The government is considering multiple , including introducing a new licensing system to permit serving liquor exclusively forIT companiesbased in IT parks, since it has been one of the shortcomings listed out by companies for a long time.
The upcoming excise policy of the government is likely to offer a solution to this long-pending demand. The licence for pub beer is available with the government and is legal in the state (FL-13).
But due to the difficulty in transporting draught beer (beer before pasteurization must be maintained between 0-4Celsius to be consumed within 48 hours of manufacture which should be served in the pubs) from the existing three breweries (Cherthala, Palakkad and Chalakudy) there are no takers for this licence.
Moreover, at present, the brewery in Palakkad (United Breweries) is the only company that brews beer in the state while the other two units are dysfunctional.
According to excise department sources, the only way the matter can be resolved is by the government issuing microbrewery licences. The excise department had raised the idea of micro-breweries in 2005, which was then declined. In August 2017, the department once again recommended the government to launch a microbrewery at Mascot Hotel on an experimental basis.