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Germany: Beer sales down despite Euro 2024 hopes

August 1, 2024

Beer sales sunk across the country in the first half of 2024, even though Germany was hosting the major football tournament. Bad weather and increasing costs have hurt the nation's 1,400 breweries.

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A bartender fills a beer glass
Bad weather in June kept soccer fans away from bars and beer gardensImage: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa/picture alliance

Germany's beer sales fell by about 0.6%, or 25.8 million liters (6.8 million gallons), in the first half of 2024 compared to the previous year, the German Federal Statistical Office reported on Thursday.

The office, known by its German name as Destatis, said that German breweries did not see the bump in sales they were hoping for during the UEFA Euro 2024 football championship that Germany hosted over the summer.

Indeed, the country saw the weakest domestic beer sales for the month of June — when the bulk of the tournament took place — since 1993.

Bad weather, inflation compound breweries' woes

Some blame can be placed on the weather, with heavy rains and lower-than-usual temperatures keeping fans away from outdoor beer gardens and bars. Inflation has also hit the beer industry hard, with breweries complaining about skyrocketing costs of raw materials and logistics. At the same time, however, non-alcoholic beer has also increased in popularity.

"During the European Football Championships, the rollercoaster ride of temperatures and frequent thunderstorms put a damper on business for many bars, and many a garden party was canceled," the German Brewers' Association Managing Director Holger Eichele said.

Destatis also reported a decline in sales of mixes that are popular in Germany, such as beer with lemonade or cola. Compared to the first half of 2023, 5.4% fewer beer mixes were sold, though mixes only account for about 4.8% of beer sales.

The news came ahead of International Beer Day, which takes place on August 2.

es/ab (dpa, AFP)