Beer sales hit the roof as heat soars in state

Hyderabad: Given the soaring summer temperatures, the demand for chilled beer has shot up over the last two days in watering holes across Telangana, registering nearly 40 per cent jump.

State Prohibition and Excise Department officials said that normally beer consumption would increase towards the end of March. This year, guzzlers have started craving for chilled brew right from the first week of March.

State Beverages Corporation has started alerting licensed liquor shops to send the details of their requirement of beer stocks to meet the demand for the next two weeks based on the sales registered in the same month last year. In previous years, 1.50 lakh cases of beer were sold every day; now two lakh cases are being sold. The Excise Department is expecting the demand to soar further, necessitating sales of around 2.5 lakh cases in the peak of summer -- April and May.

Foreign brands of beer, though costly, are in high demand in the urban areas. Domestic brands, available at affordable prices, are consumed by the masses in the villages during the summer.

Accordingly, beer stocks will be made available for the liquor outlets at the district liquor godowns.

Officials said that Hyderabad would normally witness huge beer sales from March end to May end every year. Demand for beer in Bar and Restaurants would almost double during the summer. Last year, the state even faced ‘beer shortage’ for a while when breweries suddenly chose to suspend beer supply over long-pending unpaid bills.

This year, the state government is reportedly ready to clear the bills and provide succour to the “struggling beer manufacturing companies in the state”.