Overview
- Official data show total volumes at roughly 7.8 billion liters, the steepest annual decline since 1993 and the first reading under the 8‑billion‑liter mark.
- Domestic sales fell 5.8% to 6.4 billion liters, tax‑free volumes made up 17.5% and dropped 7.0%, and exports to non‑EU countries fell 14.2% as EU shipments slipped 1.3%.
- Beer‑mix drinks decreased 5.2% to 402 million liters, reinforcing the broad retreat across traditional categories.
- The Brewers’ Association cites consumer restraint, aging demographics and healthier habits, and executives warn of closures after a year of insolvencies and plant shutdowns at names such as Oettinger, Bischofshof, Leikeim and Eichbaum.
- Alcohol‑free lines surpassed 10% of retail turnover and are near 9.5% market share but remain excluded from the statistics, while regional data show sharper falls in Schleswig‑Holstein/Hamburg (‑10.6%) and Saxony (‑6.9%); Flensburger reported overall volume up 2.4% on non‑alcoholic growth despite lower alcoholic beer sales.