BIRA 91 ADDS MORE FLAVOUR TO THE UK CRAFT BEER MARKET

Bira 91 launches flavourful beers into the UK as part of global mission to drive colour and flavour

Flavourful beers for the new world: Independent craft brewer Bira 91, manufactured by B9 Beverages and one of the fastest growing beer brands in the world, announces its launch to the UK today. Presenting beers that are full of flavour, with bold and playful packaging at accessible price points, Bira 91 introduces a strong portfolio of beers to drive the global shift in craft beer towards more colour and flavour.

Established in 2015, Bira 91 shook the Indian craft beer market and quickly became one of India’s most popular beer brands, while endearing itself to urban millennials around the world, thanks to its delicious beers, solid identity and strong on and off trade network. With Belgian recipes and brewed in India, the Bira 91 beers now available to the UK market include:

BLONDE LAGER – Vibrant, Crisp, and Clean.  At 4.5% ABV this lager is brewed with two row malted, finished with a mix of Mandarina Bavaria hops – a new German hop variety out of the hops research centre at Hüll in Bavaria, featuring aromas of mandarin orange and American grown Cascade hops resulting in a beer which is clean, crisp, refreshing and dry. This vibrant, crisp and smooth beer reminds you of the summertime no matter what time of year you drink it. With Blonde Lager, it’s always summer. A craft beer classic with a wonderful complexity of floral, spice and grapefruit aromas. A universal food pairing.

WHITE ALE – Bira 91’s signature wheat beer and a modern take on Belgian Style Wheat Beers. A deliciously different wheat beer with low bitterness, Bira 91 White is brewed with orange peel which gives the beer a citrus burst with a soft, fruity finish. At 4.7% ABV, a refreshing all day beer brewed with only the finest ingredients & barrels of passion. Bira 91 White is cloudy sunshine in a bottle and perfectly pairs with salads, cheese and fish.

INDIAN PALE ALE – Tropical, Balanced, and Bright. At 4.5%, BIRA 91 IPA is brewed with toasted and caramel malts and finished with Pomelo fruit – one of the largest citrus fruits in the world – and new age hops for a refreshing and citrusy take on a traditional IPA. This combination gives it a subtle sweetness, tastiness, and nuttiness, which really balances the tropical hop and pomelo aromas. Easy drinking and perfect with spicy food.

All three Bira 91 beers are currently available UK-wide in 330ml bottles (RRP of £2.29), with cans in development and BLONDE LAGER available on draft, to order in a 30L Keg. On April Fools’ Day 2020, the 91st day of the year, the playful brand will roll out its consumer launch, targeting millennials in urban towns and cities across the UK, engaging in playful consumer sampling and geo-targeted social media campaigns. As part of its global sponsorship with the International Cricket Council, an association that marks Bira 91’s UK debut into mass participation sport, it will run competitions to win money-can’t-buy trips for consumers to fly to Australia for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The Bira 91 branding has a distinct bold, playful style and identity and is firmly its own entity within a crowded marketplace. The lines are sharp and there’s a premium feel to the brand. Cheeky rebellion and the joy of beer play out in the brand’s creative.  The Bira 91 monkey, with a nod to the urban millennial, can be geo-targeted and used neatly for retailing, featuring the sporty one, the musical one, the serious one or the fun one. The name ‘Bira’ evokes beer – it is short, easy to remember and rolls off the tongue. It is also similar to the Punjabi word for ‘elder brother’ and the Bengali word meaning ‘brave one’ and +91 is the country code for India – a clever hat tip to the brand’s origin.

Ankur Jain, Bira 91 Founder, said: “We are delighted to welcome Bira 91 to the UK market. To date, globally, Bira 91 has had a disruptive presence in the market of craft beer and we are looking forward to exploring some invigorating and refreshing partnerships with UK supermarkets and key on-trade partners across towns and cities that fit with the brand. Consumers opting for a more fun, relaxing beer-drinking experience that doesn’t compromise on quality, taste and experience will be pleased with the way Bira 91 bridges the gap between macro and craft beers with a playful brand that is intimately local yet universal and full of flavour. Bira 91 extends the craft beer market’s reach to UK millennials, who have quickly fallen in love with the playful brand around the world. Craft beer is now in a new world with massive opportunities for new consumers coming into the category and new markets yet untouched by flavour in the beer category.”