Germany: German beer becoming more diverse and experimental

Germany has had its beer purity law for more than 500 years stipulating that beers produced in Germany for the German market may only be brewed using hops, malt, yeast and water. However, after seeing declines in consumption while other new beer trends gained traction all over the world, times are changing.

Last year, db highlighted how German beer sales had already started to face a downturn with consumer demand for local brews taking a noticeable nose-dive. The situation even led to German brewers calling on Scottish football fans to consume millions of steins of lager during the Euro 2024 championship last summer in a bid to help brewers stay afloat. However, amid the rise of alcohol-free beers, craft beer trends and a return to a few choice regional varieties, the German brewing scene is doing what it ca to adapt somewhat to remain flexible to stay relevant.

According to a rundown of the situation on a local scale, Deutschland.de, revealed how even though conventional beer varieties have traditionally been popular in Germany, consumption has been declining nonetheless.

Contributing to this, the increase in non-alcohol alternatives has been one trend that has been indicated to be partly to blame. According to the German Brewers’ Association, the boost in sales of alcohol-free beers have been seen to have more than doubled over the past 20 years.

Speaking about the situation and ways to harness more of a leading role in the trend, the association revealed that brewers were now adapting to take part in the shift, rather than be ousted from the category completely.

Describing this move, Deutscher Brauer-Bund president Christian Weber said: “The innovative spirit shown by breweries is playing a key role in this growth.”

The trend, propelled due to low and no alcohol drinks being low in calories has now led to German breweries starting to produce their own alcohol-free beers, showing how they can adapt to the times.

Accompanying this, the move towards experimentation and anyone being able to buy their own micro beer kit and start experimenting has led to a rise in different concoctions being brewed in homes across Germany.

Many brewers within the country are also now in the process of rediscovering their roots and looking at reintroducing cloudy cellar beer, unfiltered Zwickel or historic rural beers made using locally-sourced barley and traditional brewing methods.

In a recent interview with an industry title, Weber explained: “In my opinion, these breweries have achieved something that is really remarkable. They have brought back many varieties and styles of beer that had slipped somewhat into oblivion. This will have a lasting impact.”

German brewers have faced a hard time of late with situations like Oettinger becoming the target of a cyber attack in a move that put confidential documents at stake and brewery workers at Krombacher choosing to go on strike after disputes over wages had not been met.

Despite the challenges, from an export perspective, the sector has remained an attraction with examples such as beer importer James Clay and Sons signing an agreement with Augustiner-Bräu for its beers in the UK and US Beverage becoming the sole importer and sales and marketing partner for Erdinger in the US.