Turbo 10000

Who fancies an SNK 10000, or a Turbo 10000, or a Marden 5000 or whatever it is. I'm not sure where these large numbers come from, but the beer names don't inspire confidence. The quality isn't great as you can imagine. I have heard some people say the beer isn't cheap, but they clearly haven't read the label. For about Rs95 - Rs130 (GBP 1.50 ish) you get a 650ml bottle of 8% beer. That's about 4 regular strength 330ml bottles...

So the question is who is to blame for India's drinking problem, well lets see they seem to rate whiskey quite highly... oh dear. The lack of a drinking culture is often exaggerated. Sure some Indians walk into a bar, and leave 30 minutes later barely able to walk. There is also the problem of a quick beer where you are expected to drink as fast as you can. But I have also seen Indians drinking to celebrate a gathering (albeit quickly) or chatting over a drink, in Puduchery nobody has even drunkenly harassed me. (so far). I haven't got a picture yet but there is almost always a uniformed 'guard' outside a bar. I thought this was just to let you know that you were doing something seedy. Leave civilised society at this point. But here some of the guards are smarter...a new parallel is apparent... the uniform looks almost military. British officers clubs? (Or French as the case may be)

There is a worrying trend in the advertising, one of the interpretations of a whiskey called "royal challenge". Other adverts confirm that the message is 'are you man enough to drink this'. I prefer to be told that drinking beer will get me friends and get me laid. I suppose the marketing for a sophisticated tipple is common.