Germany: Number of breweries declines to 1,507 in 2022

The number of breweries in Germany totalled 1,507 in 2022 – almost 3% below the pre-pandemic 2019, the German Brewers Association reported.

Over the last three years, the total number of breweries declined by 45: in 2020 the drop was 16 breweries, in 2021 – 15, in 2022 – 14.

Bavaria saw the biggest decrease in the number of beer makers – minus 24, North Rhine-Westphalia minus 14, and Hesse minus 10. In Schleswig-Holstein, in spite of the crisis, the number of breweries saw a small increase and in Baden-Wuerttemberg and Saxony it remained flat.

The trade association warns that the trend of brewery closures will accelerate. The number of breweries was actively growing since the end of the 2000’s till the Covid pandemic, however, this trend seems to be over now.

The nation’s 2022 beer sales increased by 2.7% or 232.6 mln litres as compared to 2021. The German Brewers Association expects 2023 to be a difficult year for the industry due to increased gas, electricity, malt, and packaging costs, which are expected to result in beer price hikes.

E-malt.com, the global information source for the brewing and malting industry professionals. The bi-weekly E-malt.com Newsletters feature latest industry news, statistics in graphs and tables, world barley and malt prices, and other relevant information. Click here to get full access to E-malt.com. If you are a Castle Malting client, you can get free access to E-malt.com website and publications. Contact us for more information at marketing@castlemalting.com .