Increased sales for German brewers: the summer record warms Bierdurst

economy

Thursday November 1, 2018

Summer, sunshine, cold beer: the exceptionally mild weather creates a pleasant side effect for the German beer industry: sales figures are up. However, heat-related drought also has disadvantages for customers.

German breweries and beer stores sold 72.7 million hectoliters of beer in the first nine months of the year. This is an increase of 0.8% or 0.6 million hectoliters compared to the same period of the previous year, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden. Alcohol-free beers and non-alcoholic beverages are not included in the figures. However, according to the industry, a "strong demand" also appears here.

Beer-based drinks, i.e. Beer with lemonade, cola or fruit juice, accounted for 5.1% of total beer sales between January and September, with 3.7 million hectoliters, as statisticians have pointed out. This was an increase of 11.3% over the same period of the previous year. 82% of total beer sales were for domestic consumption, which rose by 0.9%.

The industry has justified the figures especially by the sunny and warm weather since the spring. The breweries had set up special teams and in the summer, vacuum supplies were rare in some parts of the country, the German Brewers Association said. The industry is now hoping for a slight dip and is optimistic about the end – of – year bargains. The World Cup could also be a reason for increased beer consumption.

Customers pay for bad harvests

The Food-Enjoyment-Restaurants (NGG) said that these figures are "good news for the sector because it gives breweries and maltors spirits beer". Given the decline observed in recent years, many large breweries have already responded to discounts. "But junk prices are the wrong way," the NGG warned. Instead, brewery locations, brand beers and therefore jobs should be secured.

Despite the slight recovery, breweries have been struggling for years with a steady decline in sales. Customers have to pay more for barley juice this year. Due to drought and the resulting poor harvests, malting barley has become more expensive.

Source: n-tv.de