German beer consumption hit record low in 2020

Germany | The country’s 1500 breweries sold 87 million hl beer in 2020 – a decline of 5.5 percent over 2019, the Federal Statistical Office reported on 1 February 2021.

Although beer consumption has gone down for decades, last year’s drop was exacerbated by thousands of festivals, fairs and other big events being cancelled to ward off the pandemic.

The closing of pubs and restaurants also led to less beer being drunk.

The decline in consumption could have been worse: in the first half of 2020, beer output was down 16 percent over the same period in 2019. However, the reopening of bars and restaurants during the summer months led to a rapid increase in sales.

In terms of turnover, 2020 proved an unmitigated disaster. According to a survey by the German Brewers Association, the Germen brewing industry lost 23 percent in revenue – or EUR 2 billion – over 2019.

This has to be attributed to three factors: a decline in draught beer sales, diminished beer exports and increased promotional activity by the country’s major brewers which has brought average retail prices down.  

Beer exports down too

On a per-capita basis, beer consumption was down to a level last seen in the late 1950s, the German Brewers Association said. While Germans, on average, drank 92 litres beer in 2019 – or 100 litres if you include non-alcoholic beer and malt beverages – per capita consumption decreased to 88 litres in 2020. Consumption of non-alcoholic beer remained stable at five litres.

According to tax statistics, 82.6 percent of beer output was sold domestically. Exports to EU countries fell significantly (-13.1 percent), while 3.7 percent more beer was exported to non-EU countries. The figures do not include alcohol-free beers and malt beverages.