World: January-May beer output up in China and the US

China’s May beer output is reported at 35.7 mln hl, minus 12.5% versus the same month last year, but January-May production is up 18.9% to 150 mln hl, the H. M. Gauger GmbH analysts said in their July report.

Germany’s beer sales totalled 7.6 mln hl in May, plus 0.2% y/y, and 25.9 mln hl in January-May, minus 6.0% y/y. Domestic sales in January-May were down 8.3%, exports up 4.6% y/y. In 2020, sales of alcohol-free beer amounted to 6.6 mln hl, 5.5% lower than the year before.

USA’s domestic tax-paid beer shipments amounted to 15 mln barrels in May, plus 8.9%, and in January-May they totalled 69.3 mln barrels, plus 5.4%. Beer imports in April totalled 3.4 mln barrels, plus 27% y/y, in January-April beer imports were 12.1 mln barrels, plus 6.5%. As per private estimates hard seltzer (brewed without any malt) provided for the higher consumption, real beer sales are flat.

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