Mysuru: The State Excise Department confiscated two well-known beer brands valued at ₹25 crore due to a chemical test that indicated their unsuitability for human consumption. This announcement was made by a senior official on Wednesday. Besides initiating legal proceedings, the Department is taking measures to eliminate the stock, as stated by Deputy Commissioner of Excise, Mysuru Rural, A Ravishankar, during a press briefing.
Ravishankar explained that on July 28, the Excise Superintendent of Nanjangud lodged a complaint detailing issues with Kingfisher Strong Beer and Kingfisher Ultra Lager Beer batches 7C and 7E. These batches were manufactured at the Nanjangud unit of United Breweries Limited on July 17, 2023, and were found to contain sediments. Subsequently, the batches were sent for chemical examination. The Excise Superintendent requested the seizure of the stock until the lab test report was available.
Further, Mr. Ravishankar communicated with Deputy Commissioners of the relevant districts and Excise Deputy Commissioners to temporarily withhold the stock associated with the two batch numbers. Simultaneously, samples were sent to a laboratory for chemical analysis.
The Excise Deputy Commissioner stated, “We received a report from the chemical examiner on August 2, indicating that both brands (with batch No. 7C and 7E) were not fit for human consumption. Following this report, we wrote to the DCs and Excise DCs to take necessary actions, including the disposal of the stocks.”
Insiders from the department estimated the beer’s value at ₹25 crore.
In the meantime, United Breweries Limited clarified that the issue was isolated to a specific batch of Kingfisher Ultra and did not affect Kingfisher Strong. The company is working closely with authorities to address and clarify the situation.
“UBL identified a slight haze in a small portion of Kingfisher Ultra beer bottles produced on July 15th at our Nanjangud brewery in Mysuru. We promptly informed the authorities and are fully cooperating with their investigation. This problem is confined to a single batch of Kingfisher Ultra and does not involve Kingfisher Strong.
“We conducted an analysis of the affected Kingfisher Ultra batch through an external independent lab (NABL accredited), and the results confirmed that the test parameters align with regulatory guidelines, posing no health risks. We are working in close collaboration with authorities to provide clarity on the situation. Our topmost priority remains the quality and safety of our partners and consumers,” affirmed a spokesperson from United Breweries Ltd.
