Mangaluru: Rising beer prices are driving significant changes in drinking habits among young adults and beer enthusiasts in Dakshina Kannada, as bars and restaurants report a decline in beer sales.Traditionally lauded for its affordability, beer is now being consumed less or sidelined entirely as price increases push youth towards more cost-effective alternatives such as hard liquor. The excise department has also observed a downturn in beer sales over the past three months.Data from the excise department indicates that 1,66,833 boxes of beer were sold last Aug, decreasing to 1,27,088 boxes this Aug, a shortfall of 39,745 boxes or a 23.8% decline. In July last year, 1,72,407 boxes of beer were sold across DK, dropping to 1,25,288 boxes, a reduction of 27.3%. “The sales also dipped from April to June. The price hike has affected alcohol sales. As a result of the dip in sales, wine, bar, and restaurant owners too are not ordering more stocks of beer,” an excise department official said.The price increase has led beer lovers to either limit their consumption to one or two bottles or switch to cheaper brands. Bar and restaurant owner Vadi Shenoy said, “There has been a good price hike, forcing beer lovers to either limit their drink to one or two bottles.”. Another wine shop owner noted that some customers are choosing cheaper beer brands, and others have switched to hard liquor.However, Ramesh D Nayak of Rathna’s Wine Gate notes that liquor sales began to fall with the onset of communal flare-ups at the end of May and the start of the early monsoon in mid-May. Due to the communal flare-up, all liquor outlets were closed for a few days, along with evening restrictions. “The sale of liquor usually starts post 7pm. However, there were a lot of restrictions for many weeks on movements and checking. The party scene was also hit. Further, construction activities stopped for months, which has also affected sales. Heavy rainfall was another contributing factor,” Nayak said.M Srinivas, deputy commissioner of the excise department in Dakshina Kannada, said that beer sales have been impacted following the price rise.
