Hans News service Hyderabad

Withthe temperature hovering between 44 degrees centigrade and nearly 47 degrees C in most districts of Telangana, tipplers who believe in the concept of “work hard and party harder” would naturally like to wind up their day by quaffing mug after mug of chilled beer. Some may take a break even before calling it a day by downing draught beer to enjoy its authentic flavour and aroma, crisp taste, smooth mouthfeel, and rich foamy head. Naturally, chilled beer is on high demand during summers. The demand has skyrocketed this time due to scorching heatwaves. Beer sales scaled up in April and May, marking the peak of summer season. In all, 42 lakh cases of beer were sold until May 21, reflecting 18.4 per cent growth as against the sales in the same period last year. In April this year, nearly 20.99 per cent growth was registered in beer sales, with 56,21 lakh cases being sold against 46.46 lakh cases in the corresponding month last year. Due to the scorching heat, people can’t wait until afterhours; so, they tend to gulp chilled beer during evening hours or in the afternoon. It is estimated that nearly 60 lakh cases of beer will be sold by the end of May, registering the highest ever beer sales in May.

Paradoxically, while extreme heat lifted beer sales, the onset of monsoon could prove to be a party pooper for the state Excise and Prohibition Department.

According to officials of the department, beer sales may go down slightly even before the onset of monsoon, if the temperature plummets over the next week. According to the Indian Meteorological Department’s prediction, the South West monsoon will enter the state early this year. The officials said another reason for the increasing beer sales is that breweries have been supplying adequate brewed liquor despite facing many challenges in procuring raw material from different countries amid the West Asia crisis.

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