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Buy it at any micro-brewery but don’t carry it out of the outlet

Beer with 4 per cent alcohol content allowed

BANGALORE: Take it as a New Year gift to beer lovers of the State. The State Government on Tuesday announced that it had amended the Karnataka Brewery Rules 1967 allowing the setting up of micro-breweries to supply fresh beer to customers. This is to cater to the needs of the growing number of professionals in various sectors and tourists coming into the city.

After a high-level meeting with officials of the Excise Department, Minister for Excise M.P. Renukacharya told presspersons that it was offering this facility to customers to enjoy beer with 4 per cent alcohol content and they could buy it at any micro-brewery.

He made it clear, however, that they could not carry it out of the shop.

Stipulations

The bars (CL-9), clubs (CL-4), lodging hotels (CL-7) and star hotels (CL-6A) have been permitted to open micro-breweries. Under the amendment, bars and clubs, which have an area of 10,000 sq.ft and lodging hotels and star hotels, which have 100 rooms can start small units to prepare fresh beer.

They have to pay Rs. 2.5 lakh permit fee, and the excise fee would be fixed on the basis of the installed capacity of each unit.

Excise fee

He said the Rs. 5 excise fee for a litre and Rs.12.50 additional excise fee would be collected from the outlets. Nearly 50 permits were likely to be given immediately and it is expected to fetch an additional revenue of Rs. 5 crore to the exchequer.

He said the customers could also witness the process of preparing the beer. Thus, he said Karnataka had joined the club of progressive States such as Maharashtra and Haryana in this sector.

Tester

Once popularised, he said such breweries could be opened in big trading centres such as malls in the cities. Each brewery had to appoint a tester to inspect the quality of the beer and the tester would work under the supervision of the Excise Department.

Mr. Renukacharya said that 1.54 lakh cases of beer (12.1 crore litres) was sold during 2009-10 in the State. He also said that 19 lakh draught beer was sold during the excise year. The Excise Commissioner Arvind Jannu spoke.