Beer Sales Continue to Decline in the First Half of 2026, but Volumes Rise in June

According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), however, a positive trend was recorded for the summer month of June—with a 5.2% increase in sales compared to the previous year. Non-alcoholic beers, which now account for more than 10% of the market in Germany, are not included in the official statistics.

In the first half of 2026, 81% of total beer sales were intended for domestic consumption and were taxed within Germany. Domestic sales fell by 3.1% compared to the first half of 2025, to 3.1 billion liters. The remaining 19% were sold tax-free, primarily as exports. This represented a 2% increase over the previous year. Of this amount, 422 million liters went to EU countries and 297 million liters to non-EU countries.

According to the German Brewers’ Association (DBB), the German brewing industry is under sustained pressure and remains in a precarious situation. Monthly sales figures over the past two years have been almost consistently lower than those of the same month in the previous year, in some cases by a significant margin.

“Given the persistently high production costs and the decline in beer consumption, it is unfortunately likely that the number of breweries in Germany will continue to fall,” says DBB Executive Director Holger Eichele. Currently, he notes, at least one brewery is forced to close every week—often family-run businesses with a history stretching back centuries. “In this situation, it is particularly bitter that there is no support whatsoever from policymakers; on the contrary, further burdens are being imposed,” says Eichele. The sugar tax planned by the federal government is undermining the successful efforts of many breweries to establish a second revenue stream with non-alcoholic soft drinks.