Prem Dewan, Managing Director of DeVANS Modern Breweries talks about 'Godfather,' read on!

Q- When did the Godfather beer come into existence? How has it evolved in the last 4 decades?

A- The origin of Godfather dates back to nearly four decades ago when DeVANS introduced RAJGURU beer in 1983. However, there were soon trademark conflicts with Mohan Goldwater Breweries' brand GURU. Even though DeVANS was successful in protecting its trademark in the legal dispute that went right up to the Supreme Court, a decision was taken to change the brand's name to GODFATHER in 1984. The new name resonated better with the mascot illustration which has since become famous and synonymous with the company. Godfather was an instant hit with consumers and is still among the most sought-after and most-awarded strong beers in India.

Godfather is our flagship beer brand and has a legendary status among beer lovers as well as connoisseurs. Godfather - The Legendary Strong Beer has 7.2% alcohol by volume and has garnered numerous honours and prizes over the years. Also significant is its widespread presence in the international market like the US, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia. The latest variant of the brand, Godfather Super 8, is the strongest beer in India with 8% alcohol by volume. Godfather Legendary has won gold medals in all the blind-tasting events in which it has taken part in the country till date. Even Godfather Super 8 won a gold medal in its very first year of entry in a recent prestigious blind testing event in Delhi.

Q- How have beer-drinking patterns evolved in the last decade?

A- The preference of beer lovers in India has transformed drastically since its evolution in the country. India is today a predominantly strong beer market with more than 90% sales coming from sale of strong beer though there was no strong beer till the 60’s.  It was in the early 70’s when the shift started happening towards strong beers with the introduction of the country’s first strong beer - GURU. The brand took the market by storm and led to a host of other strong beer launches- Rajdhani, Thunderbolt, Godfather, Punjab, Charger, Haywards 5000 etc. Though the advent of multinational brewers from across the globe has led to a slew of premium lagers with of international fame in the market, the hot favourite among the Indian beer lovers continues to be strong lagers. Beer market is growing at a healthy pace though the two Covid years have taken a huge toll on the brewers but that is all behind us and brewers are very upbeat on the future. The Indian beer market is set to evolve rapidly with time.

Q- How did your product portfolio evolve during the years?

A- Since its inception in 1961, DeVANS has regularly been evolving as a company. It is one of the oldest malt spirit manufacturers of the country with its fresh and matured malt spirits being supplied to liquor companies all over the country. We have also carved a stature in the beer market, with the iconic Godfather Legendary and a lineup of several award-winning beers, including Godfather Super 8, Six Fields Blanche, Six Fields Cult and Kotsberg Pils.

The complete portfolio boasts of diverse experiences for the brew lover. Godfather Super 8 is the country’s strongest beer with an alcohol of 8% and is a delight to drink, Six Fields is a Belgian style wheat beer infused with coriander and orange notes, whereas Kotsberg is a pils with a light easy to drink taste.

Q- With so many new brands coming into India in the last decade, how did Godfather manage to win global accolades?

A- Godfather has evolved over the last four decades to attain the iconic stature it owns at present. We have upgraded the packaging of all our brands in order to give them a more attractive and contemporary look. Considering that beer brewing is an extremely technical process with even a slight deviation in process controls and raw material quality making a drastic quality difference, we have adhered to maintaining the highest levels of quality and process controls and raw material standards, which is well manifested with the longstanding of the brand in the market. Besides, we have also ensured that we evolve with time to meet the evolving preferences of the consumers. The diversification of the portfolio with Godfather Super 8 is the most appropriate example here as it was triggered with the growing demand for premium strong lagers. We are also the only brewer in the country with a 5 liter keg/can.

We have also kept pace with the rise in the demand of the beer by constantly enhancing our production capability and capacity. In addition to our own plants in Rajasthan as well as Jammu and Kashmir, DeVANS has this year entered into production tie ups in Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand, taking the total production capacity up to 1,56,600 KL. The high quality standards have paid off with all the brands of the company coming out regularly on top in various blind tasting events in the country.