NEW DELHI: Delhiites will not have to run to the neighbouring Gurugram every time they want to enjoy the freshly brewed beer. After a wait of over eight months, the excise department has finally given licences to the city’s resto-bars to open microbreweries. Officials said at least four microbreweries were likely to start serving crafted beer from the first week of September. The excise department has also decided to launch a new mobile application for liquor consumers, mAkbariDelhi, from September 1. Though the department had started giving out licences to microbreweries in 2019 and two such outlets started serving craft beer, both were shut down almost a year ago. The Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 had the provision of opening microbreweries with the take-away facility. But despite a few bars showing interest, the department did not issue the licence. With the contentious excise policy now withdrawn and the city moving to the old excise regime, the Delhi government has restarted giving the licences. “We have given licences to three-four microbreweries and we hope they will start functioning from the first week of September. The outlets had taken all necessary approvals from other agencies when the new excise policy had kicked in, but the process got delayed,” said a senior official. “We hope more microbreweries will come up in the near future,” he added. According to Beer aficionados, the on-tap variety of beer does not contain preservatives or chemicals and boast flavours exclusive to the brewer, thus giving customers a better experience. Officials said there were plans to promote crafted beer by setting up microbreweries in Delhi as there was a significant demand in the segment. The app being launched by the excise department will provide information on the availability of various brands of liquor in Delhi with their prices, list of liquor stores and their addresses and all dry days announced by the government from time to time. “The users will also be able to search any liquor store and brand in the alphabetical order. There is a bottle scanner tool to check the genuineness of liquor by scanning the label affixed on the bottle and the carton. The app also has a section on the availability of foreign liquor. The consumers can also give their feedback or register a complaint through the app,” said an official. The app is available in both Hindi and English and can be downloaded for free on Android platforms from Google Play Store starting September 1. “The iOS version will be made available shortly,” an official said.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/skip-that-trip-to-gurgaon-resto-bars-in-delhi-can-now-open-microbreweries/articleshow/93889407.cms