The German Brewers' Association (Deutsche Brauer-Bund - DBB) has announced that alcohol-free beer has been the fastest-growing category in the German market in the last ten years.
The association also pointed out that the range of non-alcoholic products has grown in this period.
Alcohol-Free Beer
According to industry figures, around 430 million litres of alcohol-free beer was produced in 2010, compared with German breweries selling more than 660 million litres of alcohol-free beer and malt drink in 2020, despite the coronavirus crisis and a four-month lockdown in the catering sector.
The difference between 2010 and 2020 corresponds to an increase in market share of 53% within a decade.
Within Germany, the market share of non-alcoholic drinks in the grocery trade reached almost 7%, data from 2020 has revealed.
Recent market figures show that alcohol-free beer performed better than all types of alcohol during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the market research company Nielsen, demand for non-alcoholic mixed beer beverages, such as Radler, rose in 2020, with sales increasing by 16.5% compared to 2019.
Consumer Survey
A consumer survey for the DBB, conducted by INSA in January 2021 comprising 2,040 respondents, confirmed the growing popularity of alcohol-free products.
Non-alcoholic shandy led the popularity chart with 31% demand, closely followed by alcohol-free wheat beer at 30%.
According to the survey, almost every second German (46%) now drinks non-alcoholic beers - and the trend is rising.
Alcohol-free beers are brewed in compliance with the German Purity Law using just four ingredients: water, malt, hops, and yeast.
The purity law is the oldest consumer protection law in the world that is still in force today, having been set up 505 years ago.
Holger Eichele, managing director, DBB, said, "The corona pandemic is leaving its mark on all 1,500 breweries in Germany. The extent of the economic damage is increasing from week to week. The positive development in alcohol-free beers is a small ray of hope."
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more Drinks news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
