German Beer Woes Continue
German beer sales, which rebounded briefly in 2004, resumed their slide in 2005.
Beer sales fell about 0.5% in 2005 to 10.5 billion liters, the Federal Statistics Office said. The government said consumers have turned to low alcohol alternatives – one of the reasons sales of beer mixed with things such as lemonade and cola jumped 15% to 300 million liters, or some 3% of the total.
Sales climbed marginally in 2004 with the help of exports, ending a five-year skid.
Beer sales have contracted more 15% in the last dozen years.
Germany remains the third highest per capita consumer of beer in world, behind Ireland and the Czech Republic.
