Australian MAX, a premium strong beer brewed at the Khoday Breweries in Bangalore by Canadian company — International Breweries Pte Ltd (IBPL) has won the titles of 'World’s Best Strong Lager' and 'Asia’s Best Strong Lager' at the World Beer Awards. This is the first time a beer produced in India has claimed a 'World's Best' title, beating the competition from strong beers produced in Germany, Belgium, England, USA, Holland and from all over the world. This is the highest award ever won by a beer from India.
The World Beer Awards is a global competition that evaluates beers from around the world and recognises the most outstanding beers produced worldwide. This competition witnessed over 700 entries coming from 57 countries.
Riding on this recognition, IBPL will also soon launch a new brand, “Australian Draft”. The company plans an extensive product roll-out of both brands across all of south India over the upcoming year. Currently, expansion is underway across Karnataka, Puducherry and Goa with further plans in the new year to add Tamil Nadu.
“We would also like to be present in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh over the next 18-20 months as well” Peter Harvey, executive director, IBPL said. “The company is currently interviewing and working with Distributors and Sales Agents all across India and will strive to be in all major markets as soon as possible,” he added.
IBL has made significant FDI investment in India and plans on further investment over the next two years. At the same time the company is currently considering an acquisition of a local brewery. “We have always believed in the strength of the Indian beer market and will continue to make sizable investments in branding and production capacity as we expand.” Harvey said. According to him, they are evaluating breweries to acquire and will be spending as much as Rs 100 crore on acquisitions.
“We’re excited that Australian MAX has been named the World's Best Strong Lager at the World Beer Awards. It is the highest mark of recognition from the industry. There is a growing demand for strong beers in India, particularly in the south. Australian Max will be the premium offering for such clientèle. The brands have been positioned and priced at par with our competitors within the strong beer segment. The beers are manufactured with IBL's proprietory Staged Lagering Process (SLP) to create a smooth and well-rounded flavour," he said. IBPL is a Canadian owned brewer producing and marketing high quality beers worldwide. The company was founded in 1994 and has grown considerably in size and product portfolio since its inception. In India, the company has worked over the years to improve the production quality of beer produced with its local partners, like Khodays Breweries Limited. IBL is a 100 per cent subsidiary of IBI, a Canadian corporation owned by individual investors, based in Toronto.