Mercury soaring but beer sale going down

The temperatures may be going north but it doesn8217;t seem to be reason enough for beer guzzlers in the national capital to gulp the drink.

The sale of beer has shown a downslide in May as against the figures last year. Delhiites consumed 12.49 lakh cases of beer this May as compared to about 15 lakh cases during the same period last year,recording a decrease of more than 2 lakh cases.

According to the Excise Department data,12,49,474 cases of beer were sold in the city last month. One case contains 12 bottles.

While the industry blames it on the rise in beer rate,the Excise Department attributes the decline in sale to the fluctuating city weather.

Beer became dearer by Rs 20 per bottle since July 2010 due to the additional levy imposed by the city government.