Myanmar. Hotels and bars face liquor licence woes

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Only about 10 percent of the places serving liquor in the country are legally allowed to do so, tourism experts say, and while the widespread availability of unlicensed premises serving drinks is costing the local economy in unpaid taxes, the Ministry of Home Affairs refuses to issue more licences. (more…)

Myanmar. Beer station profits slump as pumps close

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Some Yangon beer stations are still flouting a long-ignored law against selling draught beer without a special licence, which local authorities recently started trying to enforce. Those that have followed the letter of the law, meanwhile, are seeing business slump. (more…)

Thirsty for growth, foreign brewers pile into Myanmar

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Although Buddhist temperance and decades of economic stagnation had curbed beer demand in Myanmar, the booming Southeast Asian country is attracting a slew of foreign breweries with its exceptional growth prospects. (more…)

Myanmar. Carlsberg leads petition against draught beer crackdown

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Representing around 4500 bars and restaurants, Carlsberg Myanmar plans to send a petition to the government by the end of August, in protest against a recent crackdown on serving draught beer without the right papers, a company spokesperson said. (more…)

Myanmar. Draught law causes beer station panic

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On Kyar Kwet Thit Street in Yangon’s Tarmwe township, famous because it is home to more than 50 beer stations, dozens of young and middle-aged men and a handful of girls in their 20s enjoyed the nightlife earlier this week.
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Boozy battle-ground: a turf war brews in Myanmar

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At a beer station on Bogyoke Aung San Road, servers traipse from table to table, handing mugs of Myanmar Beer to cheroot-smoking men in longyis. Another beer station in Sanchaung township looks almost exactly the same, but with Dagon Beer decorations and brew dripping from the taps. (more…)

Heineken and a western brewer’s return to Myanmar

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Sobir Djaffar looks happy as he surveys the racks of locally produced bottles of Heineken on a Myanmar supermarket shelf. The Dutch brewer has been waiting 20 years to return to the country. But he is less thrilled that the beer — along with its rival brands — is sharing the first aisle of this Yangon store with toilet rolls and baby wipes. (more…)