Austria: Brewers Association reports satisfactory sector results in 2023

Austria’s beer industry recorded a satisfactory result in 2023: total output (including zero-alcohol beer) amounted to 9.98 mln hl, which is close to the very high pre-Covid 2019 volume, the Austrian Brewers Association reported on February 19.

Domestic beer sales reached 8.55 mln hl, whereas exports amounted to 1.43 mln, it is reported.

“2023 was a difficult year characterized by historically high inflation and a consecutive change in the market and consumer behaviour. Taking these into account, we can be satisfied with the results,” new association chairman Karl Schwarz said.

The chairman said comparing 2023 to 2022 was not applicable as 2022 was a year of “catch-up effects” with “the highest beer output since the 1990s” and therefore simply not representative.

Schwarz called again for a review of the beer tax in Austria as it was “significantly higher” than those in neighbouring countries and was driving up the price of beer among other factors.

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