Co-branding a house beer with a restaurant or cafe, done properly

What a house beer deal actually is

A house beer is a beer brewed by a licensed brewery for one restaurant, cafe or hotel, carrying that venue's name or a joint name. The restaurant gets a beer that suits its food and its story. The brewery gets predictable orders and its name in front of new drinkers.

It differs from a collaboration brew, which is usually a one-off between two breweries for fun and publicity. A house beer is a commercial relationship that may run for years, so it needs to be treated like one from day one.

Check the licences before the logo

In India the legal route matters more than the design. A restaurant cannot brew beer without its own licence. In many states a brewpub's beer may only be sold on its own premises. That rules out many deals where a brewpub supplies a friendly restaurant across town.

House beers usually work where the brewery holds a licence that allows it to supply other outlets in that state, or where the beer is made under a contract brewing arrangement through a licensed plant. Label registration, brand approval and excise steps vary by state and change often. Work through the current rules with a licensing adviser before anyone sketches a label.

Decide who owns what, in writing

Most house beer disputes come from four questions nobody answered at the start.

• The recipe. Usually the brewery's. If the restaurant paid for development, say whether that buys the recipe or only the right to sell the beer.
• The name and artwork. If the beer carries the restaurant's brand, the restaurant normally owns that mark. A joint name needs a clear owner, or neither side can use it after a split.
• Exclusivity. Can the brewery sell the same liquid elsewhere under its own label? Can the restaurant pour a rival's lager next to it?
• The exit. What happens to unsold stock, printed labels and the name if either side ends the deal.

Put this in a written agreement drafted or reviewed by a lawyer. A handshake over a tasting is a good start, not a contract.

Design the beer for the menu

The point of a house beer is fit. Sit with the chef and eat the menu before writing a recipe. A coastal seafood restaurant serving fried fish and kokum curries needs something crisp and lightly bitter. A North Indian grill with rich, smoky tandoori dishes can carry more malt and a touch of roast.

Keep the first beer simple and repeatable. A clean lager or pale ale that tastes the same in March and in May is worth more to a restaurant than a clever beer that drifts batch to batch. Agree a written spec: target ABV, bitterness, colour, carbonation and an acceptable range for each.

Quality and service at the restaurant end

The brewery's name is on the beer, but the restaurant controls the last metre. Warm cold rooms, dirty lines and old kegs turn a good beer into a bad review. Agree who cleans the draught lines and how often, how many days a keg may sit once tapped and the temperature it must be stored at.

Train the restaurant's staff for an hour: what the beer is, how to pour it, what to say when a guest asks. A server who can say "it is brewed for our tandoori menu, light and dry" sells more than one who says "it is our beer".

Brand the beer so both names gain

The most common branding mistake is fighting for space. Either the brewery's logo is so small it gains nothing, or so large the restaurant feels it is selling someone else's product. Decide the hierarchy at the start: usually the restaurant's name leads and the brewery appears as "brewed by" in a consistent spot.

The beer name and story should come from the restaurant's world: its street, its signature dish, its founder's hometown. Our guide to beer brand positioning explains why a house beer still needs a clear place in a drinker's mind.

Money, volumes and review points

Agree the price per litre or per keg, the minimum order, the payment terms and how keg deposits work. Set a review after the first three months. Look at how many litres sold, how the beer tasted at the restaurant and what guests said, then adjust the recipe, the price or the pour size. A house beer that sells slowly is better reworked early than quietly dropped.

Common questions

Can a brewpub supply a house beer to another restaurant in India?

In many states a brewpub may only sell beer on its own premises. Check the current rules in your state with a licensing adviser before planning a deal.

Who should own a co-branded beer name?

Agree it in writing. Usually the restaurant owns its own brand and the brewery owns the recipe, but a joint name needs a clearly named owner.

What should a house beer agreement cover?

Recipe and name ownership, exclusivity, specification, pricing and minimum orders, quality and line cleaning duties and what happens at exit. Have a lawyer draft or review it.