Spain’s Beer Exports Jumped Nearly 8% in 2025

Spain’s beer industry increased production by 0.5% in 2025 and raised exports by nearly 8%, while domestic sales remained broadly flat as consumers stayed cautious and drinking occasions outside the home softened, according to the 2025 socioeconomic report on the country’s brewing sector.

The report, prepared by Cerveceros de España and Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and presented Thursday at the ministry’s headquarters in Madrid, said beer production reached 41.5 million hectoliters last year. That left Spain as the European Union’s second-largest beer producer, behind Germany and ahead of the United Kingdom, the industry group said.

Exports rose to 3.64 million hectoliters, with traditional beer posting growth of about 10%. The increase points to stronger international demand for Spanish beer at a time when producers are looking beyond the domestic market for growth. For beverage companies more broadly, that trend matters because it shows how established categories can use exports to offset slower consumption at home and spread risk across markets.

Sales in Spain slipped by about 1% from 2024 to 38.2 million hectoliters, a sign that the sharp rebound seen after the pandemic has given way to a more stable phase. Even so, volumes remained above 2019 levels, suggesting that beer consumption has held onto much of the ground gained during the recovery years.

The main drag came from bars and restaurants, still the core channel for beer in Spain. Activity in hospitality fell by 0.3% in 2025, and beer sales through that channel dropped by 2.4% from a year earlier. Food retail moved in the opposite direction, with sales rising 0.4%, indicating a modest shift toward drinking at home as consumers went out less often and spent more selectively.

That split is important in Spain because beer remains closely tied to food, tourism and social life. Emilio Gallego, secretary general of Hostelería de España, said at the presentation that beer plays a central role in hospitality and reflects a pattern of moderate consumption with meals. He cited a recent study showing that 97.7% of respondents viewed beer as the ideal match for tapas.

Industry executives used the report to argue that the category remains resilient despite pressure on household budgets and weaker momentum in some on-premise occasions. Jacobo Olalla Marañón, director general of Cerveceros de España, said the 2025 figures showed that Spanish beer had maintained its footing in a difficult environment through gains in production and exports.

One of the clearest growth areas was alcohol-free beer. Sales of nonalcoholic beer rose 4.6% in 2025 to a record 3.3 million hectoliters, accounting for 14% of all beer consumed in Spain. That means roughly one in seven beers consumed in the country is now alcohol-free.

Spain remains Europe’s largest market and producer for alcohol-free beer, according to the report. It said one in four alcohol-free beers ordered in the European Union is consumed in Spain. Around 90% of people who drink alcohol-free beer are also regular beer drinkers, suggesting that the segment is functioning less as a niche substitute than as an added option within existing habits.

For brewers and other beverage makers, that expansion offers a clear signal about where future volume may come from. Growth in low- and no-alcohol products can help companies respond to moderation trends without losing consumers to other categories, especially in markets where drinking is linked to meals, driving and daytime social occasions.

The report described Spain’s drinking pattern as distinct from many other markets because beer is usually consumed in social and food-related settings rather than in isolation. It said 86% of consumers drink beer with friends or family, and nearly 90% of drinking occasions take place in social or gastronomic contexts.

Beer also remains deeply embedded in Spain’s hospitality trade. It is the leading featured beverage in bars and restaurants and the preferred choice outside the home during key occasions such as aperitif hour, late afternoon gatherings and dinner, according to the report. Beer was chosen by 64% of consumers during aperitif occasions, by 53% during late afternoon socializing and by 44% at dinner.

Tourism continued to support demand. Beer consumption by tourists in hospitality venues rose 4.1% in 2025, broadly matching another strong year for Spanish tourism. The report estimated that around 30% of all beer consumed in Spain is drunk by tourists, many of them from Germany and Britain.

That link between tourism and beverage sales has wider implications for producers across wine, spirits and beer. Strong visitor flows can lift on-premise volumes even when local consumers cut back, but they also make parts of the drinks business more exposed to swings in travel demand, seasonality and geopolitical shocks that affect tourism.

The industry also highlighted sustainability through packaging used in hospitality venues. According to the report, 82.4% of beer sold through bars and restaurants is served in reusable containers, mainly kegs and returnable bottles. That gives hospitality an important role not only as a sales channel but also as one of the sector’s main routes for reducing packaging waste.

The economic footprint outlined in the report was broad. Beer accounts for 1.3% of Spain’s gross domestic product and supports more than 540,000 jobs, many tied to hospitality. The sector also contributes about 2.6% of public revenue, according to the figures presented.

Its role extends beyond brewing plants and bars. The report said beer is associated with more than €5.2 billion in tourist spending and has spillover effects across farming, distribution, transport, logistics and tourism services. For every direct job linked to the sector, it said another 1.5 jobs are generated elsewhere in the Spanish economy.

At Thursday’s presentation, Ana Rodríguez Castaño, secretary general at the agriculture ministry, praised brewers for supporting domestic farmers and investing in innovation aimed at making crops more competitive and adding value to agricultural production. She also described beer as a product that helps pull demand for other emblematic Spanish goods.

That point reflects one reason policymakers continue to watch brewing closely even when annual volume changes are small. In Spain, beer is not only a consumer product but also part of a larger chain connecting agriculture, manufacturing, hospitality and tourism. The modest rise in production and stronger export performance in 2025 suggest that chain remained intact even as domestic demand settled into a slower rhythm.