Beer on new high: Sales see over 40% increase in first six months of financial year

Brewing growth: According to data from the Excise Department, beer sales increased from 195.27 lakh cases between April and September 2025 to 275.96 lakh cases between April and September 2026. | Photo Credit: File photo

The sale of beer in Karnataka, the prices of which dropped after rate rationalisation and the introduction of the “Alcohol in Beverage” (AIB) regime, has seen a 41.32% rise in the first six months of this financial year compared to the corresponding period of 2025. However, the sale of Indian Made Liquor (IML) grew by only 1.14%. During this period, overall excise revenue collection increased by 14.35%.

The marginal growth in IML sales is being attributed to the increase in the cost of high-alcohol-content IML, which earlier came cheaper and was widely consumed, and which constituted over 70% of total IML sales.