Carlsberg has sealed the purchase of its first brewery in India

The Danish brewer bought a ten-year-old facility in the state of Himachal Pradesh, north of the capital New Delhi.The brewery, bought from "local investors", has an
annual capacity of 150,000 hectolitres, but "could easily be doubled in
size at least.

The brewer announced the formation of South Asia Breweries
in December after months of speculation surrounding its ambitions for the
fast-growing beer market. Carlsberg plans to build a greenfield brewery in
Rajasthan with its partner in Sri Lanka, The Lion Brewery Ceylon. Carlsberg
will have a 45% interest in the venture. The brewery is slated to be up and
running by the first quarter of 2008.