E-Paper
Simba Earns Global Applause at the World Beer Awards 2025
With Silver and Bronze medals at the World Beer Awards, Simba proves that Indian craft beer is ready to come away with recognition that matters.
For years, India’s beer shelves have told a predictable story: big names, mass-market lagers, and scale above all else. Craft was a small chapter, written in the margins by a few adventurous brewers.
This August, that story changed in a way that cannot be ignored. Simba Beer, the country’s homegrown craft pioneer, picked up two medals at the World Beer Awards (WBA) 2025, one for its Witbier and another for its Stout.
For many casual drinkers, that may sound like just another award list. But for brewers and industry watchers, it signals something far larger: Indian craft is now being recognised on the same stage as established brewing nations, judged purely on taste.
What the Awards Actually Measure
The World Beer Awards are not like every other contest. Dozens of competitions exist in the global brewing world, but the WBA carries weight because of how it works.
Every beer is tasted blind. The panel, made up of brewers, writers, and experts, does not know the label, the country, or the backstory. They only know the style. A witbier is assessed against international witbier standards. A stout is held against what centuries of brewing tradition define as a stout.
That format means medals are awarded solely on brewing quality and style adherence. For a young Indian label to win here shows that Simba’s beers don’t just hold up at home; they meet the same benchmarks as global peers.
A Milestone for the Team
For Simba’s leadership, the medals validate years of effort. Ishwaraj Singh Bhatia, Co-Founder and COO of Simba Beer, described the moment clearly:
“We are incredibly proud to see Simba shine on such a global stage. From the beginning, our vision has been to put Indian craft beer on the world map, and these awards are a true reflection of our team’s passion, innovation, and dedication to quality.”
That mix of pride and persistence captures the company’s ethos. Simba was never built to chase volume or blend into the mainstream. Its goal was to do something different: to brew with character, to connect with creativity, and to be bold enough to place Indian craft in international conversations.
The Value Behind the Medals
It is easy to underestimate what a medal means. After all, contests exist everywhere. But the World Beer Awards is one of the few competitions that brewers themselves respect because of the blind tasting format and adherence to style standards.
For Indian brewers, medals carry added weight. The industry here is young, navigating fragmented regulations across states, inconsistent distribution, and a consumer base still learning to distinguish between craft and commercial beer. Under these conditions, every recognition is hard-earned.
So when Simba’s Witbier and Stout made the cut, it wasn’t about marketing. It was about validation, proof that even under challenging circumstances, Indian craft can be brewed to a standard that global experts respect. For a brand, that credibility is priceless. For a brewing culture trying to find its feet, it is an encouragement to keep going.
Building a Brand with a Different DNA
From its earliest days, Simba positioned itself away from the predictable playbook. While larger players chased uniformity and scale, Simba leaned into flavour, creativity, and individuality. The idea was not only to brew beers with bold character but to let the brand itself reflect originality.
That identity has been reinforced through Simba’s collaborations with culture. The brand has supported underground music, partnered with artists, and created spaces where beer and creativity meet.
Seen in this context, the World Beer Awards recognition is more than a technical endorsement. It shows that a brand that treats beer as both craft and culture can also be taken seriously on a blind-tasting panel. The two sides of Simba, brewing and creativity, are not in conflict. They strengthen each other.
The Ripple Effect Across the Industry
Simba’s medals will resonate beyond its own brewery. For India’s craft community, every international nod helps push the entire category forward.
- Setting benchmarks: Awards like WBA provide measurable standards. They tell other brewers exactly what kind of quality is recognised globally.
- Encouraging participation: One brand’s success often nudges others to enter, test recipes, and refine processes. The confidence that recognition is possible matters.
- Changing perceptions: Perhaps most importantly, international medals shift the way Indian beer is positioned, both at home and on the world stage. What once might have been dismissed as “local curiosity” is now validated as craft worth noticing.
This ripple effect is crucial for a young industry. Craft in India is still fighting for mindshare against mass-market giants. Each success story, like Simba’s, is a reminder that the industry can grow not by imitating but by excelling in its own right.
Where Brewing Meets Creativity
Globally, craft beer has flourished when it has become part of local culture — when breweries double up as community spaces, when they collaborate with artists, when they extend beyond just the drink.
Simba has understood this from the start. By associating itself with underground music, art, and creators, it has built an ecosystem that goes beyond bars and bottles. This is what makes the medals meaningful. They don’t sit in isolation on a shelf; they add credibility to a brand that is already playing a cultural role.
For India’s next generation of brewers and creators, this matters. Craft beer becomes more than a technical product; it becomes part of a broader cultural movement.
A Broader Vision: Saltborn’s Role
Behind Simba stands Saltborn, the collective dedicated to craftsmanship and innovation. Saltborn is not simply about producing beverages; it is about building brands that represent a new face of Indian consumer products: authentic, creative, and globally ambitious.
With Simba in beer and ZigZag Vodka in spirits, Saltborn is gradually piecing together a portfolio that shows Indian labels can compete with the best in the world. The recognition at the World Beer Awards is one proof point in that journey, showing that craft from India can command respect abroad.
Looking Ahead
The medals at the World Beer Awards 2025 will be remembered as a milestone, but they are not the final word. For Simba, they are part of a longer journey, one that combines technical brewing excellence with cultural leadership, one that treats beer not just as a product but as a symbol of creativity.
For India’s beer community, the recognition is also a signal. It says craft brewing is here to stay, and it is ready to be judged by the highest standards. And for the industry, it is a reassurance that Indian craft brewing can stand confidently alongside global benchmarks.
Simba has always promised to be different. With Silver and Bronze at one of the world’s toughest contests, it has delivered proof.
Note to the Reader: This article has been produced on behalf of the brand by HT Brand Studio and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Readers are advised that the consumption of alcohol is injurious to health and addictive and is prohibited for people below the legal drinking age. Not for promotion.
