In Saxony, beer sales fell more sharply last year than the national average. According to the Federal Statistical Office, a total of around 620 million liters were sold in the Free State last year. This corresponds to a decline of around 6.9 percent.
Nationwide, the beer market shrank by six percent - more than at any time since reunification. Sales amounted to a total of 7.8 billion liters. This continues the trend that has been ongoing since 1994 - when sales amounted to 11.5 billion liters.
"Yes, let's put it this way, it is dramatic for Saxony as a whole," said Steffen Dittmar, President of the Saxon Brewers' Association, to the German Press Agency in Dresden. Dittmar, who is also Managing Director of the Bergquell Brewery in Löbau, is not currently aware of any insolvencies among the 80 or so breweries in Saxony.
The industry has done its homework and modernized in many areas. However, the situation is affecting smaller private breweries in particular: "Of course, a large company can cope with crises more easily than a small company, because small companies usually don't have a buffer."
Minimum wage, energy costs and bureaucracy are additional burdens for the brewing industry. However, the association president is optimistic: "It's bad weather now, bad beer weather, but the sun always rises again at some point."
Non-alcoholic varieties are the glimmer of hope for the industry. The market for the segment is also growing in Saxony. The association does not currently have any concrete figures, as not all breweries publish them. As there is no beer tax, non-alcoholic beers and malt beverages are not included in the current statistics from the Federal Statistical Office.
According to the German Brewers' Association, non-alcoholic beers already accounted for more than ten percent of sales nationwide last year. This threshold is also expected to be reached in terms of market share this year. Germany has now become the largest European market for non-alcoholic beers.
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