Bethany BellBBC Information in Bavaria
BBCGermans are ingesting much less and fewer beer, however non-alcoholic varieties are extra common than ever.
Germany’s Destatis federal statistics workplace says non-alcoholic gross sales have greater than doubled in recent times – up 109% since 2013 – regardless that beer gross sales extra broadly are at their lowest stage in additional than 30 years.
For the primary time, they’ve fallen under 4bn litres in a half-year interval.
German beer gross sales slumped by 6.3% – or 262 million litres – to round 3.9bn litres within the first half of 2025, in contrast with the identical interval final 12 months.
The Erdinger brewery close to Munich has been making beer for the reason that Eighteen Eighties, and its chief government, Stefan Kreisz, says ingesting habits are altering and as of late a couple of quarter of their manufacturing is non-alcoholic.
“We have to discover a solution to make beer, even when it is non-alcoholic, engaging for younger individuals.
“It’s good to perceive the methods they meet and the methods they get together collectively. There is no algorithm which tells you you want a beer now.”
Stefan Kreisz nonetheless sees the tradition of German beer as resilient, and these days his firm promotes its alcohol-free beer at sporting occasions, as a pure various to vitality drinks.
On the Café Kosmos in Munich, barman Louis von Tucher says a lot of his clients are extra well being conscious.
“Within the 2000s, I bear in mind individuals being postpone if you happen to instructed them perhaps you must have a glass of water… and they’d be actually offended.”
Now, nevertheless, he has detected a change.
“Everyone is just a little bit extra acutely aware about their consumption. I feel most individuals nonetheless drink alcohol, however they do it extra consciously and have alcohol-free drinks in between.”
Nevertheless Louis says full-strength beer just isn’t going away.
“It is a slight shift, he stated, I suppose we promote 150 to 500 litres of regular beer at evening, in comparison with perhaps 20 litres of alcohol-free beer. So there’s nonetheless an enormous hole between these two.”
On the Sandkerwa people pageant within the city of Bamberg in northern Bavaria, the custom of ingesting alcoholic beer in Germany seems alive and properly.
In the course of the five-day lengthy celebration, Bamberg’s winding, medieval streets are crammed with musicians, sausage stands and numerous beer stalls doing a roaring commerce.
Within the Sandstrasse within the outdated city, Pascal was having a beer with a good friend.
“Beer is essential for the town and we’ve a variety of breweries right here,” he stated.
“Individuals come right here for the beer and for the fest. I am unable to think about that consumption of beer right here in Bamberg is absolutely lower than earlier than.”
Standing exterior a beer backyard, Magdalena, a scholar, agreed.
“I am trying round, and everyone has a glass of beer of their hand. So I suppose, particularly on this a part of Germany, beer is only a large a part of day by day life, regardless that it is not wholesome. Everyone knows that,” she stated.
“I really feel like, particularly in my technology, individuals are likely to drink much less every day, but it surely’s nonetheless Germany, it is nonetheless Bavaria.”
