Delhiites will no longer have to travel all the way to Gurgaon to enjoy freshly-brewed beer. Soon, tipplers in Delhi will have their own ‘micro-brew pubs’ where they will be able to get their beer brewed to the specific taste they prefer in terms of flavour, bitterness, viscosity and other variables.
This is because five star hotels and malls in Delhi may soon be able to offer freshly-brewed beer as the Delhi Government is working afresh on a proposal to grant permission for installation of micro-breweries in these places.
“Following demands and proposals from various five star hotels, pubs and malls, we are considering extending the initiative and working on the proposal to grant permission for installation of micro-breweries in these places,” said a top official of the Excise Department. The proposal may be sent to the lieutenant-Governor for approval once the elections get over, said the official.
“The space required for breweries is quite huge. Five star hotels and pubs will have this kind of space. Gurgaon already has two such brew pubs and they are doing quite well. We want to start the same in Delhi now,” added the official.
The Government is hoping to increase its revenue through this exercise. The plan to open micro-breweries is part of the new excise policy that was cleared in 2012.
The Delhi Government’s Excise Department has drafted a proposal to allow micro-breweries in the city’s restaurants and pubs. The proposal has framed the rules and regulations which will act as the eligibility criteria for such pubs, for instance the minimum space required and the volume of beer that can be produced. According to sources, the proposal will be approved by the Cabinet.
The Indira Gandhi International Airport was given permission by the Government to set up a micro-brewery there, but the project is still hanging fire due to some issues.
Micro-breweries are usually set up in pubs that cater to niche tastes. Micro-breweries and brew-pubs originated in Germany and went on to gain popularity globally in the last four decades in the United States, Belgium, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom, where the term micro-brewery was first coined in the 1970s.
In India, Haryana was the first State to allow opening up of brew-pubs, thanks to its new excise policy that allows setting up of micro-breweries for an additional Rs 2.5 lakh as the annual license fee.
To set up a micro-brewery, a space of around 4,000 square feet is required and it costs between Rs 6 to Rs 10 lakhs. Brew-pubs serve fresh and non-pasteurised beer which is comparatively healthier than the bottled beer that contains preservatives. Brew-pubs are already popular in Gurgaon, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore.
The Excise Department collected revenue of Rs 3,150-crores in 2013-14 and hopes that high sale of liquor and beer will help it meet the target of Rs 3,500-crore in the current financial year.
