Beer sales in Vizag surge 42% as summer scorches the city

The blistering summer heat has Vizagites reaching for the bottle — the chilled kind.

Beer sales in Visakhapatnam district have shot up by a staggering 42.32% this summer. Figures from the Excise and Prohibition Department reveal that 6,43,158 cases were sold between March 1 and May 25 this year, against 4,51,912 cases during the same period last year.

Officials attribute the dramatic spike to a combination of relentless heat, high humidity, and a quiet revolution at the retail level. The shift from government-run liquor outlets to private shops has proven to be a game-changer. Store owners now maintain chilled beer stocks as a deliberate strategy to draw in customers — a practice largely absent under the earlier system.

“While summer is one of the reasons for the increase in beer consumption, chilled beer was largely unavailable at the government-run shops earlier. After the introduction of private liquor outlets, shop owners have been maintaining chilled stocks to attract customers. This may have significantly increased the sales,” said District Excise and Prohibition Officer R. Prasad.

While beer is on the rise, Indian Made Liquor (IML) has quietly slipped. Between March and May, sales dipped from 5,40,553 cases last year to 5,32,110 cases this year — a decline of 1.56%. Officials point to the non-availability of the popular ₹99 liquor brand at several outlets as a likely contributor to the marginal fall, in addition to consumers gravitating toward beer during the summer months.

Visakhapatnam’s liquor trade is a sprawling ecosystem. The district has 159 wine shops, 75 bars, 16 star hotels, five APTDC bars, seven clubs, two microbreweries, two premium stores, and 19 defence canteens — together clocking liquor sales of approximately ₹6 crore a day.

With no respite from the heat in sight, authorities expect beer to remain the drink of choice across the district in the weeks ahead.