Tag Archives: Goa

Traveling During Ramadan

Recently, I visited Goa in India. It takes a while to reach Goa. To get there, I flew from Detroit to Dallas to Doha (in Qatar), to Goa. I was traveling with a colleague who lives just outside of Dallas, so I broke up the outward journey by overnighting with him and his family in the Dallas area. It is a long way from Dallas to Goa – fourteen-plus hours to Doha, and another three-plus hours from there to Goa. Add to that a four hour layover in Doha, and it is quite a journey. I did manage to sleep for six or seven hours on the Dallas to Doha leg, so that made the flight considerably more pleasant. When flying, I tend not to drink alcohol. If I do, it might be a glass of wine with dinner. Flying dehydrates, and so water is usually my liquid of choice.

Anyway, after boarding my flight to Goa, I decided that I would indeed like a beer.  As with my flight from Dallas to Doha, I was flying with Qatar Airways. They are the national airline of Qatar.  I had noticed, on the flight flight from Dallas to Doha, that the beer choice was limited to Heineken. It was the same on the flight to Goa. When the cabin attendant (that is what they are called on Qatar Airways) came around and asked me what I would like to drink, I told her, a Heineken. As she reached beneath her cart to get the beer, she turned to me and asked if I minded if she poured it into a glass and not give me the can. As one who prefers their beer decanted anyway, I said that would be fine. “It’s Ramadan” she explained “and we cannot have labeled alcohol containers on display”. She proceeded to pour my beer, carefully out of sight of anyone, and handed me two small glasses of Heineken. Whether this was airline policy, was unique to that particular flight, or reflected the cultural sensitivities of this particular cabin attendant, I am not sure. I did notice on my return flight from Doha to Dallas that bottles of wine and cans of Heineken were on full public display.

My “two” glasses of Heineken on my flight between Doha and Goa

After the cabin attendant moved onto the next row of passengers, I looked around the aircraft, but did not see anyone else drinking beer. I must admit I started to feel a bit self conscious . Was I the only one on the entire aircraft drinking a beer? As I reflected on my layover in Doha, it struck me that I had not seen anything that resembled a bar. The duty free shop had been replete with candy, perfume, and cigarettes – but there was not a drop of alcohol in sight. A little research later revealed that there are a couple of restaurants in the airport, where a glass of wine or beer can be enjoyed with a meal. While it is a Muslim country, Qatar does allow the sale and consumption of alcohol. However, access is limited. It is available in four and five star western hotels. Alcohol is also  available to expatriates through a permit system. Permits are administered by the Qatar Distribution Company, and individuals wishing to obtain one must apply. Once in possession of a permit, there are two outlets in the entire country, from which alcohol can be purchased. The amount of alcohol that an individual can purchase each month is dependent upon their salary. The rules regarding consumption of alcohol in Qatar are quite strict. For example, it is forbidden to drink alcohol in a public place, or to give alcohol to Muslims. Muslims caught drinking alcohol may be subject to corporal punishment.

Other Islamic countries also have highly restrictive laws when it comes to the consumption of alcohol. These include Afghanistan, Libya, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Also, although not a predominantly Muslim country, alcohol is also prohibited in some states in India (fortunately, not in Goa). Of course, the United States had its own doomed experiment with Prohibition between 1920 and 1933. While I fully respect the sovereign right of each country to prohibit the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol as it sees fit, I have to admit that it would be difficult for me to live in a country where having a beer was either impossible or highly restricted. I simply enjoy beer, and the culture surrounding it, too much.

 

 

 

Imagined in India

I just returned from four days in Goa, India. I went there to attend the 12th World Congress of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI). This was my first visit to India. It’s a big country, of course, no matter which measure you use. Its population is 1.3 billion (only China has more). It is 1.2 million square miles (3.2 million square kilometers), making it the seventh largest country in terms of land area. With a nominal GDP of $2.85 trillion, it is the world’s seventh largest economy.

In land area, Goa is India’s smallest state. It is located in the southwest of the country, with the Arabian Sea forming its western border. Despite its small size, it has the highest GDP per capita of any Indian state, while ranking fifth in terms of literacy rates. Being on the Arabian Sea, Goa has some stunning beaches. My hotel, the Park Hyatt Resort and Spa, had direct beach access. Add to that an open air beachside restaurant and bar, and I had the ideal spot to enjoy some Indian beers.

The beachside restaurant/bar at the Park Hyatt was the perfect spot to enjoy some Indian beer

Per capita beer consumption in India is relatively low – 5.1 liters per capita. This compares with per capita beer consumption of 74.9 liters in the United States. Indian per capita consumption even compares unfavorably with its regional neighbors – across Asia, average annual per capita beer consumption is 20.9 liters. Having said that, the Indian beer market is posituined for growth; an average annual growth of 6.9% is forecast for the 2018-2022 period.

Per Capita Beer Consumption in Liters in Selected Asian Countries. Source: BMI

Not surprisingly, beer sales in India are dominated by large multinational brewers – United Breweries (44.1% market share in 2016), AB InBev (24.6%), and Carlsberg (16.9%)  control close to eighty five percent of the Indian beer market. Heineken own a forty-four percent share in United Breweries and, at the time of writing, are poised to increase their share to fifty-eight percent.

Budweiser is becoming increasingly popular among Indian beer drinkers. Budweiser first appeared in the Indian market in 2007. Today, it has a five percent market share; up from one percent in 2011. Budweiser is aggressively marketed as a premium lager, targeted at India’s urban Millennials. AB InBev’s 2016 acquisition of SABMiller will help it expand Budweiser’s reach in India. In acquiring SABMiller, AB InBev acquired ownership of  the extensive brewery and distribution network SABMiller established in India. With the mature markets in North America and Europe offering little prospect for growth, multinationals such as AB InBev and Heineken turn their attention to developing markets such as India.

In addition to Budweiser, Indians are acquiring a taste for craft beer. Unlike the United States, however, where IPAs are the most popular style of craft beer, the Indian craft beer consumers prefers lighter, less bitter styles; wheat based ales, particularly German-style Hefeweizens and Belgian Wits, are especially popular. One of the craft beers that is making big headlines in India is Bira 91. The brand was launched in 2015, by Indian entrepreneur Ankur Jain. Jain had become familiar with craft beer while living in New York for ten years. When he returned to his native New Delhi, he started Bira 91. Unable to find a brewery in India which could meet his exacting brewing  standards, Jain contracted production to a brewery in Belgium. Because the beer was not brewed in India, the label on the bottle read “Imagined in India”. Such was the success of  Bira 91 that, by 2016, it was being brewed in India. In 2017, Bira 91 opened a second brewery in India, and a third is planned for 2018. Jain is ambitious and in addition to Bira 91’s Indian breweries, he hopes to open one in the United States. The ‘91’ in the name refers to the international dialing code for India. I enjoyed both Bira 91’s Blonde Lager and White Ale several times during my stay in Goa.

Despite now being brewed in India, Bira 91 bottles still carry the “Imagined in India” label

Imported and craft beer are proving popular among India’s growing middle class, particularly those who have traveled internationally. As Indian consumers are exposed to international tastes and trends, they return home and aspire to mimick some of the consumer behaviors they have witnessed.

In addition to the Bira 91, mentioned above, I sampled a number of other beers while in India. I arrived at hotel at 3am. After registering, I had anticipated on going straight to my room, Before I could do so, however, one of the hotel staff members offered me a complimentary welcome beer. I am sure that, after being in airports and on planes for the best part of twenty-four hours, he probably realized that a cold beer was just what I wanted. Surprisingly, the beer he offered me was not a standard Indian lager, such as Kingfisher, but was a Witbier called Jungle Wheat. Jungle Wheat is one of four beers brewed by Simba Beer. Simba is owned by Sona Beverages. Sony Beverages was established in 2006, as a franchisee of SAB Miller. Its brewery is located in the city of Durg, in east-central India. So whether my Jungle Wheat is a craft beer or, because of its connection with SAB Miller, is one of those “crafty” beers I’ll leave that for you to debate. All I will say is that, after a long journey, it tasted damn good.

Jungle Wheat from Simba Beer

Another beer I tried was Goa King’s Pilsner. Up until, 2015 Goa King’s beers (then just called King’s) were only available in Goa. It’s geographic exclusivity was part of its appeal. In 2015, the King’s brand was acquired by Vikiing  Ventures. In addition to changing its name, the new owner expanded distibution of Goa King’s, thus makimg available in cities such as Mumbai and New Dehli.

India’s most popular beer brand is Kingfisher. When I told friends that I would be visiting India, many made mention of Kingfisher. Brewed by United Breweries, Kingfisher has been losing market share recently. Still, it is the country’s most ubiquitous beer brand. Kingfisher premium lager, of which I had quite a few while in Goa, is a standard lager, which proved quite refreshing under the hot Indian sun.

So that was my first visit to India. I was only there for four days and only saw one tiny corner of this vast country. But I saw enough, and was sufficiently captivated by the friendliness of the people I met, that I hope that I have an opportunity to return some day.

My visit also marked something of a milestone in my world travels; as it was the fortieth country/territory that I have visited in my lifetime. Later this  year, I will add two other countries to that list – Switzerland and Liechtenstein. I look forward to seeing what beers those two have to offer.

Further Reading:

Knoth, Michael and Jonas Björn Borrit. 2014. The Indian beer market: The next “China” or a hyped market with little future growth? Scandinavian Brewers’ Review, Volume 72, Number 2, pp. 10-14.