Beer sales up slightly in 2016
Preliminary data by the German Brewers Association suggest that German brewers sold more than 96 million hl beer in 2016, which represents a small increase over 2015 when sales stood at 95.7 million hl.
Exports, which had risen to 15.7 million hl in the January to November period, helped boost beer production, increasing by 4.2 percent year-on-year.
According to the German Brewers’ Association, exports to countries outside the EU, in particular Asia and America, increased strongest.
Whether the good export times will last is another issue. Insiders say that beer exports declined significantly in the month of November, especially to China.
In 2015 China represented 13 percent (or 2.5 million hl) of Germany’s beer exports. What the figures do not say is that most of these volumes would be opportunistic and non-profitable sales through self-appointed importers often rocking up unannounced at unsuspecting German brewers. How clever or profitable is that?
