E-Malt.com News article: Germany: Brewers seeing double-digit increases thanks to hot weather

Sales of ice cream, mineral water and beer were sluggish through mid-June, then the mercury went up and demand followed. With production in high gear, some beer brewers are facing an unexpected snag, Deutsche-Welle reported on July, 23.

German brewers are having trouble coming up with enough bottles to keep up with order volumes, it is reported. Some breweries have run out of bottles to fill and are insisting customers drop off the as many empty bottles as they buy of full ones.

Although German beer consumption has been on a steady downward trajectory due to an aging population and changing attitudes towards alcohol, Peter Hahn, of the German Brewers Association, said he hopes the hot summer will stymie the 1-2 percent annual drop in domestic beer consumption.

"We're happy about this long-term good weather and hope we can minimize the predictions of less consumption and just end the year with a slight minus," he said.

German brewers also experienced sluggish sales during the first five months of the year, he added.

"The May Day holiday was a total flop," Hahn said. "Outdoor gastronomy, beer gardens, grilling with friends - none of that really took place. But it all turned around in June. We started hearing from breweries they were seeing double-digit increases."



23 July, 2010