In August 2023, the German beer industry faced a substantial decline in sales compared to the figures of the exceptional August of the previous year, 2022. Sales took a dramatic nosedive, plummeting by a remarkable 11.5%. This decline was felt both domestically, with a decrease of 11.1% in local sales, and in the international market, where exports suffered a more significant blow, experiencing a 13.4% drop. To put this in perspective, it equates to a staggering loss of 1 million hectoliters of beer in just one month when compared to the same period the year before.
The ripple effects of this monthly downturn are also evident on an annual scale. The brewing industry, in totality, has seen a cumulative decline of 4.1% in sales. This equates to a substantial loss of nearly 2.5 million hectoliters of beer, with domestic sales contributing significantly to this decline, falling by 4.3%.
The Federal Statistical Office's latest data, which excludes non-alcoholic beers, paints an even grimmer picture for beer mixes. This category experienced a severe drop in sales, with a staggering decline of 26.9%. In cumulative terms, this category has experienced an 11.1% reduction in sales.
A look at the August sales statistics from previous years reveals a sobering trend. Since 2018, despite fluctuating ups and downs, a total of 1.5 million hectoliters have been lost (in hectoliters, both domestic and international, compared to the previous August).
- 2018: 9,322,881 hl
- 2019: 8,280,890 hl (-11.4%)
- 2020: 8,451,369 hl (+2.0%)
- 2021: 7,857,928 hl (-7.0%)
- 2022: 8,826,554 hl (+11.8%)
- 2023: 7,807,859 hl (-11.5%)
