This represents a 6.3% decline compared to the same period last year, the Federal Statistical Office said on Friday.
Similar drops were only seen during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and again in the second half of 2023.
For the first time, beer volume sales fell below the 4 billion litre mark in a six-month period.
Domestic sales, which still make up just under 82% of total volumes, dropped by 6.1%, while exports fell even more sharply, declining by 7.1%.
The German Brewers’ Association attributes the decline not only to demographic changes but also to broader economic challenges.
Chief Executive Holger Eichele said: “The poor consumer climate is hitting breweries hard, much like the restaurant and retail sectors.”
Eichele also warned that new EU tariff agreements with the US could further increase pressure on exporters.
Buzz-free brews
Alochol-free beer remains a bright spot: data shows that last year 579 million litres of the sober suds were produced in Germany, nearly twice as much as a decade ago.
The market share now stands at 9%, meaning soon one in 10 beers brewed in Germany will be non-alcoholic.
Non-alcoholic beers are particularly popular in the hospitality sector.
According to the Kollex Beer Monitor, which analyses orders from the restaurant industry, one in eight beers ordered in German restaurants in the first half of the year was non-alcoholic.
The south-west – traditionally a wine-loving region – is leading the way: in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, almost one in four orders is alcohol-free.
But Volker Kuhl, the head of the brewer Veltins, cautioned against overestimating the potential of non-alcoholic beers, noting fierce competition in the segment.
“In our view, non-alcoholic beers are at best a band-aid to ease the painm,” he said.
Source: dpa
