Slovakia: Beer production up 2% in 2024

Beer production in Slovakia increased to 297.6 million litres in 2024, up 2 percent from the 291.6 million litres brewed in 2023, the Slovak Beer and Malt Producers Association (SZVPS) reported on the occasion of International Beer Day, which falls on the first Friday of August each year.

In fact, the production of alcoholic beer saw a slight decline, whereas the production of non-alcoholic beer and shandy (a.k.a Radler) rose by more than a tenth.

"Non-alcoholic beer production increased by more than 15 percent year-on-year, rising steadily since the pandemic year of 2020. This uptrend is not only seen in volume but also in the number of non-alcoholic beers, as more and more breweries are starting to produce them," said SZVPS executive director Vladimir Machalik.

In 2024, the production of unflavoured non-alcoholic beer in Slovakia increased from 14.4 million litres (2023) to 16.6 million litres, up 15 percent. Non-alcoholic shandy production saw a rise by 11.5 percent to 60.2 million litres. Conversely, domestic breweries produced 2.2 million litres less alcoholic beer, i.e., 221 million litres in 2024 when compared to the 223 million litres in 2023.

"In the food sector, breweries were hit by last year's consolidation effort the most. This year we're analysing the impact of higher road toll costs. Beer is actually the most difficult beverage both in terms of production and logistics. Improving the situation in the restaurant sector would be welcome, as it's still struggling to attract customers while also trying to cope with the increased costs brought by consolidation. Therefore, breweries see the year 2025 as a big challenge," added Machalik.