German beer's popularity fades

On the occasion of Beer Day on 23 April in Germany, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) has published data on the country's exports and consumption of the beverage, revealing not only a decline in its popularity but also a fall in the number of producers, reports public broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

According to data from "Destatis", Germany exported 1.45 billion litres of beer last year, down 10% on a decade ago. More than half of these exports (55.7% of the total) were to other European Union Member States.

Official statistics also show that demand for German beer is falling faster in Germany than abroad, with 6.8 billion litres of domestically produced beer sold in the country last year, down 15.1% from 2014.

Although the number of breweries in Germany last year was 7.4% more than 10 years ago - 1,459 - the number of breweries in the country has been decreasing year on year since 2019, when there were 1,552 breweries in the country.

„Beer Day“ is celebrated in Germany on 23 April to commemorate the Beer Purity Law, which was passed in Bavaria in 1516 by the then Duke Wilhelm IV, who ordered that beer be brewed using only water, malt, hops and yeast.

„Thanks to this law, ancient brewing traditions have been preserved and it remains the oldest food regulation in the world today,