The Story Behind India’s First Brewery: Kasauli

Rituparna

The Story Behind India’s First Brewery: Kasauli

Brewing or preparing beer in India is one of the many things that came with the coming of the Europeans. The Kasauli brewery, set up by a British merchant in the 19th century, produced the first beer in the subcontinent as well as in the whole of Asia. Despite its colonial past, this brewery has grown immensely over the years and has made a name for itself.

The first brewery in India was set up by the British to meet their high demand for beer. Image Source: Unsplash

India was never a stranger to alcohol (or other intoxicating sources) and has been familiar with it since ancient times. In the Rig Veda, we find the mention of the Soma plant from which the intoxicating and ritualistic Soma drink is prepared. In medieval times too, such as during the Mughal period, references to wine and other alcoholic drinks can be found. But beer has a different journey altogether.

The origin of beer goes back to the Mesopotamian period, which makes this beverage as ancient as one of the earliest civilization! In fact, in India too, Megasthenese, the Greek ambassador who came to India during the Mauryan period, mentioned evidence of rice beer consumption.

However, the beer that we consume today with all its flavours, is largely influenced by the British because the first brewery in India was set up under them, to meet their beer needs.

We might wonder, what would lead to such a necessity? Since their arrival, the British had to endure the harsh tropical climate of India, which they were completely unaccustomed to. Hence, the British tried to Europeanize India in several possible ways, hoping that it would help them adjust better in the tropical country. This included introducing the kinds of food the Britishers ate, the drinks they enjoyed, and so on.

This is when the master brewer, Edward Dyer, entered, and became a lifesaver for the British, as well as for modern-day beer lovers. The name Edward Dyer may sound familiar to many of us. He was the father of the famous General Dyer, who is associated with the infamous Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. But unlike his son, Edward Dyer was nothing more than a businessman. He arrived with the intention of setting up the first beer manufacturing business, a unique opportunity he was made to realize, given how the British had such a high demand for beer.

So, in the 1850s, Edward Dyer set up the first-ever brewery in Kasauli, where he founded the famous continental brand, 'Lion Beer', which became an instant hit. The production at Kasauli brewery in 1855 was shifted to Solan, which was later converted into a distillery. Today, it is the Mohan Meakin Company that continues the legacy of Edward Dyer and owns the earlier Kasauli and Solan breweries. Mohan Meakin took the success of Kasauli and Solan to new levels with its own invention, the Old Monk, which is one of the most popular rum brands in India!

So, to all the beer lovers, the next time you visit Kasauli and Solan, and visit the breweries, be sure to recall their interesting history!

Beer was a very popular drink in Britain, and the British craved this beverage even more in India to relieve themselves of the unbearable heat. So, as early as in the 18th century, the British thought of producing beer in the subcontinent. However, they could not find a successful way to execute their plan. As such, by 1716, they began importing beer from Britain. However, even this process was very costly and time-consuming because the beer imports took about six months to reach India by the sea! Not only this, but when the beer finally arrived in India, it turned out to be flat and undrinkable.

The British then suggested that the imported beer be made with a greater percentage of alcohol to prevent it from going flat. This kind of beer that was imported to India came to be known as the Indian Pale Ale (IPA). IPA remained extremely popular in India among British consumers, until the early 19th century.