German Brewers Producing More Beer for First Time in Four Years

Strong markets for exported beer and warm weather have helped beer brewers in Germany reverse a four year decline in beer production. Government data released on Thursday shows that beer production is up to 4.9 billion liters, which is a rise of about one percent.

An official at the Federal Statistics Agency, Juergen Hammer, said that warmer than usual weather in April and May has helped to boost demand. It’s the first time since the World Cup in 2006 was in Germany that beer produced for domestic consumption has risen.

The average German citizen consumes about 120 liters of beer each year. That puts Germans only behind the Irish and the Czechs in terms of leading beer consumption. That is about a glass a day. However, beer consumption by Germans has fallen as many are turning to other beverages, such as wine. Foreigners, though, are buying more and more German beer. It’s one of the few exported beverages that has been subject to strict regulation by the government since the 16^th century.

Exports of beer account for about 10 percent of all beer production in Germany. This number, though, is up by 5.3% percent in the first six months of the year.

Most of the brewers in Germany are smaller and privately owned. One of the most well known international brands of beer is produced in Germany, though, and that is Beck’s. The brand owned by Belgium’s Anheuser-Busch InBev.

There are about 1,300 breweries in Germany that produce over 5,000 different brands of beer. The largest concentration of breweries is found near Bamberg, which is located in Franconia region of Bavaria. The oldest brewery in the world is also found in Germany at the Benedictine abbey. The Weihenstephan brewery was established in 725 and has been brewing beer since 1040.

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