Germans are drinking less and less beer, but one category is gaining ground: non-alcoholic beer. According to data from the federal statistics office Destatis, sales of non-alcoholic beer have increased by 109% since 2013, while overall beer consumption has fallen to its lowest level in more than 30 years. For the first time, in the first half of 2025, sales fell below 4 billion liters. Specifically, they fell by 6.3%, or around 262 million liters, compared to the same period last year.
One of the best-known producers, Erdinger near Munich, which has been brewing beer since the 1880s, reports that about 25% of its production is now alcohol-free. CEO Stefan Kreisz says consumption habits are changing.
“We need to make beer, even non-alcoholic beer, attractive to young people. Today they celebrate differently, meet differently. There is no algorithm that says now you have to drink a beer.” The company already promotes non-alcoholic beer at sporting events, as a natural alternative to energy drinks. This trend is also noticeable in Munich bars. Louis von Tucher, a waiter at Café Kosmos, says that customers have become more aware. “In the 2000s, people would be offended if you suggested they drink water between beers. Today they are more careful, they still drink alcohol, but often switch to non-alcoholic drinks.”