Punjab craft beer and microbrewery rules, as of October 2026

The licence is L-10C

Punjab's microbrewery sits inside the Punjab Liquor Licence Rules, 1956. Rule 38 describes a licence in Form L-10C for retail sale of beer made in the licensee's own micro brewery or brewery pub, for drinking in lounges on the same premises. The Collector grants it with the prior approval of the Excise and Taxation Commissioner and the Collector renews it. The licensee files a monthly account of receipts and sales (Rule 38 text on Indian Kanoon, undated).

In practice that means a brewpub is a bar licence plus a brewing licence on top. You need the hotel, restaurant or club bar licence first, then the L-10C. Our brewpub versus microbrewery guide covers why that order matters for the build.

What you can sell and where

The same rule text is blunt. The licensee "shall not be allowed to sell Beer off the premises" and may not pack beer in bottles, cans or pouches. So on the version we could read there are no growlers, no takeaway cans and no kegs to other bars. We found no production cap in the clause itself.

Neighbouring Chandigarh uses the same 1956 rulebook but rewrote its L-10C in March 2026 to allow 25 and 50 litre kegs to other bars. We found no Punjab notification doing the same. If keg supply is part of your plan, ask the Excise and Taxation Department in writing whether any Punjab amendment allows it before you size the brewhouse.

How beer is taxed

We could not find a published 2025-26 or 2026-27 Punjab duty rate per bulk litre for beer, or a current L-10C fee, in any source we could open. What we can date:

• The 2026-27 excise policy was issued by the Finance Department on 25 February 2026 (TeamLease RegTech summary). Its reported headline change is permission for malt whisky units (CSIS, March 2026), not beer.
• The Punjab Liquor License (First Amendment) Rules, 2025, notified on 31 March 2025, levy an additional licence fee at the first stage of sale from a manufacturing unit or importer. Beer is on the list (TeamLease RegTech).
• The 2025-26 policy cut the fee for a standalone beer shop from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 25,000 (Daily Excelsior, 28 February 2025).

So treat any per-litre figure you hear for Punjab as unverified until you see it in the current notification. Our guide to beer excise in India explains the duty types you will be asked about.

No state corporation in the middle

Punjab does not route beer through a state beverages corporation. Wholesale sits with private L-1 licensees and retail vends are allotted by e-tender under the 2025 amendment. For a craft brand that is good news on paper: no corporation decides whether your beer gets listed. The catch is that a brewpub's own beer cannot use that chain at all, because the L-10C keeps it on the premises. Only beer from a full brewery licence, or brought in under import and label registration, travels through L-1 wholesale to bars and shops.

Pouring craft beer without your own brewery

A restaurant, hotel or pizzeria that wants craft beer on tap needs the matching bar licence under the same rules (forms L-3, L-4 or L-5 cover hotels, restaurants and clubs). The draught then comes from a full-scale brewery, in Punjab or another state, through licensed wholesale with the brand's labels registered in Punjab. A neighbouring brewpub cannot sell you its kegs under the L-10C text we read.

This is where many plans stall. A pizzeria owner in Ludhiana assumes the brewpub down the road can fill two kegs a week. On the current wording it cannot, so the craft beer on your taps has to come from a packaging brewery.

Contract brewing

We found no Punjab rule or policy clause that sets out contract or tolling arrangements for beer. Punjab had four breweries in early 2025 (The Tribune). A brand without its own plant usually brews at a licensed brewery, here or in another state, then registers labels in Punjab. How that works in general is in our contract brewing guide. Ask the department how a tie-up would be approved before you pay a host brewery.

What to check before you commit

Punjab's rules change every March with the policy. Before you spend on kit, get in writing the current L-10C fee, the duty basis for brewpub beer, whether any production cap applies and whether keg or growler sales are allowed. Work with a licensing adviser. This guide is a working summary dated 8 October 2026, not legal advice.

Common questions

Does Punjab have a microbrewery licence?

Yes. It is the L-10C licence under the Punjab Liquor Licence Rules, 1956, granted to a bar licence holder for selling beer brewed on the premises.

Can a Punjab brewpub sell kegs or growlers?

The rule text we could read says no: beer may not be sold off the premises or packed in bottles, cans or pouches. Check whether a later notification has changed this.

What is the beer excise duty in Punjab?

We found no published per-litre rate for 2025-26 or 2026-27. Get the current figure from the Excise and Taxation Department before you price a beer.

Is there a state corporation for beer in Punjab?

No. Wholesale runs through private L-1 licensees and retail vends are allotted by e-tender.