Germany: Germany remains a country of beer drinkers

As of the end of 2004 there were 1,274 breweries in Germany. Of wich 629 breweries in Bavaria, the state renowned for its beer gardens, huge one-litre steins of beer and famous beer halls like the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, according to the figures of The Federal Statistics Office in Wiesbaden posted on April 22, Deutsche Presse-Agentur posted.

The neighbouring southern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg had 178 breweries, while the most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, came next with 118 breweries.

The figures show that the country's beer sector has remained steady over the past decade in terms of overall brewery numbers, but with a marked trend towards micro-breweries.

The 1,274 figure for 2004 was only eight fewer than in 1995, the office reported. Of the total, large breweries with more than 500,000 hectolitres annual output numbered 50 last year, compared with 54 in 1995. So-called micro breweries with output of up to 5,000 hectolitres totalled 796 last year, surging 23.8 percent from the 643 such breweries in 1995, the office said. At the same time, the number of medium-sized breweries ranging between 5,000 and 500,000 hectolitres came to 428 last year, a 26.8 percent drop from 585 in 1995.

Per-capita beer consumption in Germany in 2004 came to 115.5 litres, down from 117.7 litres in 2003, by the federation's initial calculations.

"Germany remains a country of beer drinkers," commented Birte Kleppien, spokeswoman for the German Brewing Association, although she noted consumption has declined slightly. "By international comparison Germany is one of the markets with the most breweries and the biggest variety of brands," Kleppien said. "There have been some mergers, but on the other hand there have been new start-ups, especially of smaller breweries and restaurant breweries," she added.

The latest brewing industry figures came a day before the "German Beer Day" marking the April 23, 1516 anniversary of the famous beer brewing "purity edict" issued by Bavarian Duke Wilhelm IV.

The edict said, in part: "We wish to emphasize that in future in all cities, markets and in the country, the only ingredients used for the brewing of beer must be Barley, Hops and Water. Whosoever knowingly disregards or transgresses upon this ordinance, shall be punished by the Court authorities' confiscating such barrels of beer, without fail."

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