The history of beer consumption in India extends back more than a millennium, long before European contact. Ancient Indian texts refer to fermented drinks such as sura, while Kautilya’s Arthashastra mentions intoxicating beverages like medaka and prasanna made from rice. Greek ambassador Megasthenes also noted the prevalence of rice beer in India. These traditional brews, still common among tribal communities—especially in northeast India—were typically prepared by women and often incorporated medicinal plants. However, European-style beer entered India only with the expansion of British colonial rule in the 18th century.
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| Abraham Dyer's beer thewildcone.com |
Initially, pale ales and Burton ales were imported from England to cater to British soldiers and civilians. The long and rough sea voyage, lasting several months, often rendered the beer sour and undrinkable. This problem prompted British brewers to develop a stronger, heavily hopped beer with a longer shelf life, leading to the emergence of India Pale Ale (IPA) around 1787. While IPA solved the problem of preservation, dependence on imports remained costly and unreliable, creating the need for local brewing in India.
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| ,Abraham Dyer thewildcone.com |
Above image: Above image: Abraham Dyer:The Father of British Beer in colonial India> He was the father of Brig Gen. Reginald Dyer of Jallianwala Bagh fame (April 1919)..It was savoured by the high british officials as well as soldiers in the British army till 1947. It had wetted the parched mouth of the beer-crazy British..........
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| indpaedia.com |
This gap was filled by Edward Abraham Dyer, a British entrepreneur who arrived in India in 1830. Recognizing the demand for quality beer suited to tropical conditions, Dyer established India’s first modern brewery at Kasauli in present-day Himachal Pradesh. It was here that Lion Brand Beer was first brewed. In 1835, the brewery was shifted to Solan, near Shimla, owing to the availability of high-quality groundwater ideal for brewing. Lion Beer, originally brewed as an India Pale Ale, quickly gained a reputation for its robust character, higher alcohol content, and reliability in hot climates.
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| First Indian pure malt whisky. madrascourier.com |
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| 1953 Indian beer label. in.pinterest.com |
After the incorporation of Dyer Breweries in 1885, the company expanded rapidly. Under the later partnership with H. G. Meakin, the firm became known as Dyer Meakin & Co. and was even listed on the London Stock Exchange. By the early 1880s, the company operated around twelve breweries across India, Burma, and Ceylon. Notably, after the Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885), a former royal cannon factory in Mandalay was converted into a brewery, contributing nearly one-third of the company’s total output. The British Indian Army remained one of Lion Beer’s largest consumers.
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| Beer drunk. image.shutterstock.com |
Lion Beer dominated the Indian beer market for over a century, from the 1840s until the 1960s. Its popularity across British colonies made it a symbol of imperial culture, inspiring similarly named brands in countries such as New Zealand and South Africa. In the 1960s, changing consumer preferences led to Lion Beer being reformulated from an IPA to a lager.
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| tribuneindia.com |
Following Independence, N. N. Mohan acquired the company’s assets in 1949, and in 1967 the firm was renamed Mohan Meakin Breweries, dropping the “Dyer” name due to its association with the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Today, Lion Beer endures as a living legacy of colonial-era brewing in India. Dyer Meakin Breweries Ltd was renamed as Mohan Meakin Breweries Ltd because India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, refused to visit it while on way to Shimla in 1960 unless the change of name was effected. The company’s name was changed to Mohan Meakin Breweries Ltd on November 1, 1966, and from April 24, 1980, it was known as Mohan Meakin Ltd.
https://www.navrangindia.in/2015/03/a-stalwart-of-indian-brewery-edward.html
https://www.thisday.app/story/the-story-behind-indias-first-brewery-kasauli-4145
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasauli_Brewery_and_Distillery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohan_Meakin
K. N. Jayaraman
