This paper had spoken to stakeholders in the beer industry during the height of the lockdown in mid-April, to understand how they were coping at a time when their perishable stocks were gathering dust in warehouses. A clear narrative that had emerged then is that craft beer manufacturers wanted the state to legalise the sale of growlers. These are certain types of bottles (you can even call them jars) that are in vogue in the West to transport beer on tap from a pub or micro-brewery to a person's home. And the good news is that the authorities have acceded to their request. Breweries can now retail craft beer filled in growlers from gastro-pubs, bars and taprooms in the city. The service isn't available at regular wine shops yet. But even then, we can still look at the mug as half full, instead of half empty.

Two such places from where you can lay your hands on these bottles — which have never been seen in Mumbai before — are the Woodside Inn outposts in Colaba and Andheri. We have a couple from the suburban branch delivered to our building's gate. The first tip is to be careful while handling them. These are stout, bulky, one-litre bottles that fit only into a big palm. Plus, the moisture on the exterior increases the risk of them slipping out of your grip, and the last thing you want to do is break your growler even before you have put it in the fridge.