Beer in Kochi – Where to Drink Beer & Wine in Fort Kochi

Despite what you might read it’s possible to get beer and wine in Kerala in 2023 – here’s our guide to how and where to get a Beer in Cochin.  Beer and Wine parlors or “hotels” can be found throughout Fort Kochi and this is how to find them as well as the state run beer and wine shops. There have been a variety of changes since 2014 when restrictions on alcohol sales were introduced, before a number of these restrictions were removed from 2017 onwards. So, don’t worry if you are heading to Kerala on vacation, you’ll be able to get beer, wine and liquor, you might just need to look for it.

Because, you know, sometimes, after a day out in India, a beer is really good.

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Can You Drink Alcohol in Kerala?

Yes, in 2023 you can legally buy and drink alcohol in Kerala. 

Back in 2014 the governing bodies of Kerala envisaged and started moves to make Kerala a dry state (other dry states are Gujarat and Nagaland) and restricted alcohol sales to 5 star hotels and the state run beer and wine shops.  However, a big difference between the other dry states and Kerala is that Kerala relies on Western tourism for a great deal of income. So, in part due to this and also a change in government in 2016, some of the changes were reversed.  Since June 2017 hotels with two, three and four-star ratings are again allowed to sell alcoholic drinks. However, no alcohol sales are allowed within 500 meters of state or national highways.

It is relatively easy to buy and drink beer and wine in Kerala and Kochi.  Here are the places to do that in Kochi.

Where to Get Beer in Kochi

The State Beer and Wine Shops

You usually can’t buy alcohol from a supermarket here, and until this changes you will need to find a Kerala Government Beer and Wine shop.  They aren’t marked on Google and any self-respecting auto rickshaw driver will tell you it is a “long, long way away”.  However, the closest state beer and wine store to Fort Kochi isn’t that far from the main tourist area of Kochi.

This is where Fort Kochi’s closest beer and wine shop is on the Google Map above, so you can find it easily.

And this is what the State Beer and Wine Shop in Fort Kochi looks like from the outside.  Scary huh?

If you’re not feeling up to a walk, then grab an auto rickshaw or tuk-tuk and have him wait for you and bring you back. We paid 60 INR from the Santa Cruz Basilica to return to the same place.  Just tell him Beer and Wine Shop.

When NOT to buy Beer from a State Shop

You don’t want to be buying your beer and liquor between 5 pm and around 8 pm. That’s when everyone else is.  And by everyone else, I mean of course mostly lots of Keralan men.  You won’t find any Indian women either standing in a line to buy beer here or in the Kochi bars.

After around 5 pm, the lines at the state beer and wine shops start to build.  They’re not the nicest place to be. (if you’re a woman alone, don’t even think about it) There isn’t much of an organized line. This is like your worst train ticket buying/bus boarding line nightmare ten times over.

No Cold Beer At Shops After 6pm

Be aware also that after 6pm you’re unlikely to get a cold beer, because they are all sold out by then.  Unless you have a fridge or are prepared to deal with warm beer, then that’s all you’ll be stuck with.  BUY EARLY!  Or go to a “hotel” for your beer.

Cost of Beer at a State Shop

In 2023, you’ll pay 130 INR for a 650ml bottle of Kingfisher Gold at the state shop, and 1520 INR for a litre bottle of Savoy Club gin.

If you want to go out and drink beer outside of your room or balcony, there are several places to drink beer and alcohol in Kochin.

There isn’t a bar scene in Kochi as such.  More you’ll enjoy a beer, or a glass of wine in a hotel, a beer and wine parlour or with your meal. However, we found a few bars in Kochi, so here are the details.  Please do update us if you find new ones!

The XL Bar Fort Kochi

You’ll find this on Google called the XL Fishnet Bar (not a stocking fishnet in sight, but I think more for the Chinese fishing nets).  This is one of the pubs in Kochi.  It was an upstairs bar with (cold) beer and loud music.  It’s on Rose Street.

 

The Cochin Fort Hotel

While this “hotel” is a restaurant that serves reasonable food, it also has an area that is more as a “beer garden” and you’ll find this populated with western tourists. 

They also provide free wifi (that actually works!). However, it’s usually pretty busy, so getting a seat might prove difficult. There’s also an undercover/pseudo-inside area, but this isn’t as pleasant to sit in.  For us, this was one of the best bars in Kochi, although it’s actually called a beer parlor in Fort Kochi.

Next to Fort Cochin Hotel is the Number 18 Boutique Hotel

This is more set up for eating (they do a good vegetable pakora and peanut masala as beer snacks), but beer and drinks are available and they don’t harass you if all you want to do is have a drink. This is one of the more pleasant – as in it was quiet, the beer was very cold and the music relatively low – bars in Fort Kochi.

Hotels such as Koder House, the Malibar, the Taj

The  Koder House by the Parade Ground has a bar, so too do the Malibar Hotel and the Vivanta by Taj hotels, if you’re prepared to pay their more expensive prices.    These hotels have the more traditional hotel bar in Fort Kochi, but you’ll pay for it!

Restaurants that serve “Special Tea”

There are of course those restaurants that will serve you “special tea”. That of course is the nom de guerre for beer where there is no license to sell it. It will be served to you in tea cups (I kid you not) and your bottle(s) of beer will remain under the table when you’re not topping up your cups.  Most places we ate at had this arrangement (you can see our reviews on TripAdvisor – we’re ASocialNomad)

Did you find anywhere else to get a beer?  Drop us a line in the comments field!

Like Indian food and drink enough to travel for it? Here’s our guide to Awadhi Cuisine in Lucknow, and check out what to eat in Amritsar in the Punjab. Then there’s our guide on what to eat in Jaipur and how to get a beer in Fort Kochi. If you’re more of a wine drinker, then our guide to Indian wine tasting is here.

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Final Words on Finding Beer in Kochi

It is interesting to see how the sale of alcohol was restricted and then relaxed and expect things to change again in the future – but as of now, grabbing a beer in Kochi isn’t too difficult, so long as you know where to look!  We bought beer and gin from the liquor store and headed back to have a drink on our hotel balcony, which for us was fabulous.

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