Restaurant India News: Red Rhino Launches 330 ml Bottled Craft Beer Range in Bengaluru Retail

Red Rhino has entered the retail segment in Bengaluru with the launch of its bottled craft beer portfolio, marking a shift from an on-tap focused distribution model to off-premise availability. Announced on 17th February 2026, the move positions the brand to expand consumer access beyond bars and taprooms into local retail outlets.

Founded by Kishore Pallamreddy and Rachana Pallamreddy, Red Rhino has built its presence across 100+ on-tap locations. The bottled rollout signals a strategic extension of its footprint, allowing the brewery to participate in the growing packaged craft beer segment while retaining its production base in Karnataka.

The initial bottled portfolio comprises three variants: Golden Harvest Lager, Soul Surfer Hefeweizen, and Bangalore Daze IPA. All three beers are available exclusively in 330 ml bottles and are being distributed across select retail shelves in Bengaluru.

Production continues at Red Rhino’s commercial brewery in Malur, located on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The facility includes a 5-vessel brewhouse, dedicated kegging lines, multiple fermentation tanks, brite beer tanks (BBTs), and automated quality control systems. This infrastructure supports scaled production while maintaining consistency, a key requirement when transitioning from draft-led consumption to packaged retail formats.

Golden Harvest Lager (ABV 4.8 percent | IBU 17) is brewed with premium basmati rice and positioned as a smooth, clear lager with a stable white head. Soul Surfer Hefeweizen (ABV 4.9 percent | IBU 15) is an unfiltered wheat ale with banana and clove notes, developed in line with German Hefeweizen style parameters. Bangalore Daze IPA (ABV 6.8 percent | IBU 68) follows a West Coast-style profile, amber in colour, with pronounced bitterness and flavour notes of ripe mangosteen and bitter orange. All variants are brewed and packaged in-house at the Malur facility.

Ashwin Nawani, COO of Red Rhino, said, "When moving from draft to bottle, our goal was not to change the soul of the beer, but to make it more stable without compromising flavour. We fine-tuned our recipes to account for shelf life, optimised fermentation and packaging to reduce oxygen pickup, and avoided shortcuts such as heavy filtration or preservatives. The beer in the bottle reflects the same craft intent as what you’d experience on tap.”

The shift reflects a broader trend among Indian craft breweries seeking to diversify revenue streams amid evolving consumption patterns. While taproom sales remain central to brand building, retail distribution offers scalability, higher volume potential, and expanded geographic reach. For Bengaluru, one of India’s most mature craft beer markets, the entry of established taproom brands into bottled retail formats indicates increasing competition and formalisation within the segment.

With this launch, Red Rhino moves from being primarily an on-premise brand to a hybrid distribution player, combining draft presence with packaged retail availability in one of India’s key craft beer hubs.