Young Germans enjoy non-alcoholic beer while Lager sales fall flat

Germans are drinking less and less beers, but non-alcoholic varieties are more popular than ever.

The German Federal Statistical Office has duplicated non-alcoholic sales in recent years – 109% has risen since 2013, although beer sales in the lowest level for more than 30 years.

For the first time, the 4bn liters fell below the mid-year.

German beer sales fell by about 6.3% – or 262 million liters, about 3.9 million liters in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year.

Near Munich, Munich has been a beer since the 1880s, and Stefan Kreisz, drinking habits are changing and around a quarter of production these days is not alcoholic.

“We need to find a way of making a beer, even if they are non-alcoholic young people.

“You need to understand the ways they know and the way they know together. There is no algorithm, now telling you that you need a beer.”

Stefan Kreisz still sees the culture of German beer still, and now his company promotes non-alcoholic beer in sports events, as a natural alternative to energy drinks.

At Kosmos Kosmos in Munich, Barman Louis von Tucher says that many of his customers have more health.

“In the 2000s, I remember putting people, maybe you should have a glass … and they would be very offended.”

Now, however, he has detected a change.

“Everyone is a bit conscious of consuming. I think most people still drink alcohol, but they consciously do alcoholic drinks between them.”

However, Louis says that full force beer does not disappear.

“It’s a small turn, he said, selling 150 and 500 liters of normal beer at night compared to 20 liter beer. So there is a huge gap between these two.”

At the Sandkerwa folk festival in Bamberg, northern Bavarian, Alcoholic beer is alive and well in the tradition of drinking alcoholic beer.

In the long celebration of five days, Bamberg’s wind, medieval streets are filled with musicians, sausage stands and brewers with numerous shops.

On the sandstones of the old town, Pascal had a beer with a friend.

“Beer is very important for the city and we have a lot of brewery here,” he said.

“People come here for beer and for the party. I can’t imagine the consumption of beer here is less than Bamberg.”

Outside of a beer garden, Magdalena, a student, agreed.

“I’m around, and everyone has a glass of beer in hand. So in this part of Germany, beer is just a massive part of everyday life, even if we all know that,” he said.

“I feel like I, especially in my generation, people tend to drink less every day, but it’s still in Germany, it’s still Bavaria.”