Germany’s beer sales fell by 85 million liters in the first half of 2026.

Germany’s beer market kept shrinking in the first half of 2026, with sales falling by 85 million liters from a year earlier, a 2.2% drop that adds to a long decline in one of the country’s most traditional industries.

The figures, reported by Table.Briefings on Sept. 19 and attributed to data from the German Brewers Association, show that the pressure on brewers is continuing this year after several years of weaker demand, lower revenue and brewery closures. The report said beer sales from January through June were again below the level of the same period a year earlier, but it did not provide the total volume sold in the first half in absolute terms.

The decline in sales fits a broader pattern in German drinking habits. Beer consumption per person stood at 84 liters in 2025, down from 91 liters in 2019. That is a drop of 7 liters, or 7.7%, in six years. Compared with the peak of 151 liters per person recorded in 1976, consumption has fallen by 67 liters, a decline of 44.4%.

The change has also hit brewers’ income. According to the figures cited by Table.Briefings, German breweries took in about €8.7 billion in 2025, compared with a little more than €9 billion in 2024. That means revenue fell by more than €300 million in one year, although the earlier figure was not given precisely in the source.

The contraction is not affecting every segment in the same way. Nonalcoholic beer was described as the main growth area. Production in that category rose by 6.5% in 2025 to more than 616 million liters. Based on the rounded figures in the report, that suggests an increase of roughly 38 million liters from about 578 million liters a year earlier. While that calculation is approximate, it points to one of the few parts of the market still expanding as overall beer demand weakens.

The divergence between traditional beer and nonalcoholic products is becoming more important for breweries trying to adjust to lower consumption. The report describes a sector in structural change, not just a temporary downturn. About 140 breweries have closed in Germany over the past six years, according to the figures cited. That pace of closures indicates that many producers, especially smaller ones, have struggled to absorb weaker demand, rising costs or unused capacity.

Some of the breweries that remain open are trying to fill idle production lines by brewing beer on contract for foreign brands, the report said. That practice reflects the amount of spare capacity now present in parts of the industry. It also shows how breweries are looking for work beyond their own labels as domestic sales weaken.

Germany has long been associated with beer as a national product and a strong part of its food and drink economy. But the latest figures suggest that tradition is no longer enough to protect the sector from changing consumer behavior. Lower alcohol consumption, shifting health preferences and competition from other drinks have all been widely cited in recent years as pressures on brewers, and the latest sales decline suggests those forces are still working through the market.

The first-half loss of 85 million liters is significant not only because of its size, but because it confirms that the downward trend has continued into 2026. Table.Briefings said monthly sales have been running below year-earlier levels for the past two years. That pattern points to a persistent weakening in demand rather than a short, isolated setback.

The market data cited in the report cover different periods, which makes a full year-to-year comparison across all measures more difficult. The 2.2% drop refers to beer sales in January through June of 2026. The consumption, revenue and nonalcoholic production figures refer to 2025, while the brewery closure count covers the last six years. The report also noted that it did not identify the update date for each primary data series. Even with those limitations, the direction of travel is clear across the indicators: less beer is being sold and consumed, brewers are bringing in less money, and more companies are disappearing from the market.

The nonalcoholic segment stands out as the exception. Its growth suggests brewers may be able to offset part of the decline in standard beer by expanding alcohol-free offerings. But the increase in that category is still small compared with the long-term fall in overall beer consumption. Germany’s per-person beer intake has dropped sharply from the levels seen decades ago, and the latest half-year sales figures show that the industry has not yet found a broader turnaround.

The German Brewers Association’s data, as cited by Table.Briefings, present a sector that is still shrinking in its traditional core business while trying to adapt through new products, consolidation and contract brewing. For breweries that have survived the past six years, the challenge now is not only to manage lower demand, but also to decide how much of their future depends on beer styles and business models that look different from the ones that built the industry.