Beer sales in Germany declined at their steepest annual rate last year since the data series began in 1993, further extending a long-term downward trend.
Figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) show breweries and beer warehouses sold around 7.8 billion litres of beer in 2025, down 6% on a year earlier.
Destatis highlighted the broader contraction in beer sales in Germany over the past decade.
Last year, beer sales were 18.9% lower than in 2015, representing a reduction of 1.8 billion litres, the researchers said.
The statistics cover all beer subject to taxation in Germany, including beer from domestic and foreign brewing companies and imports from other EU member states.
However, the dataset excludes non-alcoholic beer, malt beverages and beer imported from outside the EU.
Responding to the Destatis data, trade association Deutscher Brauer-Bund (DBB) linked the decline in beer sales to weak consumer sentiment in Germany.
“Like retailers and restaurants, breweries are feeling the massive effects of consumers' reluctance to spend,” DBB managing director Holger Eichele said.
The DBB said breweries continue to face cost pressure, highlighting energy and wages.
“A reliable, predictable, and competitive energy policy is of central importance for the brewing industry," Eichele added.
According to Destatis, domestic sales, which accounted for 82.5% of beer sales in 2025, fell 5.8% year-on-year to 6.4 billion litres.
The remaining 17.5%, or 1.4 billion litres, was sold tax-free as exports and as so-called “company beer”. This segment was down 7% versus the previous year.
Beer mixes, including beer combined with lemonade, cola, fruit juices and other non-alcoholic additives, also declined. Sales of beer mixes fell by 5.2% versus 2024. At 402 million litres, they represented 5.2% of total beer sales.
Non-alcoholic beer, however, continues to expand in the German market.
According to DBB and NielsenIQ data, non-alcoholic beers and beer-based mixed drinks exceeded 10% of retail sales in Germany for the first time in 2025.
