support foam and stability. In India, hops are often imported and used as pellets for freshness and easy dosing.

Yeast, specifically Saccharomyces cerevisiae, does the real work during fermentation. Lager strains stay clean and crisp, ale strains can add fruity notes, and strain choice shapes your brand profile.

Brewing enzymes help you control sugar creation during mashing. Alpha-amylase and beta-amylase break starch into smaller sugars. Added enzyme blends can help with adjunct-heavy grists and can raise malt extract in tough conditions. If you’re sourcing, start with consistent specs from a reliable supplier of brewing enzymes.

The 7-step beer manufacturing process most Indian breweries follow

The beer making process has seven stages. Each stage touches taste, alcohol level, clarity, and shelf life. When someone asks how is beer made, this is the repeatable path you follow, batch after batch.

Step 1: Malting, where the grain gets ready to brew

Malting starts by soaking barley, then letting it germinate, then drying it through kilning. This usually takes about 6 to 8 days. During germination, natural enzymes become active, and the grain becomes “brew-ready.” Malting sets you up for good conversion later.

Step 2: Mashing, where enzymes turn starch into sugar

You crush the malt, mix it with hot water, and hold it in a mash tun, often around 65 to 68°C. Over 1 to 2 hours, enzymes convert starch into fermentable sugars. You now have wort, the sweet liquid yeast will later eat.

This is one of the clearest answers to how is beer made, because your mash profile sets body and alcohol potential. If you need extra help with adjuncts or faster conversion, you can use industrial brewing enzymes.

Step 3: Lautering and sparging, separating wort from the grain

You recirculate the wort until it runs clear, then drain the wort through the grain bed. Think of the bed like a natural filter. After that, you sparge, meaning you rinse the grains with hot water to collect more sugars. This step keeps your efficiency from slipping.

Step 4: Boiling, adding hops and making the wort stable

You boil the wort for 60 to 90 minutes. Early hops add bitterness, quantified in IBU, while later hops add aroma. Boiling sterilizes the wort, drives off unwanted volatile compounds, and helps proteins clump (hot break). After boiling, you often use a whirlpool to separate the trub. You then cool the wort using a heat exchanger. This is where bitter balance becomes predictable.

Step 5: Fermentation, where yeast makes alcohol and CO2

You pitch yeast into the cooled wort. Yeast turns sugar into alcohol and CO2, and it also creates flavor compounds, with specific gravity tracked to monitor progress. Ales often ferment at 18 to 22°C, lagers at 8 to 14°C, with primary fermentation taking about 1 to 2 weeks.

In India’s heat, chilling capacity and clean transfers matter more, especially if your cellar isn’t insulated. If you’re teaching someone how is beer made, fermentation control is where you insist on discipline.

Step 6: Conditioning and maturation, smoothing flavor before sale

After primary fermentation, you condition the green beer so yeast and haze particles settle out. Flavors round off, harsh edges drop, and carbonation stabilizes. Total time can be 2 to 6 weeks, with lagers often needing longer cold storage. Good cold holding protects foam and keeps the finish clean.

Step 7: Filtering and packaging, getting it ready for stores and taps

Some beers are filtered for clarity, others stay unfiltered for a fuller mouthfeel. Many packaged beers are pasteurized, depending on shelf-life targets. Then you bottle, can, or keg. Quality checks often include ABV, carbon dioxide, dissolved oxygen, and micro testing. This final step decides how well your beer survives travel.

What’s different about beer manufacturing in India

India follows the same global beer brewing process, but local conditions push your decisions. The market is also unusual in scale. India consumed about 3.4 billion liters in 2025, yet per capita is only about 2.15 liters, so there’s room to grow.

Style mix shapes production planning too. Lager holds about 95% share, so many breweries prioritize high-volume production of beer with clean, repeatable output. That means strong focus on water treatment, filtration choices, adjuncts to create the crisp profile favored by Indian consumers, and stable cold-side operations.

Regulation can be complex because state excise rules drive pricing, approvals, and where you can sell. On top of that, labeling and food safety expectations can change, so you keep your compliance team close to production.

Popular beer styles produced in India today

You’ll see standard and strong lagers dominate shelves (brands like Kingfisher, Haywards, and Tuborg are common examples). In metros, wheat beers, pale ales, and IPAs show up more often on tap, where freshness is easier to protect. Dark beers are still niche, but they’re growing in some pockets.

Process-wise, lagers usually need longer cold maturation, hop-forward ales need smart hop timing, and some craft lines skip filtration to keep flavor.

Frequently asked questions about how beer is made in India

How long does the beer brewing process take in India?

Most beers take 2 to 8 weeks from brew day to package. Fermentation often takes 1 to 2 weeks, then conditioning takes 2 to 6 weeks depending on style. Lagers usually take longer than ales because cold maturation is part of the flavor.

What’s the most important ingredient in beer manufacturing?

Water is the biggest input, since it’s about 90 to 95% of beer and shapes flavor. Still, enzymes do the key conversion work in mashing, turning starch into fermentable sugar. In some setups, smaller operations might rely on malt extract as an alternative, but added enzymes can improve extract yield by a rough 5 to 15% range, depending on grist and process control.

How is beer made differently in India compared to other countries?

The core steps are the same worldwide, so how is beer made doesn’t change much on paper. The difference is conditions. India’s heat makes temperature control and storage harder, and long distribution routes can punish beer with high oxygen pickup. Local demand also favors crisp, lighter lagers, so many breweries tune recipes for clean finishes by targeting a specific gravity for the final product profile.

What brewing enzymes are used in the beer manufacturing process?

Common options include:

Alpha-amylase: helps break starch into shorter sugars.
Beta-amylase: boosts maltose, which yeast ferments well.
Glucoamylase: pushes higher fermentability by making more simple sugars.
Proteases: can support clarity and foam by managing proteins.

If you plan to buy brewing enzymes in India, consistency and documentation matter as much as price.

Can home brewers follow the same beer making process as commercial breweries?

Yes, the steps match the commercial beer brewing process, just on a smaller scale. You mash, boil, ferment, condition, then package. The big difference is control. Breweries have tighter temperature systems, lab testing, and lower oxygen packaging. You can still make excellent beer at home with clean handling and patience.

Conclusion

If you keep asking how is beer made, the answer is simple: you move through the beer brewing process of malting, mashing, boiling, fermentation, conditioning, filtering, and packaging, and you control each handoff. Consistent beer ingredients, steady temperatures, and the right enzymes help you hit the same flavor and yield every time.

India’s beer scene is growing, even with low per-capita consumption, so breweries keep upgrading water treatment, chilling, and new styles within local rules. If you’re improving efficiency or consistency, it’s worth reviewing your beer ingredients and enzymes as part of the beer manufacturing process, and reaching out to discuss options when you’re ready.