Overview
- Official 2025 data show nationwide beer sales fell about 6% to 7.8 billion liters, the lowest since records began.
- Bavaria remained the top producer with 22.5 million hectoliters sold in 2025, a 5.4% drop from 2024 as its brewery count slipped to 588.
- The main brewers’ group warned on Thursday that about 40% of producers are fighting for survival as high energy, transport and raw material costs persist.
- Alcohol-free beer is gaining ground, with North Rhine–Westphalia up about 10% to roughly 1.3 million hectoliters in 2025, yet the rise does not offset losses in regular beer.
- Bavaria’s health ministry estimates about 255,000 people in the state have alcohol dependence, with binge drinking among women rising over the past two decades.