Another tough year for Italy’s craft brewers

Italy | Galloping prices for gas, bottles, and CO₂, as well as the erosion of consumers' purchasing power: If the recovery of tourism has supported beer consumption up until now, the end of summer will be the real test.

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Mikkeller to close its San Diego brewery

USA | Is there a San Diego curse going around? After brewers Ballast Point, Saint Archer, Modern Times, Green Flash, Alpine and Stone faced major problems and sold themselves, Mikkeller announced in August that it will close its brewery, blaming two years of Covid and rising costs. About half of Mikkeller’s US employees – 25 – will be laid off. Mikkeller is seeking an immediate sale of its brewery and warehouse.

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UK sales of low- and non-alcoholic beers almost doubled but will remain niche

United Kingdom | Sales of low- and non-alcoholic beers have almost doubled in five years, thanks in no small part to the Big Brewers launching 0.0 versions of their flagship brands. The category now accounts for 3.1 percent of the UK’s beer market, IWSR said, compared with 2.7 percent globally.

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Carlsberg CEO: Polish beer sales drop amid Ukraine refugee crisis

Poland | 2021 was the third year in a row of decline in beer consumption in Poland and the deepest in a decade. Since 2018, the market has contracted by as much as 5 million hl beer. The first quarter 2022 saw the trend continuing.

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Dutch beer consumption up slightly in 2021, but still below 2019 levels

The Netherlands | There is no light at the end of the tunnel, the Association of Dutch Brewers complained in mid-January 2022, having just emerged from a snap lockdown, which lasted from Christmas 2021 until 14 January 2022, and forced the hospitality industry into hibernation.

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German brewers post huge losses again in 2021

Germany | The covid pandemic also led to massive losses for the German brewing industry in 2021. According to the German Brewers' Association, beer sales dropped 3.4 percent in 2021, compared to the previous year's record decline of 5.5 percent.

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Boom of Czech minibreweries is over

Czech Republic | Over the past decade, the Czech Republic has seen a veritable upsurge in small breweries. There are now about 500 minibreweries operating across the country, with more than 30 being established in 2020.

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Sweden’s monopolist alcohol retailer Systembolaget offers home deliveries

Sweden | In Sweden there is only one company that is allowed to sell full strength beer, wine and spirits: Systembolaget. Actually, the state monopoly does not want to make it too easy for its compatriots to drink alcohol. But now the company is offering a nationwide delivery service for the first time.

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Intensifying competition in China’s premium beer segment

China | China’s beer production has been on a downward slope since 2013. In 2020, the domestic beer output stood at 341 million hl, which is a 7 percent decline over 2019. If this downward trend continues, the market leader, China Resources beer, which makes Snow beer, will be lucky to achieve flattish volume sales, observers say.

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Australia’s Coopers Brewery is reeling from lockdowns

Australia | After it emerged unscathed from the first covid year, Coopers Brewery saw its beer volumes tumble by 8 percent in the July-to-October period this year due to lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne and uncertainty in other markets.

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Beer sales continue to decline in Germany and the worst is not over yet

Germany | In the first nine months of 2021, German beer sales dropped 3.9 percent to 65.6 million hl, compared with 68.2 million hl in the same period in 2020. This year’s decline could be deepening, as during the first half of 2021, German brewers sold 2.7 percent or 1.1 million hl less beer than in 2020.

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UK freezes alcohol tax and introduces draught relief

United Kingdom | In the Autumn Budget, the UK chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed sweeping changes to alcohol duty, which will reward lower-strength drinks.

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German beer sales continue to slide during first half of 2021

Germany | Beer sales dropped 2.7 percent or 1.1 million hl in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. As the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported on 30 July 2021, German breweries sold around 42 million hl beer in the first half of 2021.

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Drinking al fresco: Dutch government eases lockdown restrictions

The Netherlands | After repeated threats from desperate publicans that they will reopen their venues regardless of the lockdown, the Dutch government relented. On 28 April 2021, outdoor terraces were reopened for guests from noon until 6 pm. Still, all sales of alcohol are prohibited from 8 pm until 6 am. This applies to hotels, takeout and delivery and all other outlets selling alcohol.