E-Malt.com News article: 2134

Germany: Beer consumption in Germany fell by 3.4 % in 2003 in spite of an exceptionally hot summer. Some 9.32 billion liters of beer were sold in Germany in 2003, down from 9.65 billion liters in 2002, the Federal Statistics Office said.

The introduction of a complicated system of deposits on cans and bottles in the first half of last year exacerbated the downward trend of German beer consumption over recent years. Deposits are only paid back to customers at the point of initial purchase. An increase in health awareness and a slow economy are also blamed for the decline.

An 11 % rise in exports to other European Union countries helped offset some of the downturn, the Federal Statistics Office said.

Germans remain among the heaviest beer-drinkers in Europe - with only the Czechs and Irish downing more. In 2002 the average German was getting through 125 litres a year - more than 220 pints - well ahead of the average Briton on 100 litres a year (177 pints). "What has happened across Europe is that in big beer-drinking countries consumption has come down, while wine consumption has increased," a spokesman for the British Beer and Pub Association told BBC News Online. "In more traditional wine-drinking countries it's been the other way round, and wine consumption has fallen while beer consumption has increased. "It's as if... drinking habits are becoming more similar across Europe."

Germany still has 1,280 breweries, but the home market has been steadily shrinking since the mid-1990s.
The statistics exclude malt drinks, alcohol-free beer and beer imported from countries outside the European Union.


04 February, 2004